Burial and Memorial Benefits
Office of Engagement and Memorial Innovations (OEMI)
National Cemetery Administration
Pre-Need establishes your eligibility
for VA burial and memorial benefits before you die, so your family
doesn’t have to go searching for documentation at the time of your
death. Simply fill out a VA form 40-10007 and mail it in to the St.
Louis office indicated on the top of the form. You can print out a form,
fill out an online form, and get more information here:
https://www.cem.va.gov/pre-need/
VA will review your application and you
will get a letter confirming or denying eligibility. If approved, place
the letter in a safe location, inform your family, and then rest easy.
Pre-Need Eligibility provides Veterans
and families with peace of mind. This information is particularly
important for members of the Guard and Reserve, many of whom don’t
realize that their service entitles them to burial benefits. There are
some nuances for reservists, who may have to provide additional
documentation if a mobilization isn’t documented on their DD-214, so it
is even more important for them to apply for Pre-Need. Waiting for your
family to try to establish your eligibility at the time of death can
sometimes result in a non-eligible decision with
little or no time to provide additional information. You owe it to your family to take care of this while you are still alive.
If a VA national, state, or tribal
Veterans cemetery is selected as the final resting place, a Veteran will
receive the following: gravesite, opening and closing of the grave,
grave liner, and perpetual care of the gravesite. Also included are
memorial benefits such as a headstone, marker or niche cover for a
columbarium niche. All are absolutely free, which means a savings of
thousands of dollars to the Veteran’s family. The Veteran’s spouse as
well as minor children and unmarried adult children who legally rely on
the Veteran for support are also eligible for interment free of
charge, typically in the same grave or columbarium niche as the Veteran.
If the Veteran chooses to be interred in
a private cemetery, he or she can still have a free
government-furnished headstone, marker or niche cover. If the Veteran
chooses to be buried in a private cemetery with a privately purchased
headstone, marker or niche cover, the family may request a free bronze
medallion with the word “Veteran” and the appropriate branch of service
to attach to the Veteran’s headstone. All Veterans’ families also
receive a burial flag. At many VA national cemeteries, NCA partners with
local military units or volunteer service organizations to provide
deceased Veterans with military funeral honors, including the playing of
Taps and presentation of the burial flag. Finally, upon request, the
Veteran’s family will receive a Presidential Memorial Certificate signed
by the current U.S. President. Multiple copies can be requested so that
all family members can have one.
VA encourages all Veterans to take
advantage of Pre-Need Eligibility to ensure they, and their families,
know their eligibility status in advance. While families can always
apply for the benefit at the time of death, applying in advance brings
peace of mind and can help resolve eligibility problems ahead of time,
when the person who knows the most about his or her service – the
Veteran – is still around to answer questions. For more information
about VA burial and memorial benefits, please visit
www.cem.va.gov.
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