As the surviving spouse of a veteran, you are entitled to two distinct sets of burial benefits: free interment in a VA national cemetery alongside the veteran, and monetary allowances that help pay for the veteran’s funeral. Both are available whether or not you remarried after the veteran’s death, provided the veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Free Burial in a VA National Cemetery
A spouse, surviving spouse, and certain dependent children of an eligible veteran may be buried in any open VA national cemetery at no cost to the family. The veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, or must have died while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training.1Veterans Affairs. Eligibility For Burial In A VA National Cemetery Legal marriage is required, but the marriage does not need to have been intact when the spouse died.
You do not have to outlive the veteran to qualify. The VA allows eligible spouses and dependents to be interred even if they die first, so a couple can plan on being buried together regardless of who passes first.2National Cemetery Administration. Burial and Memorial Benefits
What the VA provides at no charge:
- A gravesite in any national cemetery with available space
- Opening and closing of the grave
- A government-furnished grave liner
- Perpetual care of the site
- Inscription of your name, date of birth, and date of death on the veteran’s headstone or marker
These benefits apply to both casketed and cremated remains.3Veterans Affairs. What Does Burial In A VA National Cemetery Include? Spouses do not receive a separate government headstone; the VA typically provides a single gravesite and headstone for the veteran and all eligible family members.4Veterans Affairs. Veterans Headstones, Markers, Plaques And Urns
One benefit that does not extend to spouses: the burial flag. The American flag draped over a casket during a military funeral is provided only for veterans and service members.
Remarriage Does Not Disqualify You
If you remarried after the veteran’s death, you are still eligible for burial in a national cemetery. The federal statute defines “surviving spouse” to include a surviving spouse who had a subsequent remarriage, with no age condition attached.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2402 – Persons Eligible for Interment in National Cemeteries The age-55 and age-57 remarriage rules you may have read about apply to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, a separate monthly benefit, not to burial.6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. FAQs – Office of Survivors Assistance
When Burial Can Be Denied
A person convicted of a federal or state capital crime, or found to have committed one but not convicted because of death or flight, is barred from burial or memorialization in a national cemetery. The same bar applies to anyone convicted of a tier III sex offense under federal registration laws and sentenced to life imprisonment.7Federal Register. Prohibition of Interment or Memorialization of Persons Who Have Been Convicted of Federal or State Capital Crimes or Certain Sex Offenses These rules cover spouses and dependents as well, and they also apply to state and tribal veterans cemeteries that receive VA grants.
If the Spouse Is Buried in a Private Cemetery
The picture changes if you choose a private cemetery. A spouse buried privately does not qualify for a government-furnished headstone, marker, or medallion; only the veteran does.8Veterans Affairs. Burial In A Private Cemetery
The VA will, however, add your information to the veteran’s headstone at the private cemetery. For veterans who died on or after October 1, 2019, the inscription includes your name, date of birth, and date of death, plus a term of endearment on request. For veterans who died before that date, only the spouse’s name is inscribed, preceded by a phrase such as “Wife of” or “Husband of.”8Veterans Affairs. Burial In A Private Cemetery
Money Toward the Veteran’s Funeral
Separate from the burial itself, the VA pays flat-rate allowances to help surviving spouses cover the cost of the veteran’s funeral. These are reimbursements for the veteran’s burial expenses, not payments toward your own future burial.
Service-Connected Death
If the veteran died from a service-connected condition, the VA pays up to $2,000 toward burial and funeral expenses for deaths on or after September 11, 2001, and up to $1,500 for earlier deaths.9Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance And Transportation Benefits
Non-Service-Connected Death
For deaths not related to military service, the rates are lower and adjust annually. For veterans who died on or after October 1, 2025, the VA pays a maximum burial allowance of $1,002, plus a separate $1,002 plot allowance if the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery.9Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance And Transportation Benefits
Transportation Costs
The VA will reimburse reasonable transportation costs to move the veteran’s remains to the burial site, including shipping via common carrier, the cost of a shipping case, permits, and applicable taxes. Whether you qualify depends on the circumstances of the veteran’s death and where burial takes place.10eCFR. 38 CFR 3.1709 – Transportation Expenses for Burial
Automatic Payment for Some Spouses
If you are a surviving spouse already listed on the veteran’s VA profile, you usually do not need to file a separate claim for plot, interment, or transportation costs. When the VA is notified of the veteran’s death, it automatically pays a set amount to eligible surviving spouses.9Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance And Transportation Benefits If nothing arrives, or if you want to claim additional expenses, you’ll need to file the formal application.
The Two-Year Deadline That Matters
There is no time limit on filing for service-connected burial benefits or on requesting burial in a national cemetery. For a non-service-connected death, though, the VA must receive your burial allowance claim within two years of the veteran’s burial or cremation.11eCFR. 38 CFR 3.1703 – Claims for Burial Benefits Miss the deadline and the monetary benefit is forfeited.
How to Apply and What to Gather
The primary form for burial allowances is VA Form 21P-530EZ (Application for Burial Benefits). You can submit it online, mail it to the VA Pension Intake Center at PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365, or bring it to a local VA regional benefit office. An accredited veterans service representative can help you file.12Veterans Benefits Administration. Burial Benefits – Compensation
Documents to have ready:
- The veteran’s DD Form 214 or other separation papers. If you can’t find them, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 can obtain records from the National Archives for a national cemetery burial. For a private burial, next of kin can fax an SF-180 with proof of death to the National Archives at 314-801-0764.13National Archives. Emergency Requests
- Your marriage certificate
- The veteran’s death certificate
- Itemized funeral expense receipts
- Social Security numbers for the deceased veteran and for you
Confirming Eligibility Before It’s Needed
You do not have to wait for a death to confirm burial eligibility. The VA offers a pre-need determination that lets veterans, spouses, and dependents verify eligibility for burial in a national cemetery while everyone is still living. That means no scramble for paperwork during a difficult week.
File VA Form 40-10007 (Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery), along with a copy of the veteran’s DD214 if you have it. You can apply online, by mail to the NCA Evidence Intake Center at PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547, or by fax to 855-840-8299. If the DD214 isn’t available, the VA will try to locate the records.14Veterans Affairs. Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Determination You can name a preferred cemetery on the application, but the VA cannot guarantee space there. When the time comes, the family contacts the VA to confirm the determination and schedule the burial.15National Cemetery Administration. Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Determination
Presidential Memorial Certificate
Any surviving spouse can request a Presidential Memorial Certificate, a document signed by the sitting president honoring the veteran’s service. If the veteran is buried in a national cemetery, the VA presents the certificate at the burial automatically. Otherwise, you request one using VA Form 40-0247. There’s no limit on the number of certificates a family can receive, so multiple relatives can each request their own.16Veterans Affairs. Request a Presidential Memorial Certificate
A Note on State Veterans Cemeteries
Most states operate their own veterans cemeteries in addition to the VA national cemetery system. These state cemeteries receive VA grants and generally follow similar eligibility rules, including the capital-crime and sex-offense bars. Because they are run by the state rather than the VA, the details differ. Some states charge spouses modest interment or administrative fees that a national cemetery would not, and the family is responsible for headstone or marker installation costs at a state cemetery because the VA delivers the marker but does not install it at non-national sites.17eCFR. 38 CFR Part 38 – National Cemeteries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Contact your state’s veterans cemetery directly to confirm what applies.