National cemetery burial eligibility covers any veteran who served on active duty and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, service members who die on active duty, certain Reserve and National Guard members, and the spouses and dependent children of eligible veterans.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2402 – Persons Eligible for Interment in National Cemeteries The benefit includes a gravesite, a government headstone, opening and closing of the grave, and perpetual care at no cost to the family, at any of the more than 150 cemeteries the National Cemetery Administration operates.
The Basic Eligibility Rule for Veterans
Federal law defines a veteran as a person who served in the active military and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 101 – Definitions Anyone who meets that definition qualifies for burial in a national cemetery with available space. Length of service is not a factor for someone who dies on active duty; that death alone establishes eligibility.
Reserve and National Guard members qualify on narrower terms. A reservist or Guard member whose death occurs under honorable conditions while hospitalized or being treated for an injury or disease connected to active duty training is eligible. Reserve members entitled to retired pay, or who would have been but for being under age 60, also qualify.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2402 – Persons Eligible for Interment in National Cemeteries
Family Members Who Can Be Buried With a Veteran
Burial rights extend to the spouse or surviving spouse of an eligible veteran, including a surviving spouse who later remarried. A spouse who dies before the veteran is also eligible. Minor children who are unmarried and under 21 (or under 23 if enrolled full-time in school) can be buried with a parent. Unmarried adult children who became permanently disabled and unable to support themselves before age 21, or before 23 if in school, qualify as well.3eCFR. 38 CFR 38.620 – Persons Eligible for Burial
Convictions That Bar Burial
Certain criminal convictions permanently disqualify a person from burial in a national cemetery. The bar applies to anyone convicted of a federal capital crime (one carrying a possible life sentence or death penalty) or a state capital crime involving the willful, premeditated killing of another person. It also applies to tier III sex offenders sentenced to life or 99 years or more. If the person died or fled before conviction, the VA can still deny burial when clear and convincing evidence shows they committed such a crime.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2411 – Prohibition Against Interment or Memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National Cemetery of Persons Committing Certain Federal or State Crimes
Confirming Eligibility Before a Death
A family does not have to wait for a death to find out whether a veteran qualifies. The VA offers a pre-need eligibility determination that settles the question in advance, using VA Form 40-10007. The form can be submitted online through the VA website, faxed to 855-840-8299, or mailed to the NCA Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547.5U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your Guide to Completing VAs Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Application Attaching a copy of the DD214 speeds processing, but the VA will attempt to locate service records if the family does not have one. The application asks for the veteran’s Social Security number, date of birth, military history, and preferred national cemetery.
A pre-need determination does not reserve a specific plot or guarantee space at a particular cemetery, and it does not cover Arlington National Cemetery or state or tribal veterans cemeteries funded by VA grants.6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Pre-Need Eligibility for Burial in a VA Cemetery What it does is put a record on file that the scheduling office can pull up quickly at the time of need.
Documents the Family Will Need
The DD214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) is the key document. It shows the branch of service, active duty dates, and character of discharge. With it in hand, eligibility verification is usually fast.
If the DD214 is lost, the family has options. Records can be requested from the National Personnel Records Center using Standard Form 180, mailed to 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138.7National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180 For an imminent burial, the family does not necessarily need to do this themselves; the National Cemetery Scheduling Office will attempt to locate the records if the family cannot provide them.8U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records
The scheduling office also needs the veteran’s full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death. A copy of the death certificate or a statement from the funeral director helps confirm the recent passing.
How to Schedule a Burial
All burials in national cemeteries are scheduled through a single office. The family or funeral director calls the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY: 711).9National Cemetery Administration. Daily Burial Schedule The office takes calls Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and closes on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.10U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Schedule a Burial for a Veteran or Family Member
Documents can be faxed to the scheduling center or uploaded through the VA’s digital portal. Eligibility verification typically happens within a few hours on a business day. Once confirmed, the scheduling office coordinates with the chosen cemetery to set a date and time, then relays those details to the family.
National cemeteries conduct burials Monday through Friday. When a federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, the cemetery opens for burials one day during that holiday weekend. Specific plots cannot be reserved in advance of death.
What the VA Provides at No Cost
For a burial in a national cemetery, the VA covers the following at no charge to the family:
- The gravesite and the opening and closing of the grave.
- Perpetual care of the grounds and markers.11National Cemetery Administration. Burial and Memorial Benefits
- A government headstone or marker, also available for eligible veterans buried in private cemeteries.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2306 – Headstones, Markers, and Burial Receptacles
- An outer burial receptacle (graveliner) for casketed burials, provided and installed by the cemetery.
- A U.S. burial flag to drape the casket and present to the next of kin.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 2301 – Flags
- A Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the President, with additional copies available on request for other family members.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 112 – Presidential Memorial Certificate Program
These benefits apply whether the remains are casketed or cremated. Cremated remains may be placed in an above-ground columbarium niche or an in-ground burial site designed for urns.
Government headstones carry the veteran’s name, rank, branch of service, and dates of birth and death. Families can request a short personal inscription of a few lines, and the marker may include one emblem of belief chosen from the VA’s authorized list.15National Cemetery Administration. Emblems of Belief Graphics are limited to emblems of belief, Civil War shields, and Medal of Honor insignias. Social, fraternal, political, and commercial symbols are not permitted.
Military Funeral Honors
Every eligible veteran is entitled, on request, to a military funeral honors ceremony. At a minimum, the honors detail folds and presents the American flag to the family and plays Taps. If a live bugler is not available, the detail plays a recorded version through equipment they bring.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 1491 – Funeral Honors Functions at Funerals for Veterans The family or funeral director requests honors when scheduling the burial; the Department of Defense coordinates the detail. There is no cost to the family.
Allowances for Private Burial Expenses
The no-cost package covers what happens at the national cemetery itself. The family remains responsible for what a private funeral home charges before the remains arrive at the cemetery gates. To help offset those private costs, the VA pays monetary allowances that depend on whether the death was connected to military service:
- Service-connected death: up to $2,000 for burial and funeral expenses if the veteran died on or after September 11, 2001. The VA may also reimburse some or all of the cost of transporting the remains to a national cemetery.17U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits
- Non-service-connected death: for deaths on or after October 1, 2025, a $1,002 burial allowance plus a $1,002 plot or interment allowance.
- Headstone or marker allowance: for a veteran buried in a private cemetery, up to $441 (as of October 1, 2025) toward a privately purchased headstone or marker.
These figures are updated each October. Transportation reimbursement covers moving the remains to a national cemetery when the veteran died from a service-connected condition or when the death occurred outside of a state, and it is capped at the cost of transporting to the closest national cemetery with available space near the veteran’s last residence.18eCFR. 38 CFR 3.1709 – Transportation Expenses for Burial Covered items include permit fees, a shipping case, sealing, applicable taxes, and the actual shipping charges.