When a death occurs, the paperwork involved can be confusing and overwhelming. At Cumberland Chapels, we will be happy to assist you in applying for any of the following Veterans Benefits:

• Burial Flags
• Headstones & Markers
• Burial in National Cemeteries
• Presidential Memorial Certificates
• Reimbursement of Burial Expenses

Burial Flags
The Veterans Administration provides an American flag to drape the casket of a veteran or a reservist entitled to retired military pay. We will obtain the flag for you and after the funeral service; the flag will be presented to the most appropriate family member.

Headstones and Markers
The Veterans Administration provides headstones and markers for the unmarked graves of veterans anywhere in the world and of eligible dependents of veterans buried in national, state, veteran, or military post cemeteries. Flat bronze, flat granite, flat marble, upright granite and upright marble types are available to mark the grave in a style consistent with the cemetery. Niche markers also are available for identifying cremated remains in columbaria.

Headstones and markers are inscribed with the name of the deceased, branch of service, and the years of birth and death. Optional items that may be inscribed are military grade, rank or rate; war service such as World War II; months and days of birth and death; an emblem reflecting one’s religion; and text indicating valor awards. When burial is in a national, state, veteran, or military post cemetery, the headstone or marker is ordered through the cemetery, which will place it on the grave. Information on style, inscription, and shipping can be obtained from the cemetery.

When burial occurs in a cemetery other than a national, military post or state veterans cemetery, the headstone or marker must be applied for from the VA. Cumberland Chapels will gladly complete this application for you. The marker is shipped at the government’s expense. There is generally no expense associated with the placement of the headstone or marker.

The Veterans Administration cannot issue a headstone or marker for a spouse or child buried in a private cemetery. Twenty - year reservists are generally eligible for a headstone or grave marker.

Headstones or Markers for Memorial Plots
To memorialize an eligible veteran whose remains are not available for burial, the VA will provide a memorial headstone or marker. The headstone or marker is the same as that used to identify a grave except that the phrase In Memory precedes the inscription. The headstone or marker is available to memorialize eligible veterans or deceased service members whose remains were not recovered or identified, were buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated and scattered. The memorial marker may also be provided for placement in a cemetery other than a national cemetery.

Burial in National Cemeteries
VA Cemeteries

Burial benefits in a VA national cemetery include the gravesite, a headstone or marker, opening and closing of the grave, and perpetual care. Many national cemeteries have columbaria or gravesites for cremated remains.

Spouses and minor children of eligible veterans and of service-members also may be buried in a national cemetery. Adult children incapable of self-support due to physical or mental disability are eligible for burial. If a surviving spouse of an eligible veteran marries a non-veteran, and remarriage was terminated by divorce or death of the non-veteran, the spouse is eligible for burial in a national cemetery.

Gravesites in national cemeteries cannot be reserved. Application must be made at the time of death. Reservations made under previous programs are honored. Cemeteries do not provide military honors. Military honors must be arranged with military units or volunteer groups.

Presidential Memorial Certificates

Reimbursement of Burial Expenses
The Veterans Administration will pay a burial allowance up to $1500 if the veteran’s death is service-connected. In some instances, the VA will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a service - disabled veteran to the national cemetery nearest the home of the deceased that has available gravesites. In such cases, the person who bore the veteran’s burial expenses may claim reimbursement from the VA.

The Veterans Administration will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled to compensation but for receipt of military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when death occurs in a VA facility, a nursing home under VA contract or a state nursing home. Additional costs of transportation of the remains may be paid. There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims of service-connected deaths. In other deaths, claims must be filed within two years after permanent burial or cremation.

The Veterans Administration will pay a $150 plot allowance when a veteran is not buried in a cemetery that is under U.S. government jurisdiction under the following circumstances: the veteran was discharged from active duty because of disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; the veteran was in receipt of compensation or pension or would have been except for receiving military retirement pay; or the veteran died in a VA facility. The $150 plot allowance may be paid to the state if a veteran is buried without charge for the cost of a plot or interment in a state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials. Burial expenses paid by the deceased’s employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed.

Questions?
Please feel free to contact Cumberland Chapels at our office, (708) 456-8300, or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .