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Military Spouse Burial Benefits

Joe Wallace

Navigating VA burial benefits during a time of grief is difficult. Knowing your benefits in advance of need is one of the best ways to prepare, but not everyone has the luxury of making pre-need arrangements. This guide is meant to help you understand VA spouse burial benefits so you can make informed decisions.

Before we explore the specific benefits, it is important to understand spouse eligibility requirements. These benefits are tied directly to the veteran’s military service. For a military spouse to qualify for VA burial benefits, the veteran must meet certain criteria.

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Veteran Service Requirement

The veteran’s service must have ended under conditions other than dishonorable. This means they must have received an honorable discharge, a general discharge under honorable conditions, or other qualifying discharge status. The VA requires a copy of the veteran’s discharge papers, most commonly the DD Form 214, to verify status.

There are also active-duty service minimums.

Enlisted personnel joining after September 7, 1980, and officers whose service began after October 16, 1981, must have completed 24 continuous months of active duty or the full period the veteran was called to active duty. 

There are exceptions to this rule, such as for service members who died on active duty or were discharged for a disability caused or made worse by their service. National Guard or Reserves members may also be eligible if they were entitled to retired pay at their death.

Spouse Requirements

The VA has specific rules regarding the spouse’s relationship to the veteran at the time of death.

• Married at the Time of Death: The most straightforward scenario is when the spouse was married to the veteran when the veteran died.
• Surviving Spouse Who Remarries: If a surviving spouse remarries a non-veteran, they do not lose eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery based on their marriage to the veteran. They can still choose to be buried with their deceased veteran spouse.
• Divorced Spouses: A former spouse divorced from the veteran is generally not eligible for these benefits. 

These benefits apply even if the eligible spouse dies before the veteran. In such a case, the spouse can be buried in a VA national cemetery, and the veteran’s gravesite will be reserved for them, allowing them to be buried together in the future.

VA National Cemetery Benefits

Eligible spouses may qualify for burial in one of the more than 150 VA national cemeteries nationwide.

When an eligible spouse is buried in a VA national cemetery, the following items and services are provided by the VA at no charge:

• Gravesite: A gravesite in the cemetery for a casket or cremated remains. Spouses are buried in the same gravesite as their veteran.
• Grave Liner: A concrete liner is provided for casketed remains, which helps prevent the ground from sinking over time.
• Grave Opening and Closing: The physical labor of preparing the grave for burial and closing it afterward.
• Perpetual Care: The National Cemetery Administration maintains the gravesite and cemetery grounds, including mowing, landscaping, and maintaining the headstones.
• Headstone or Marker: The VA provides a standard government headstone or marker. The spouse’s information is typically inscribed on the veteran’s headstone. We will cover this in more detail in the next section.

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It is crucial to understand that the VA’s benefits cover the cemetery plot and the burial itself. But it does not cover funeral arrangements. The family is responsible for all funeral home or cremation provider costs. These costs include:

• The funeral director’s services
• The casket or urn
• The viewing or memorial service
• Transportation of the remains to the cemetery
• An obituary

Families should work with a funeral director to handle these arrangements. The funeral director can also be an invaluable partner in coordinating the burial with the VA’s National Cemetery Scheduling Office.

The Process for Arranging a Burial

At the time of need, the family or their chosen funeral director should contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117. They will need a copy of the veteran’s DD-214 or other discharge papers to verify eligibility. The scheduling office will then work with the family to arrange a date and time for the committal service at the national cemetery.

Headstones, Markers, and Inscriptions

A headstone or marker serves as a permanent tribute at the final resting place. The benefits for a spouse are directly tied to where they are buried.

In a VA National Cemetery

When a spouse is buried in a VA national cemetery, their information is inscribed on the same government-furnished headstone as the veteran. This is provided at no cost.

In a Private Cemetery

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand. If an eligible veteran is buried in a private cemetery, the VA will furnish a government headstone or marker for the veteran’s grave at no cost (though the family is typically responsible for the cost of placing it).

However, this benefit does not extend to the spouse. A non-veteran spouse buried in a private cemetery is not eligible to receive their own government-furnished headstone or marker. 

The family may, however, be able to have an inscription for the spouse added to the veteran’s government-furnished headstone, but this is done at private expense. If the family chooses to purchase a private headstone for both the veteran and the spouse, the VA can provide a bronze medallion to be affixed to the headstone to signify the individual’s status as a veteran. This medallion benefit is for the veteran only.

VA Burial Allowances

Another common point of confusion is whether the VA provides financial assistance for funeral costs. The VA does offer burial allowances, which are partial reimbursements for funeral and burial expenses.

However, it is critical to understand that these allowances are for the burial of the veteran, not the spouse. There is no VA monetary benefit or reimbursement for the funeral or burial costs of a non-veteran spouse.

The amount of the burial allowance for a veteran depends on whether their death was service-connected. For a service-connected death, the VA will pay up to $2,000. For a non-service-connected death, the benefit is a smaller, set amount for funeral expenses and a separate plot-interment allowance if the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery. The family or funeral home can apply for this reimbursement after the fact by submitting VA Form 21P-530EZ, Application for Burial Benefits.

Pre-Need Eligibility Determination

The VA has a process called pre-need determination that allows veterans and their spouses to clarify eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery before the time of need.

Applying for pre-need eligibility can provide significant peace of mind and greatly simplify the process for the family when a death occurs. It allows you to gather the necessary documents and confirm your eligibility without an active funeral arrangement’s added stress and time pressure.

To apply, complete VA Form 40-10007, Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery. You must submit it along with a copy of the veteran’s DD-214. If the application is approved, the VA will send a decision letter that you should keep with your important papers. 

This letter does not obligate you to be buried in a national cemetery, nor does it reserve a specific plot, but it confirms your eligibility and makes the scheduling process much smoother when the time comes.

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