18 guides
Veterans & Military
Veterans and many of their family members qualify for burial benefits, a free headstone or marker, burial in a national cemetery and military funeral honors. These guides explain who qualifies, what the VA pays and how to apply.
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VA Headstones and Markers: Who Qualifies and How to ApplyThe VA provides a free headstone, marker or medallion for eligible veterans. Who qualifies, the types and sizes, how to apply with Form 40-1330, and costs. 7 min readVA Burial Allowance: Amounts, Eligibility and How to ClaimThe VA burial allowance pays up to $2,000 for a service-connected death, or up to $1,032 plus a $1,032 plot allowance otherwise. Who qualifies and how to claim. 6 min readTaps at a Military Funeral: History, Protocol and EtiquetteTaps is the 24-note bugle call sounded at military funerals. Its history, who is entitled to it, live bugler vs recording, and how guests should stand. 5 min read
Every veterans guide
- 21-Gun Salute vs. Three Rifle Volleys: What Is the Difference?A 21-gun salute is fired by cannon for a President or head of state. The shots at a veteran's funeral are three rifle volleys. Who gets which, and why.
- Arlington National Cemetery Eligibility: Who QualifiesArlington National Cemetery eligibility is stricter than at VA cemeteries. Who gets in-ground burial or a niche, the documents needed and the wait.
- Honorable Discharge and Burial Benefits by Discharge TypeHow a veteran's discharge affects burial in a national cemetery, Arlington, a headstone, honors and the burial allowance, and what to do if it isn't honorable.
- Military Flag Folding: The 13 Folds and What They MeanHow the burial flag is folded at a military funeral, who presents it, what the 13-fold recitation is and isn't, and how to care for the flag afterward.
- Military Funeral Honors: Who Gets Them and How to Request ThemEvery eligible veteran can get military funeral honors: a uniformed two-person detail, flag folding and Taps. Who qualifies, what's included and how to ask.
- Military Urns: How to Choose One for a VeteranHow to choose an urn for a veteran: size, material, branch designs and flag urns, plus what the VA provides and the free VA urn that ends cemetery eligibility.
- National Cemetery Burial Eligibility: Who Qualifies and How to ApplyWho can be buried in a VA national cemetery: veterans, service members, spouses and some children, plus what's free and how to schedule a burial.
- Presidential Memorial Certificate: Who Qualifies and How to Request OneA Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved certificate signed by the President honoring a deceased veteran. Who qualifies and how to request one.
- State Veterans Cemeteries: Who Can Be Buried and What It CostsHow state veterans cemeteries differ from VA national cemeteries: who is eligible, what it costs, what the VA pays, and how to arrange a burial in one.
- Taps at a Military Funeral: History, Protocol and EtiquetteTaps is the 24-note bugle call sounded at military funerals. Its history, who is entitled to it, live bugler vs recording, and how guests should stand.
- UK War Graves and the CWGC: How to Find, Visit and Research ThemThe CWGC cares for the graves of Commonwealth personnel who died in the two World Wars. How to find a war grave, visit, leave tributes and research a casualty.
- VA Burial Allowance: Amounts, Eligibility and How to ClaimThe VA burial allowance pays up to $2,000 for a service-connected death, or up to $1,032 plus a $1,032 plot allowance otherwise. Who qualifies and how to claim.
- VA Headstones and Markers: Who Qualifies and How to ApplyThe VA provides a free headstone, marker or medallion for eligible veterans. Who qualifies, the types and sizes, how to apply with Form 40-1330, and costs.
- Veteran Burial Plot Selection: Can You Choose or Reserve a Gravesite?The VA does not let you reserve a gravesite in a national cemetery. What you can do ahead of time, your cemetery options and how to get pre-need eligibility.
- Veteran Cremation Benefits: What the VA Covers and What You PayWhat the VA covers when a veteran is cremated: the burial allowance, a free niche or grave in a national cemetery, military honors, and what stays your expense.
- Veteran Flag Display Case: How to Choose a Burial Flag CaseHow to choose a display case for a veteran's burial flag: the 5 by 9.5 foot size, materials, UV protection, care, and how to get a flag from the VA.
- Veteran Spouse Joint Burial: Can a Spouse Be Buried With a Veteran?An eligible spouse can be buried with a veteran in a VA national cemetery at no cost, even if the spouse dies first. Who qualifies and how to plan ahead.
- Veterans Burial Benefits: What the VA Provides and What You PayVA burial benefits: free national cemetery burial, headstone, flag and honors, plus a burial allowance of up to $2,000. Who qualifies and how to claim.