Military Funeral Honors: Who Gets Them and How to Request Them

Military funeral honors are a short ceremony, performed by uniformed service members, to honor a veteran at the funeral. Federal law requires the Department of Defense to provide an honors detail for any eligible veteran whose family asks for one. The minimum is two service members who fold the flag, present it to the family and play Taps. The honors are not automatic, so someone has to request them.

What do military funeral honors include?

Under 10 U.S.C. 1491, the ceremony must include two things: folding a U.S. flag and presenting it to the veteran's family, and playing Taps. The detail has at least two members of the armed forces, wearing their uniforms, and the VA says at least one must be from the veteran's branch of service.

If no bugler is on the detail, the honors team plays a recorded version of Taps. You can ask for a live bugler, but one is not guaranteed. For the history and etiquette of the call, see our guide to Taps at a military funeral.

The law lets the rest of the detail include retired service members and members of veterans service organizations. The VA notes that these groups can also help with rifle details, pallbearers or escorts.

Who is eligible for military funeral honors?

An eligible "veteran" under the law is either of these:

• A person who served on active duty and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.
• A member of the Selected Reserve who completed at least one enlistment (or, for an officer, the initial obligated service), who was discharged early for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or who died while in the Selected Reserve.

The discharge papers decide these cases. If the character of the discharge is uncertain, for example an other-than-honorable discharge, ask the funeral director or a veterans service officer to check with the service branch before you count on honors. For burial in a VA national cemetery, see national cemetery burial eligibility, which has its own rules.

Standard honors vs. full military honors

The two-person detail is the legal minimum. Anything larger depends on the veteran's rank and record, the service branch and what people are available near you.

Arlington National Cemetery publishes four tiers. Most service members get honors with a casket team, firing party, bugler and flag presentation. Full honors with escort, which add a marching element and a military band, go to those who reached E-9, CW-4 or CW-5, or O-4 and above, and to Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war and those killed in action. The Army began bringing the caisson back on a limited basis in June 2025. Spouses and dependents of service members get a casket team and a chaplain if requested, but no other military honors unless the spouse also served.

The rifle volleys you may hear are three volleys from a firing party. People often call them a 21-gun salute. Our 21 gun salute guide explains the difference.

How to request military funeral honors

1. Tell the funeral director early. The VA says funeral home directors or a personal representative should request honors for the family. Do it when you first arrange the service.
2. Give notice. The VA recommends contacting the service branch at least 48 to 72 hours before the service. More notice gives the honors team more room to schedule.
3. Find the DD214. This is the veteran's discharge record. If you can't find it, for a VA national cemetery burial the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (800-535-1117) can locate the records. Otherwise, next of kin (a surviving spouse who has not remarried, parent, child or sibling) can request them from the National Archives, which also handles burial-related emergency requests (National Personnel Records Center, 314-801-0800).
4. Ask about the details. Ask whether there will be a live bugler, who will fold the flag and where the detail will stand. Give the funeral director any wishes about timing.
5. At a VA national cemetery, staff can help arrange honors for services held there.

The burial flag

The flag folded and presented at the service is the U.S. burial flag. It is a separate benefit, requested on VA Form 27-2008, through the funeral director, a VA regional office or a post office. After the burial, it goes to the veteran's next of kin. Arlington lists the flag size as 5 feet by 9 1/2 feet. The VA can't replace one that is lost, destroyed or stolen.

The VA says damaged flags can be retired through veterans service organizations, and undamaged flags can be donated to national cemeteries. If you'd like to keep the flag on display, see veteran flag cases, and for what the folds mean, military flag folding.

What military honors cost, and what else the VA covers

The honors detail itself has no fee listed by the VA. The other costs of the funeral are still yours, unless you choose a national cemetery, where the gravesite, opening and closing, and perpetual care are free. For a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the VA burial allowance pays up to $2,000. For other eligible deaths, it pays up to $1,002 for burial plus up to $1,002 toward a plot (deaths from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026), or $1,032 for each (deaths on or after October 1, 2026), with the plot amount applying if the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery. The allowance is a reimbursement, and it does not cover the whole funeral. Our guide to the VA burial allowance explains who qualifies and how to claim, and the overview of veterans burial benefits shows how the pieces fit together.

What to do next

1. Find the DD214 and the veteran's Social Security number.
2. Call the funeral home and say you want military honors.
3. If you want a national cemetery burial, call 800-535-1117 or read the eligibility rules.
4. Check the VA burial allowance and keep every receipt.