VA Burial Allowance: Amounts, Eligibility and How to Claim

The VA burial allowance is money the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays toward a veteran's funeral, burial and plot. For a service-connected death it pays up to $2,000. For other eligible deaths on or after October 1, 2026, it pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs, plus up to $1,032 for a plot if the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery. It is a partial reimbursement, not full coverage.

How much is the VA burial allowance?

The amount depends on whether the death was service-connected and on the date of death. These are the maximums the VA lists.

The VA's page lists older rates back to 2013, so check its full rate table if you are claiming an older death. The table and the plot rules are on the VA's burial allowance page.

The non-service-connected amounts are set by law and adjusted each October 1. The $1,032 rate applies to deaths on or after October 1, 2026, so confirm the figure for the date of death before you rely on these numbers.

The VA also lists a separate headstone or marker allowance (up to $441 from October 1, 2025 onward). The VA provides a government marker free, so read our VA headstones and markers guide before buying a private stone.

What about transportation?

The VA can reimburse the cost of transporting remains to the final resting place. It does so when the death was service-connected and the veteran is buried in a national cemetery, when the veteran died in VA care or a VA-contracted nursing home, or when the veteran died while traveling under VA authorization for care. Keep a receipt in your name for the transportation.

Who qualifies for the burial allowance?

There are two tests: the veteran's record and your relationship to them.

The veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and at least one of these must be true:

• the death resulted from a service-connected disability
• the veteran died in VA care, including a VA-contracted facility
• the veteran died while traveling under VA authorization for an exam or treatment
• the veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation, or had a pending claim for one
• the veteran was eligible for VA compensation or pension but received military retirement or disability pay instead

The allowance is not payable if the person died on active duty, while serving as a member of Congress, or while serving a federal prison sentence.

The claimant can be a surviving spouse or partner, child, parent, the executor or administrator of the estate, another family member or friend, or a representative of a funeral home, cemetery or other organization. If you are unsure whether the veteran qualifies, our honorable discharge burial guide and veterans burial benefits overview explain how discharge status affects each benefit.

What does the allowance pay for, and what does it not?

It covers burial and funeral costs, plot or interment costs, cremation, burial at sea and donation of the body to a medical school. It does not make the funeral free.

A VA national cemetery burial includes the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone, marker or medallion, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a burial flag at no cost to the family. The VA says caskets and funeral home or cremation services are at the family's expense. So even with a national cemetery burial, you will usually still pay a funeral provider, and the allowance helps offset it. To see how those costs fit together, use the funeral cost calculator or read about veteran cremation benefits.

How the plot allowance works

A plot or interment allowance is for a veteran who was eligible for national cemetery burial but was not buried in one. It generally goes to whoever paid for the plot. If a state or tribal veterans cemetery charged nothing for the plot or interment, the VA pays the allowance to the state or tribal organization instead.

How the hospice rule changes things

The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act temporarily widened eligibility. A veteran who was discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at home, and who dies from July 1, 2025 through October 1, 2026, is eligible for the full burial allowance. Before this change, these families were not always eligible.

That window ends October 1, 2026. We could not confirm that any extension had become law when this guide was updated. If your veteran died in home hospice, ask the VA at 800-827-1000 which rule applies for the date of death.

What is the deadline to claim?

• Non-service-connected deaths: VA must receive the claim within 2 years after the burial or cremation. There is no deadline if the veteran died in VA care, and none for plot, interment or transportation claims.
• Service-connected deaths: no time limit, though filing promptly is sensible.
• Discharge upgraded after death: file within 2 years of the date the discharge was corrected.

How to claim the VA burial allowance

1. Gather the documents. You need the veteran's death certificate showing the cause of death. The VA also recommends the DD214 or other separation papers, and an itemized receipt for any transportation cost. Claims for a service-connected death benefit from medical records. Keep itemized funeral bills and proof of payment too.
2. Apply. Apply online on VA.gov, or mail VA Form 21P-530EZ (Application for Burial Benefits) to Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365.
3. Check your spouse status. A surviving spouse who is listed on the veteran's VA profile does not need to file for the plot, interment or transportation payment. The VA pays a set amount automatically when it is notified of the death. Everyone else must file a claim.
4. Follow up. Phone help is available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. If you want help with the paperwork, an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative provides services on VA claims at no charge. Search for one on VA.gov.

Other VA burial benefits to request at the same time

The allowance is one of several separate benefits. A government headstone or marker, a burial flag, military funeral honors and a Presidential Memorial Certificate are all requested separately. If you are choosing a cemetery, see national cemetery burial eligibility and military honors at a funeral.

What to do next

1. Find the DD214 and order certified copies of the death certificate.
2. Keep every receipt from the funeral home, cemetery and transport company.
3. Check the VA's rate table for the date of death, then file VA Form 21P-530EZ online or by mail.
4. Note your 2-year deadline if the death was not service-connected.