VA Headstones and Markers: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a government headstone, marker or medallion at no charge for any eligible deceased veteran, in any cemetery around the world. In a VA national cemetery, staff order it and set it. In a private cemetery, the family applies with VA Form 40-1330 and a copy of the discharge papers, and pays the cemetery to install it.

The VA does not send a marker on its own. If the burial is anywhere other than a national cemetery, someone has to apply.

Who is eligible for a VA headstone or marker?

A veteran or service member qualifies if they did not receive a dishonorable discharge and meet the service rules below. Whether the VA will furnish a marker also depends on the grave.

• Service history. Enlisted members who started service after September 7, 1980, and officers who started after October 16, 1981, generally need 24 months of continuous active duty, or must have died on active duty. Earlier service has different rules, and pre-World War I veterans need records such as muster rolls.
• National Guard and Reserve. Members qualify if they were entitled to retired pay (or would have been at age 60), or if they were called to federal active duty.
• The grave. The VA provides a marker when the grave is unmarked anywhere in the world, or when it has a private headstone and the veteran died on or after November 1, 1990. Medal of Honor recipients who served after April 6, 1917 are an exception to the 1990 cutoff.
• Medallions. A veteran who served on or after April 6, 1917 and has a privately purchased headstone or marker can get a bronze medallion instead.

The VA will not provide both a marker and a medallion for the same veteran. If you are also weighing a national cemetery, see national cemetery burial eligibility.

Spouses and dependent children

Spouses and dependent children can receive a government headstone or marker only when buried in a national, state Veterans, tribal, military post or military base cemetery. The VA says spouses and dependent children buried in a private cemetery are not eligible for a separate marker, although they may be eligible for an inscription on the veteran's own headstone or marker there. In a national cemetery, the spouse's name and dates are inscribed on the veteran's headstone at no cost, and a married veteran can also ask for separate side-by-side markers. More on shared graves is in our veteran spouse joint burial guide.

What types of VA headstones and markers are there?

The style you can choose depends on the cemetery's rules. Ask the cemetery what it allows before you apply, because the VA will not change a marker to match a private cemetery's preferences afterward.

A flat bronze marker needs a base. The VA supplies anchor bolts, nuts and washers but not the base, so in a private cemetery the family or cemetery provides it. Niche markers are for columbaria, and Medal of Honor medallions come in medium and large sizes.

What does a VA headstone cost?

The marker and its shipping cost you nothing. Setting it costs nothing in a national cemetery. State cemeteries set their own policies, so ask the cemetery. In a private cemetery, the VA says placement is the applicant's responsibility and all costs are at private expense.

Ask the cemetery what it charges to set a government marker. This is often called a setting fee or foundation fee. The VA does not set it, and the amount varies by cemetery. For comparison with private stones, see headstone and grave marker costs. The VA separately lists a headstone or marker allowance of up to $441 (October 1, 2025 onward), but it has its own rules, so ask the VA before paying for a private stone expecting reimbursement. Burial costs the VA may help with are in the VA burial allowance guide.

How to apply, step by step

1. Get the discharge papers. You need a copy of the DD214 or other discharge documents. If you cannot find them, next of kin can request them from the National Archives at vetrecs.archives.gov. The National Archives generally charges no fee to next of kin for records less than 62 years old. Send copies to the VA, never your only original.
2. Ask the cemetery first. Confirm which marker types and sizes the cemetery allows, and whether it will set a government marker and what it charges.
3. Fill out VA Form 40-1330 (Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker). For a medallion to attach to a private stone, use VA Form 40-1330M. For a replacement, say so on the form.
4. Submit it. You can upload it through the VA's QuickSubmit tool (you register through AccessVA), mail it to NCA FP Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547, or fax it. Help is available at 800-697-6947, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
5. Check on it. The VA says to contact its Applicant Assistance Unit if you have had no response after 30 days. If the grave is still unmarked at 60 days, contact the cemetery or funeral home to confirm it received the marker.

For a burial in a national cemetery, cemetery staff order the marker from the next of kin's information, so you usually do not file the form yourself. The funeral home often handles the paperwork for a private cemetery, but confirm that it has.

What goes on the inscription?

Every VA inscription must include the veteran's legal name, branch of service, birth year and death year, in English. In state and national cemeteries it also carries the section and grave number.

Optional items include:

• highest rank achieved, military awards and honors, and war service such as Korea or Iraq if the veteran served in that theater (the VA asks for supporting documents for rank and awards)
• an emblem of belief, chosen from the 84 the VA currently offers, which range from Christian and Jewish symbols to Buddhist, Hindu, Wicca and many other traditions
• terms of endearment, nicknames, civilian credentials or special unit names, which need VA approval on the form

The VA will not carve other graphics or pictures. If your faith or belief has no emblem, next of kin can request a new one by providing a three-inch black-and-white image and certifying the veteran sincerely held the belief. Use the legal name from the DD214. Nicknames belong only in the approved extras section.

What if the veteran was cremated or never recovered?

Cremation does not change the benefit. The VA furnishes a marker for a grave, a bronze niche marker for a columbarium, or a flat or upright marker wherever ashes are interred. Our veteran cremation benefits guide covers the options.

A memorial headstone or marker is available when remains were not recovered, were buried at sea, were donated to science, or were cremated and scattered. Memorial markers are requested by family members, and the inscription reads "In Memory Of". The VA delivers it to a private cemetery but does not pay to install it.

How do you replace or clean a VA marker?

The VA can replace a government marker that is badly deteriorated, unreadable, stolen, vandalized, damaged in shipping or carries incorrect information. Family members can start a request by calling 800-697-6947 with the veteran's name, service or Social Security number and date of death.

For cleaning, the National Cemetery Administration advises clean water, a soft natural or nylon brush, and a mild detergent such as Orvus for stubborn stains. Never use bleach, strong acids or bases, and the VA prohibits the public from power washing government markers. Cleaning should wait for temperatures above 40°F. Get the landowner's permission first, and do not scrub fragile or cracked stones. Older bronze develops a blue-green patina that cleaning will not remove and should not be polished away.

What to do next

1. Locate the DD214 and death certificate, or request the discharge papers from the National Archives.
2. Call the cemetery to learn what marker types it allows and what it charges to set one.
3. Submit VA Form 40-1330 (or 40-1330M for a medallion) online, by mail or by fax.
4. Note the date you applied, and call 800-697-6947 if the grave is still unmarked after 60 days.

For the wider picture, see veterans burial benefits and military funeral honors.