Burial in a VA National Cemetery: Who Qualifies, What's Free, and Who to Call

The VA runs 158 national cemeteries.^[1] For an eligible veteran, the gravesite, opening and closing the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone or marker, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and a burial flag come at no cost to the family.^[2] The funeral home's bill is still the family's.^[2]

Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11. If someone in your family served, this is the page to read before anyone needs it: who qualifies, what's covered, and the number to call.

The VA's eligibility page names four groups. One of these has to be true:^[3]

• A veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge.
• A service member who died on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training.
• The spouse or surviving spouse of a veteran, even one who remarried after the veteran died.
• The minor child of a veteran, even if the veteran died first, and in some cases an unmarried adult dependent child.

National Guard and Reserve members qualify under separate conditions: for example, a member who met the legal minimum active-duty requirement, served the full term of a call-up to active duty, and wasn't dishonorably discharged, one entitled to retirement pay at the time of death, or one who died from an injury or illness from training duty.^[3]

The National Cemetery Administration adds that burial is open to members of the armed forces who met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.^[2]

If you aren't sure, the VA checks eligibility when you call to schedule, using the veteran's discharge papers.^[5]

An eligible spouse or dependent is buried with the veteran, gets perpetual care, and has their name and dates of birth and death inscribed on the veteran's headstone, at no cost to the family.^[2] They can be buried there even if they die before the veteran.^[2]

So a veteran's spouse who dies first can be buried in the national cemetery then. The family doesn't need a second plot somewhere else.

For an eligible veteran buried in a national cemetery, the National Cemetery Administration lists:^[2]

• A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
• Opening and closing of the grave
• Perpetual care
• A government headstone, marker, or medallion
• A Presidential Memorial Certificate
• A burial flag

Cremated remains are buried or placed in a national cemetery the same way, with the same honors, as a casket.^[2] Military funeral honors, the folding of the flag, the playing of Taps, and a uniformed detail, are also available at no cost, and the funeral director can request them.^[7]

The VA's words: any item or service from a funeral home or cremation office is at the family's expense.^[2] That's the removal of the body, embalming or refrigeration, the casket or urn, the cremation itself, a viewing or service at the funeral home, and transport to the cemetery.

A VA burial allowance can help with those costs for an eligible veteran.^[2] For a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the maximum is $2,000.^[4] For a death that isn't service-connected, on or after October 1, 2026, the VA pays a $1,032 burial allowance and $1,032 for a plot.^[4] Our guide to military death benefits covers the rest of what survivors can claim.

Most families start by choosing a funeral director, who can make the call for you. Either of you calls the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern. It's closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.^[5] For a service member who died on active duty, the VA says to contact the national cemetery directly instead.^[5]

Have these ready:^[5]

• The veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers. The funeral director can fax them to 866-900-6417 or email a scan to NCA.Scheduling@va.gov with the person's name in the subject line.
• For the person who died: name, gender, Social Security or service number, date of birth, relationship to the veteran, marital status, and date of death with the ZIP code and county.
• For the next of kin: name, relationship, Social Security number, phone, and address.
• Your choices: the cemetery, casket or cremation and the size, the type of headstone or marker, any religious emblem or inscription, and whether you want honors, a flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.

If you can't find the discharge papers, ask for help on the call. The VA says checking eligibility without them can take several days.^[5]

A veteran or family member can ask the VA to decide eligibility in advance. It's called a pre-need determination of eligibility. You apply online, or by mail or fax with VA Form 40-10007.^[6] A DD214 speeds it up, and the VA will look for records if you don't have one.^[6]

What it doesn't do: reserve a cemetery or a gravesite. The decision letter doesn't name one, because they can't be reserved in advance.^[5] The VA may also review eligibility again at the time of death.^[5] When that time comes, the family or funeral director calls the scheduling office and says there's a pre-need letter.^[5]

Pre-need is for the living. If the person has already died, you schedule the burial instead.^[6] Burial at Arlington National Cemetery is handled by Arlington directly, and VA grant-funded state, territory, and tribal veterans cemeteries run their own pre-need programs.^[6]

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Figures and phone numbers were read on the VA's pages on October 29, 2026. Allowance amounts change every October 1.