VA automatically pays a burial benefit to the eligible surviving spouse of record when a Veteran's death is reported. If no surviving spouse is of record, VA will pay the first living person to file a claim of those listed below:
*Legal union means a formal relationship between the decedent and the survivor that
Other individuals and entities, such as funeral homes, are eligible claimants only if the Veteran's remains are unclaimed.
To qualify for burial benefits, a Veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, and must meet at least one of the following requirements*
*The above requirements do not apply for Veterans whose remains are unclaimed. For VA to pay a burial allowance in these instances, the remains of the deceased Veterans must be unclaimed, and there must be insufficient resources available in the Veteran's estate to cover the burial expense.
For more specific information, refer to the Burial factsheet.
To complete an application, you may visit va.gov burial and memorial applications and apply online. You may also download VA Form 21P-530EZ, "Application for Burial Benefits", and mail to Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Intake Center PO Box 5365 Janesville, WI 53547-5365. You may also visit your local regional benefit office and turn in your application for processing. Find your nearest VA regional office.
If you have questions:
To apply for VA benefits and services, view your benefit status, and many more services go to www.va.gov and either logon with your eBenefits sign on or use www.Logon.gov to enroll. VA.gov is a one-stop source for information on Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services. Veterans, service members and their family members can conduct self-service transactions such as checking compensation and pension claim status information, enrolling in GI Bill, and obtaining copies of civil service preference letters, military records (DD214), and other personal information. For further information visit the VA.gov website.