VA Burial Benefits: Bereavement is an emotionally taxing time, and the last thing that anyone desires to consider is the financial burden that accompanies funeral and burial costs.
In recognition of this difficulty, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers burial benefits with the goal of reducing the financial burden on service members, veterans, and their families.
The VA changed its funeral benefits regulations on July 7, 2014, to speed up the process.
Instead of a written application, the new regulations are intended to provide eligible surviving spouses with basic monetary burial benefits more promptly and efficiently.
Non-military deaths receive a $2,000 burial stipend, whereas military deaths receive $300.
The VA pays based on the veteran’s cause of death and if they died in a VA hospital.
VA payments of up to $2,000 are available for service-related fatalities that occurred on or after September 11, 2001.
The VA will pay up to $796 for non-service-related fatalities that occur on or after October 1, 2019 (and result in hospitalization by the VA at the time of death). In the absence of hospitalization, a $300 allowance is provided.
A plot-interment allowance of $796 becomes accessible if the deceased is not interred in a national cemetery.
The VA burial benefits application process is available via the following channels:
- Online Application: To apply online, please visit vets.gov.
- Postal Application: Proceed to the Pension Management Center located in your state by downloading and completing VA Form 21P-530, Application for Burial Allowance, and subsequently mailing it in.
- Accredited Representative: For assistance, consult with an accredited representative.
- Local Regional Benefit Office: To have your application processed, please visit your local regional benefit office.
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In what amount is the dowry granted to the widow of a veteran who is entirely disabled?
The VA provides important assistance to the dependent children and surviving spouses of veterans who die from service-connected causes, such as injuries or illnesses.
Assistance is furnished through Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).
Veterans must have maintained a 100 percent VA disability classification for a minimum of five continuous years since their date of discharge from active duty or ten continuous years before their death to qualify for DIC.
This compensation reduces the financial burden on families who lost loved ones in service-related incidents.
On December 1, 2009, the VA began paying all surviving spouses $1,154 per month in DIC, with annual cost-of-living increases.
The surviving spouse receives $246 if the veteran was disabled for eight years before death due to a service-connected disability.
Moreover, an additional $286 is required to be paid for every dependent child.
By providing financial aid, these benefits recognize and support soldiers and their families’ struggles.
By providing financial support to veteran-bereaved families, the DIC program commemorates those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation.
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