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Veterans burial allowance and transportation benefits

Find out how to get Veterans burial allowances (sometimes called “Veterans death benefits”) to help cover burial, funeral, and transportation costs.

Am I eligible for allowances to help pay for a Veteran’s burial and funeral costs?

You may be eligible for Veterans burial allowances if you’re paying for the burial and funeral costs and you won’t be reimbursed by any other organization, like another government agency or the Veteran’s employer. You must also meet all of these requirements.

One of these relationships or professional roles describes your connection to the Veteran:

  • You’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse (Note: We recognize same-sex marriages.), or
  • You’re the surviving partner from a legal union (a relationship made formal in a document issued by the state recognizing the union), or
  • You’re a surviving child of the Veteran, or
  • You’re a parent of the Veteran, or
  • You’re the executor or administrator of the Veteran’s estate (someone who officially represents the Veteran), or 
  • You’re a family member or friend who isn’t the executor of the Veteran’s estate, or 
  • You’re a representative from a funeral home, cemetery, or other organization 

The Veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and one of these circumstances must be true:

  • The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability (a disability related to service), or
  • The Veteran died while getting VA care, either at a VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA, or
  • The Veteran died while traveling with proper authorization, and at VA’s expense, either to or from a facility for an examination, or to receive treatment or care, or
  • The Veteran died with an original or reopened claim for VA compensation or pension pending at the time of death, and they would’ve been entitled to benefits before the time of death, or
  • The Veteran died while receiving a VA pension or compensation, or
  • The Veteran died while eligible for compensation or a VA pension at their time of death, but instead received full military retirement or disability pay

Or:

  • The Veteran had been getting a VA pension or compensation when they died, or
  • The Veteran had chosen to get military retired pay instead of compensation

Note: We’ll also provide an allowance for the cost of transporting a Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.

You can’t get burial allowances for certain individuals

We don’t provide burial allowances if the individual died in any of these ways:

  • On active duty, or
  • While serving as a member of Congress, or
  • While serving a federal prison sentence

What kind of burial benefits can I get?

If you’re eligible, you may receive these benefits:

  • VA burial allowance for burial and funeral costs
  • VA plot or interment allowance for the cost of the plot (gravesite) or interment
  • VA transportation reimbursement for the cost of transporting the Veteran’s remains to the final resting place

We provide burial benefits for all legal burial types, including cremation and burial at sea. We also provide burial benefits for donating the Veteran’s remains to a medical school.

Is there a time limit for filing? 

If you’re claiming a burial allowance for a non-service-connected death or unclaimed remains, you must file a claim within 2 years after the Veteran’s burial.  

Note: If you’re claiming an allowance for burial, plot, interment, or transportation costs for a non-service-connected death and the Veteran died while getting VA care, either at a VA health facility or a facility contracted by VA, there’s no time limit to file a claim.  

If a Veteran’s discharge was changed after death from dishonorable to another status, you must file an allowance claim within 2 years after the discharge update.  

If you’re claiming an allowance for burial, plot, interment, or transportation costs for a service-connected death, there’s no time limit. 

What documents do I need to submit with my application?

You may need to provide copies of these documents:

  • The Veteran’s death certificate including the cause of death  
  • An itemized receipt for transportation costs (only if you paid transportation costs for the Veteran’s remains) 

We also recommend providing a copy of the Veteran’s DD214 or other separation documents including all of their service periods.  

If you don’t have their DD214 or other separation documents, you can request these documents now.  

Learn more about requesting military service records

And if you’re claiming a burial allowance for a service-connected death, you can submit additional supporting documents (like medical records). 

Medical records

If you’re claiming a burial allowance for a service-connected death, we recommend submitting a copy of the Veteran’s medical records. How you submit their records depends on if you have access to them right now.

Note: It’s your choice whether you want to submit the Veteran’s medical records. They’ll help us process your claim and confirm information about the Veteran’s medical history at the time of their death. 

If you have access

If you have access to the Veteran’s medical records, you can submit copies of them with your application or send them to us by mail after you submit your application. 

If you don’t have access

If you don’t have access to the Veteran’s medical records, you’ll need to authorize the release of their records to us. How you release their records depends on where the Veteran was receiving care at the time of their death.

Provide details about the records or information you want us to request. This will help us request this information.

If the Veteran was receiving care at a VA or federal health facility at the time of their death, you can submit a statement in support of your claim (VA Form 21-4138). 

Get VA Form 21-4138 to download

If the Veteran was receiving care at a non-VA private health facility at the time of their death, we’ll try to locate their medical records for you.

You can authorize the release of their medical records online after you submit this application. 

Authorize the release of non-VA medical records

Or you can fill out both of these forms and submit them with your application or send them to us by mail after you submit your application:

As a surviving spouse, do I need to file a claim for burial costs?

No, you don’t need to file a claim as a surviving spouse, as long as you’re listed as the Veteran’s spouse on the Veteran’s profile. When we receive notice of the Veteran’s death, we automatically pay a set amount to those eligible surviving spouses to help pay for the plot, the cost of interment, or transportation of the remains to the cemetery.

How do I apply?

You can apply online or by mail.

Option 1: Online

We updated our online form

If you started applying online before May 23, 2024, we have some new questions for you to answer. And we changed some questions, so you may need to provide certain information again. 

Option 2: By mail 

Fill out an Application for Burial Benefits (VA Form 21P-530EZ). 

Get VA Form 21P-530EZ to download 

Mail the application and copies of supporting documents to this address: 

Department of Veterans Affairs 
Pension Intake Center 
PO Box 5365 
Janesville, WI 53547-5365

What if I have more questions?

Call us at 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. Or call your VA regional office.

Burial allowance amounts

Status Maximum burial allowance If the Veteran died on or after September 11, 2001 $2,000 If the Veteran died before September 11, 2001 $1,500 If the Veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery We may pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains Status Maximum burial allowance If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2024 We’ll pay a $978 burial allowance and $978 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2023, but before October 1, 2024 We’ll pay a $948 burial allowance and $948 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after January 5, 2023, but before October 1, 2023 We’ll pay a $893 burial allowance and $893 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2022, but before January 5, 2023 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $893 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021, but before October 1, 2022 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $828 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $807 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $796 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $780 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $762 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $749 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $747 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $745 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 We’ll pay a $300 burial allowance and $734 for a plot

Note: If a Veteran’s remains aren’t claimed, we’ll pay the person or organization responsible for the Veteran’s burial a burial allowance based on the rates in this table. If the deceased qualifies, we may pay you back for the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains to a VA national cemetery.

Status Maximum burial allowance If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2024 We’ll pay a $978 burial allowance and $978 for a plot If the Veteran on or after October 1, 2023, but before October 1, 2024 We’ll pay a $948 burial allowance and $948 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2022, but before October 1, 2023 We’ll pay a $893 burial allowance and $893 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021, but before October 1, 2022 We’ll pay a $828 burial allowance and $828 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 We’ll pay a $807 burial allowance and $807 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 We’ll pay a $796 burial allowance and $796 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 We’ll pay a $780 burial allowance and $780 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 We’ll pay a $762 burial allowance and $762 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 We’ll pay a $749 burial allowance and $749 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 We’ll pay a $747 burial allowance and $747 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 We’ll pay a $745 burial allowance and $745 for a plot If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 We’ll pay a $734 burial allowance and $734 for a plot

We may also pay you back for some or all of the costs of moving the Veteran’s remains if one of these descriptions is true:

  • The Veteran was hospitalized or in a VA-contracted nursing home at the time of death, or
  • The Veteran died while traveling to VA-authorized care

Headstone or marker allowance amounts

Status Maximum headstone or marker allowance If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2021 $231 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2020, but before October 1, 2021 $231 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, but before October 1, 2020 $236 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2018, but before October 1, 2019 $290 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2017, but before October 1, 2018 $195 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2016, but before October 1, 2017 $208 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2015, but before October 1, 2016 $218 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2014, but before October 1, 2015 $199 If the Veteran died on or after October 1, 2013, but before October 1, 2014 $205

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