Veterans Cremation Benefits: What Your Family Actually Gets (And How to Claim Them)

I served in the Army National Guard, and I've spent a decade helping families in California through cremation arrangements. When a veteran passes away, the VA and Department of Defense provide several benefits that most families never know exist — or find out about too late to claim. This guide walks through every benefit your family can receive, what's actually required to claim them, and the mistakes I see families make most often.

What Every Veteran Family Needs Before Anything Else: the DD-214

The single most important document your family will need is the DD-214 — the Department of Defense form that confirms an honorable or other-qualifying discharge from any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Without it, none of the benefits described below can be claimed.

Most families don't know where the DD-214 is until they need it. My honest advice: find it now, while your loved one is still with you. If your veteran served, ask them where their discharge papers are and photograph or scan them. If they've passed and you can't find the document, families or next-of-kin can request a copy from the National Archives at archives.gov/veterans. Standard requests take 10–30 days.

Benefit 1: Burial Flag (Free)

Every honorably discharged veteran is entitled to a U.S. burial flag at no cost. The flag is 5' × 9.5', made of cotton, and is typically presented to the next-of-kin during the military honors ceremony (see below). If the family requests it, we work with the VA to have the flag ready before we deliver the ashes.

To claim the burial flag, we submit VA Form 27-2008 on behalf of the family — you don't have to do the paperwork. If you're not working with a cremation provider who handles this for you, the flag can also be picked up at most U.S. Post Office locations or VA regional offices with the DD-214 in hand.

Benefit 2: Military Honors at the Committal or Memorial (Free)

The Department of Defense provides military funeral honors at no charge to families of honorably discharged veterans. At a minimum, honors include:

• Playing of "Taps" (live bugler when available, recorded when not)
• Folding and presentation of the U.S. burial flag to the next-of-kin
• A two-person military honors detail (or larger for eligible veterans)

Direct cremation families sometimes assume this doesn't apply to them because there's no traditional funeral service — that's a mistake. You can hold a small family memorial gathering weeks or months later, and the DoD military honors detail can still attend. We help coordinate this at no additional cost.

To arrange military honors, we submit DD Form 2168 through the Military Funeral Honors program. The typical turnaround is 5–7 days, so plan accordingly if you want honors at a specific memorial date.

Benefit 3: Presidential Memorial Certificate (Free)

The Presidential Memorial Certificate is a formal engraved paper certificate signed by the sitting President of the United States, honoring the memory of the deceased veteran. Families often frame it or keep it with the burial flag as a family heirloom.

The certificate is free. We submit the request through the VA on the family's behalf. Delivery time varies — typically 6–12 weeks — but the certificate arrives by mail directly to the family.

Benefit 4: VA Burial Allowance (Cash Reimbursement, Sometimes)

This one is where I see the most confusion. The VA Burial Allowance is a partial cash reimbursement for burial and funeral expenses, but the amount and eligibility depend on how the veteran passed and whether they had a service-connected disability.

Here's the breakdown as of the current published rates:

• Service-connected death: Up to $2,000 in burial reimbursement (partial or full, depending on circumstances)
• Non-service-connected death, veteran was hospitalized in VA facility at time of death: Up to $893 burial + $893 plot allowance
• Non-service-connected death, veteran not hospitalized in VA: Up to $300 burial + $893 plot allowance (if eligible)

These numbers change periodically — check va.gov/burials-memorials for the current rates. The important thing to know is: reimbursement is not automatic. You (or we, on your behalf) need to file VA Form 21P-530EZ within two years of the veteran's passing to claim any of these amounts.

Benefit 5: National Cemetery Interment (Free)

Every honorably discharged veteran is entitled to interment at a national cemetery at no cost — this includes the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a government headstone or marker, a perpetual care of the site, and a burial flag. The Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside is the closest national cemetery to Orange County, and it accepts cremated remains in an in-ground urn plot or a columbarium niche.

Cremated remains can be interred in a national cemetery just like a casket burial. The key difference: you can spread ashes or scatter — but interment at a national cemetery is a permanent, honored option that many California veterans and their families don't realize is available for cremation.

To interr at Riverside National Cemetery, the family (or we) submits the DD-214 and coordinates with the cemetery. There's no time pressure — families can hold onto ashes for months or years before interring them, if that helps with grief and planning.

Common Mistakes I See Families Make

Mistake 1: Losing the DD-214. This is the single biggest one. Without it, most benefits are blocked. Get a copy now if you don't have one.

Mistake 2: Assuming the funeral home will handle everything. Some do. Many don't. When you're calling a cremation provider, ask: "Do you file the VA burial allowance form on my behalf?" and "Do you coordinate the military honors detail?" If they can't answer, you'll be doing it yourself.

Mistake 3: Missing the two-year filing deadline. The VA burial allowance must be claimed within two years of the veteran's passing. If you wait, you lose the money — even if you were eligible.

Mistake 4: Not knowing about national cemetery interment. Many California veterans are eligible for free interment at Riverside National Cemetery but their families don't know. It's a beautiful option and it's paid for by the VA.

How We Help Veteran Families

At Direct Cremation OC, we handle every one of these on behalf of veteran families at no charge:

• File for the burial flag
• Coordinate the military honors detail
• Submit the Presidential Memorial Certificate request
• File the VA burial allowance form (Form 21P-530EZ)
• Help coordinate interment at Riverside National Cemetery if the family wants it

None of these services carry an additional charge from us. They're included in our $1,195 direct cremation price. As a veteran myself, this matters to me — the benefits the DoD and VA provide are real, but families lose them every year because no one guides them through the paperwork.

If your loved one served, tell us. We'll take it from there.