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Basics You Should Expect When Seeing Veterans Funeral Benefits
Veterans funeral benefits defray the costs of a lot more besides burials. The VA has a nice set of amenities and allowances to help make it easier for military families during this difficult time. The deceased veteran's family is able to make proper arrangements and give a decent burial to honor the death of a person who put country ahead of self.
Everything the government offers in this regard is divided into two parts. One deals with the costs associated with burials and funerals. The other one comes courtesy of the National Cemetery Administration, which provides gravesites in national cemeteries and cares for the upkeep.
The maximum amount the VA can provide depends on the cause of death. For deaths that are not service-related, there will be two payments that may not exceed $700 each. One is a reimbursement of costs for funerals, burials and other rites. The other one is for interment of plots, available only for those not being buried in a national cemetery.
The family of a veteran who dies of an injury or disability sustained during military service will get up to $2,000. This is a single payment, instead of two different amounts for different purposes. The cemetery expenses and care of the gravesite is handled by the National Cemetery Administration.
A deceased veteran may be buried in one of the 131 national cemeteries. Apart from the gravesite, they are entitled to a headstone or marker paid for by the government, along with a burial flag. The family also gets a Presidential Memorial Certificate. The grave opening and closing and perpetual care are taken care of at no cost to the family.
Note that veterans funeral benefits are not available for dependents, even though they are entitled to a grave in the same cemetery as the veteran. The government does, however, arrange for inscribing their names and birth/death dates on the veteran's headstone. All this is done irrespective of the order of their deaths, so everything is arranged for even though advance reservations are not allowed.
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