Veterans & Survivor Benefits
If your loved one served in the armed forces, your family may be entitled to meaningful burial benefits — and cremation does not reduce them. Survivors may also qualify for Social Security benefits. Here is what to know, and how we help you claim what your family has earned.
VA Burial Benefits for Veterans
Eligible veterans are entitled to burial in a VA national cemetery at no cost to the family, including the gravesite or niche, opening and closing, a government headstone or marker, a United States burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.
Eligibility is documented with your loved one's discharge papers (DD-214). If you can't locate them, let us know — we can help your family request a copy.
Cremation and National Cemeteries
Cremated remains are honored in national cemeteries with the same respect and the same benefits as casketed remains. Your loved one's ashes may be interred in a gravesite or placed in a columbarium niche, with military honors available for eligible veterans.
Because direct cremation places no deadline on the committal, your family can schedule the interment and honors ceremony when everyone can attend.
Social Security Death Benefits
As part of our arrangement process, we typically report the death to the Social Security Administration on your family's behalf. A surviving spouse or eligible child may qualify for a one-time lump-sum death payment, and some family members may be eligible for ongoing survivor benefits.
To ask about eligibility, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or visit ssa.gov. Bring your loved one's Social Security number and a certified death certificate.
