Funeral Guide What is a Military Burial?

If you are a military member or have a loved one who is in the military, you need to know about military burial benefits. Should the worst ever happen, these military burials can be a big help to a grieving family in their time of need, as well as giving honor where it is most due. Most people who serve in the military are eligible for these important benefits, so if you think this might apply to you, read on.

To clarify, those who are eligible for military funerals are those who either died in the line of duty or who were retired or honorably discharged from the military or reserves. A military burial is, in many ways, the same as a regular funeral, but is paid for by the government.

Currently, the VA offers free burial services at 120 national burial sites around the nation. When these sites have space, military veterans and members can have funerals there and be buried there free of charge. The military takes care of much of the cost of these funerals, including actual burial, site maintenance, and the gravestone. Family members are also given a memorial flag at these funerals.

The VA also offers benefits for military members whose funerals aren’t in military graveyards. These benefits can be used to cover the cost of regular funerals for military members. For those who are killed in the line of duty, the government will reimburse the family about $2,000 for burial and transportation costs. Those who died outside of the line of duty can gain a burial benefit of about $300.

Even those who have funerals and burials in a national cemetery can qualify for this military benefit. It can help the family pay for the costs of preparing their loved one for burial and transporting the deceased to the burial site.

Overall, military families can get honorable funerals that ease their financial burden by using these military funeral benefits.