Texas Veterans Commission Journal, Volume 24, Issue 6, November/December 2001 Page: Page2
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VA Memorial and Burial Benefits for
Victims of Terrorist Attacks
As rescue efforts turned into the recovery of deceased victims from the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) burial programs have become important for the next of kin of veterans, active-duty military personnel and their dependents.
Primarily, these programs offer services. To a few people, VA also can provide monetary reimbursement of funeral and burial costs.Summary
Burial benefits include a gravesite in any VA national cemetery
with available space, the opening and closing of the grave, perpetual
care of the grave at no cost to the family, a government headstone
or marker, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.
Burial in a National Cemetery
Members of the Armed Forces and veterans, their spouses and
dependent children may be buried in VA's national cemeteries.
Veterans must have met minimum active-duty requirements and
been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Unremarried widows, widowers and dependent children of veterans
also may be buried. Reservists who die while on active duty or
training duty, or qualify to retire, also may receive national cemetery
burial. Many hundreds of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks will not
be recovered. They, too, can be memorialized in VA national
cemeteries. (See Headstones and Markers.)
Sixty-one national cemeteries are open for burials of both casketed
and cremated remains. Others can accommodate family members
of those already interred or cremation burials. Arlington National
Cemetery is run by the Army, not VA. Arlington's burial rules are
more restrictive and are described on the cemetery's web site at
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org. Many states also operate
veterans cemeteries and have their own burial rules. Contact the
cemetery or the state's agency for veterans affairs for full details
about eligibility.
Arranging Burial
The next of kin or the family's funeral director may make
arrangements directly with a national cemetery. Before burial can
take place, cemetery staff must verify the veteran's eligibility. To
do this, the next of kin or funeral director must have a copy of the
veteran's discharge papers, or service number, Social Security
number and VA claim numbers for verification of eligibility.
Military Funeral Honors
Upon request, the Department of Defense will provide military
funeral honors for the burial of military members, reservists and
veterans. At least two uniformed service members fold and present
the flag and play Taps, usually from a recording. Family members
should inform their funeral directors if they wish military funeral
honors for a veteran.
Burial Flags
VA provides a U.S. flag to drape the casket or to be presented at a
memorial service. After the service, the flag is given to the next of
kin. Normally, a funeral establishment obtains the flag.
Headstones and Markers
VA provides headstones or markers for the graves of veterans and
military members buried in any cemetery, and cemetery memorialmarkers for those whose remains are not recovered. The graves
must not already have a marker or headstone. Spouses and
dependents of veterans and servicemembers may be memorialized
with markers in national, state veterans' and military cemeteries.
If they are buried in those cemeteries, their gravesites will be marked
in the same way as veterans' graves. Types of markers and stones
vary among national cemeteries and the style provided for private
cemeteries will be compatible with the style used in those
cemeteries. Styles include: flat bronze, flat granite, flat marble,
upright marble and upright granite. Stones and markers will be
inscribed with the name of the deceased, dates of birth and death
and the branch of service for veterans and servicemembers.
Inscriptions may include additional text if space permits.
Headstones and markers to be placed in non-government
cemeteries must be requested from VA by forwarding VA Form
40-1330 "Application for Standard Government Headstone or
Marker," to:
Director, Memorial Programs Service (403A)
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20420
Form 40-1330 is on line at www.cem.va.gov/hm.htm
Presidential Memorial Certificate Program
Veterans' next of kin and other loved ones may receive a
Presidential Memorial Certificate. The embossed paper is
inscribed with the veteran's name and bears the president's signature.
It expresses the nation's gratitude for the deceased veteran's
service. Those who would like to receive the certificate, or those
acting on their behalf, can request it by sending a copy of the
military discharge document to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
National Cemetery Administration (403)
810 Vermont Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20420
Reimbursement of Burial Expenses
If the deceased was a veteran entitled to receive VA disability
compensation or pension, or would have been except for
receiving military retirement pay, VA will pay a $300 burial and
funeral expense allowance. VA also will reimburse $150 for a burial
plot if the disabled veteran is not buried in a government cemetery.
(However, burial expenses paid by the deceased's employer or
a state agency will not be reimbursed.)
For more information about burial benefits or reimbursements,
call 1-800-877-1000 or log onto www.cem.va.gov.*Page 2 TVC JOURNAL - NovemberiDecember 2001, Vol. 24, No. 6
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TVC JOURNAL - November/December 2001, Vol. 24, No. 6
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Texas Veterans Commission. Texas Veterans Commission Journal, Volume 24, Issue 6, November/December 2001, periodical, Autumn 2001; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth839398/m1/4/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.