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TIPS & CLIPS, continued

Am I eligible for allowances to help pay for a Veteran’s burial

and funeral costs?

You may be eligible for Veterans burial allowances if you’re for an examination, or to receive treatment or care, or
paying for the burial and funeral costs and you won’t be n The Veteran died with an original or reopened claim
reimbursed by any other organization, like another gov- for VA compensation or pension pending at the time
ernment agency or the Veteran’s employer. You must also of death, if they would’ve been entitled to benefits
meet all of these requirements. before the time of death, or
n The Veteran died while receiving a VA pension or
One of these relationships or professional roles compensation, or
describes your connection to the Veteran: n The Veteran died while eligible for a VA pension or
n You’re the Veteran’s surviving spouse (Note: VA compensation at their time of death, but instead
recognizes same-sex marriages.), or received full military retirement or disability pay
n You’re the surviving partner from a legal union (a Or:
relationship made formal in a document issued by n The Veteran had been getting a VA pension or com-
the state recognizing the union), or pensation when they died, or
n You’re a surviving child of the Veteran, or n The Veteran had chosen to get military retired pay
n You’re a parent of the Veteran, or instead of compensation
n You’re the executor or administrator of the Veteran’s
estate (someone who officially represents the Veteran) Note: The VA also provides an allowance for the cost of trans-
porting a Veteran’s remains for burial in a national cemetery.
The Veteran must not have received a dishonorable dis-
charge, and one of these circumstances must be true: You can’t get burial allowances for certain individuals
n The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected
disability (a disability related to service), or The VA doesn’t provide burial allowances if the individual
n The Veteran died while getting VA care, either at a died in any of these ways:
VA facility or at a facility contracted by VA, or n On active duty, or
n The Veteran died while traveling with proper authori- n While serving as a member of Congress, or
zation, and at VA’s expense, either to or from a facility n While serving a federal prison sentence

What kind of burial benefits can I get?

If you’re eligible, you may receive these benefits: The VA provides burial benefits for all legal burial types,
n VA burial allowance for burial and funeral costs including cremation and burial at sea. The VA also pro-
n VA plot or interment allowance for the cost of the vide burial benefits for donating the Veteran’s remains to
plot (gravesite) or interment a medical school.
n VA transportation reimbursement for the cost of trans-
porting the Veteran’s remains to the final resting place

Is there a time limit for filing?

You must file a claim for a non-service-connected burial claim within 2 years after the discharge update.
allowance within 2 years after the Veteran’s burial. If a
Veteran’s discharge was changed after death from dishon- There’s no time limit to file for a service-connected burial,
orable to another status, you must file for an allowance plot, or interment allowance.

10 The Mariner • 2023 SPRING Edition • Volume 66 • Issue 1

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