Funeral FAQs #8

Q1.Who qualifies for veterans’ benefits. Where are the closest national cemeteries?

A1.Chris and Stephanie Goes, Goes Funeral Care & Crematory:

All honorably discharged veterans qualify for some type of Veterans Administration benefits although circumstances vary as to the amount. An employee with the Veterans Services Office (County position) can help assess and verify any and all benefits available. All honorably discharged veterans receive a United States burial flag (the funeral provider obtains this) and they and their dependent family member(s) are eligible to be buried without cost for grave, burial and/or monument in a National (or State) Veterans Cemetery. In Colorado there are now two. The closest to us is Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.

There is a new State Veterans Cemetery on the Western slope available as well. This includes a grave (for veteran and any potential dependents), a vault, the opening and closing, a monument and honor guard (at least a representative from relevant branch of service for the veteran). Most of the time costs for the funeral expenses are not covered. For example, the cost of services of the funeral home, the casket or urn and various others such as cost of death certificates, obituary and funeral notice charges by newspapers and honoraria and/or fees from other participants.

Veterans with a service-connected disability typically receive additional assistance from the VA. The specific allocation is a federal government consideration and there are government employees who help best in this area. Active duty soldiers who die have all or most of their funeral costs covered by the federal government. It is not true that if you served in the United States Military, your funeral will be completely covered by the government, as many believe. Some veterans have GI insurance in force still, and that can cover much of the cost not covered by the government. But, for all intents and purposes, when a veteran dies, the family is responsible for all details of the funeral. The funeral provider attends to these details and then the Veterans Administration will provide any reimbursements available to the surviving family.

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