How Veterans Can Secure Military Burial Honors Ahead of Time
A final resting place in a VA cemetery is a benefit earned through service. Securing pre-need approval today protects your loved ones from avoidable administrative burdens later.
Honoring military service means ensuring veterans — and their families — receive every benefit they have rightfully earned. Among the most significant yet frequently overlooked of these honors is the right to a final resting place in a VA national cemetery.
Each year, only 15% of all eligible veterans who die are interred in a VA national cemetery, while about 5% opt for a State, Territorial or Tribal Veterans cemetery, according to the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). In 2025, the NCA conducted 130,963 interments and provided approximately 495,951 Presidential Memorial Certificates to families.
Prequalifying for a veteran's funeral through the Department of Veterans Affairs' "pre-need eligibility determination" program allows families to clear administrative paperwork long before it is needed.
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Who gets the VA funeral benefit?
Burial benefits in a VA national cemetery are available to veterans, service members, and certain family members. NCA data show that the number of veterans interred at VA cemeteries rose from 36,422 in 1973 to 130,963 in 2025.
Roughly 15.7 million people, or almost 6% of the population, are military veterans, according to the Census Bureau. Almost 31% of veterans are 75 or older.
Who can be buried in a veterans cemetery:
- Veterans and service members: Any member of the Armed Forces who meets active-duty service requirements and whose last discharge or separation was under conditions other than dishonorable. Members of the National Guard and Reserve also qualify if they meet the guidelines.
- Spouses and dependents: The surviving spouse (even if they remarried), minor children, and — under specific criteria — unmarried adult dependent children are also eligible for burial alongside the veteran. Each family member must submit their own individual determination form.
Who cannot be buried in a veterans cemetery:
- Veterans who were dishonorably discharged or convicted of crimes: Veterans or service members dishonorably discharged, convicted of certain federal or state capital crimes, or convicted of certain Tier III sex offenses resulting in life imprisonment sentences are not eligible for burial.
- Former spouses: Exes whose marriage to an eligible veteran ended by annulment or divorce are not eligible for burial.
- Family members: The family of a veteran convicted of subversive activities is not eligible for burial.
What does the benefit include?
The median cost of a traditional funeral service featuring a viewing and burial is about $8,300, while a funeral paired with cremation costs about $6,280, according to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) 2023 General Price List Study
As such, VA benefits can go a long way in defraying the costs for you and your family. When approved for burial in a VA national cemetery, the package includes several core provisions at no cost to the family:
- A gravesite for burial or niche (columbarium) for cremated remains
- Opening and closing of the grave
- A government-furnished upright headstone, flat marker or niche cover
- A burial liner (for casket burials)
- An urn and plaque if choosing cremation
- Perpetual care of the gravesite
- A burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate
How to secure eligibility
Your first step in securing eligibility is completing VA Form 40-10007 (Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery).
If you need help with your application, an accredited representative, like a Veterans Service Officer(VSO), can help you fill out your claim.
Step 1: Gather documentation
- Personal information: Social Security numbers, dates of birth and legal names for both the applicant and the veteran sponsor.
- Military history: The branch of service, dates of service and discharge status.
- Supporting records: A copy of the veteran's DD214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) or other official separation documents. While copies speed up the process, you can still apply without a DD214; the VA will attempt to pull archived records if necessary.
- Preferred location: The name of the preferred VA national cemetery, although approval does not lock the family into that specific site, nor does it create a binding financial or legal obligation to use it.
Step 2: Submit your application and documents
Applicants can submit their application in one of three ways:
- Online: File directly through the official VA Pre-Need Eligibility Portal. Using a verified account, such as ID.me or Login.gov
- Mail: Print and mail completed copies of VA Form 40-10007 along with supporting documents to: NCA Intake Center, P.O. Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547
- Fax: Transmit the documents via a toll-free fax to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-855-840-8299
Step 3: Review and decision letter
Once processed, the VA issues a "Pre-Need Decision Letter" confirming eligibility. Families should store this letter alongside other critical estate planning documents and share its location with an executor, estate trustee or trusted family member so it can be presented immediately at the time of need.
What pre-need approval does and does not do regarding location
A pre-need determination letter establishes that the veteran or dependent qualifies for a VA burial. However, it does not reserve a specific plot or lock in a guarantee at a facility. The letter can generally be used at any VA national cemetery with available space at the time of death.
How to search the system: Navigating VA national cemeteries and their capacity constraints is essential for pre-planning. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) operates over 150 national cemeteries, supplemented by VA grant-funded state and tribal options.
Families can research facilities using:
- "Find a Cemetery" tool: An interactive directory detailing operating hours, site guidelines and contact information.
- Nationwide gravesite locator (NGL): A searchable database to track past interments and locate active facilities.
- State & tribal cemeteries: Regional alternatives that follow federal standards, though state residency rules may apply. The VA maintains an interactive list of VA- grant funded cemeteries by state, territory and tribe.
An earned final honor
Taking time to file for pre-need eligibility is one of the most practical gifts a veteran can give their loved ones. It allows families to focus on remembering a life of service rather than navigating a bureaucracy during a time of grief.
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