Honor Guard at Veterans’ Funerals
By: Duke Chen, Principal Analyst
February 8, 2017 | 2017-R-0036

Issue
Provide background information on what federal law requires for veterans’ funerals and the statesthat provide additional benefits.

Summary
Under federal law, the Department of Defense is responsible for providing military funeral honors toeligible veterans when asked to do so. It requires an honor guard detail of at least two uniformed(currently serving) military persons (at least one from the veteran's parent service) and a bugler, ifavailable (10 U.S.C. § 1491). The honor guard detail may be augmented with volunteers who aremilitary veterans, including retirees; members of veterans' service organizations (e.g., the AmericanLegion); or other approved organizations. There must also be the playing of Taps, folding of the U.S.
flag, and presentation of the flag to the veteran’s family.
In addition to the federal requirements, Connecticut along with at least 11 other states (Georgia,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, andWyoming) statutorily authorize honor guard details. In several of the states, but not Connecticut,
the funding is authorized within available appropriations. All 50 states use federal funding to offset
some of the costs of the honor guard detail.

State Funding
Connecticut
Connecticut law requires an honor guard detail of up to five members, plus one bugler. The honor
guard detail may include members of the National Guard, naval militia, State Guard, organized
militia, or, if such members are unavailable, members of a Connecticut veterans' organization.

www.cga.ct.gov/olr
OLRequest@cga.ct.gov

Connecticut General Assembly
Office of Legislative Research
Stephanie A. D’Ambrose, Director(860) 240-8400
Room 5300
Legislative Office BuildingConnecticut pays each member who serves as an honor guard at a veteran's funeral a flat rate of$50 per day. The compensation is paid from state funds appropriated to the adjutant general andfederal funds received for such purpose (CGS § 27-76).

Georgia
By law, the governor may direct National Guard members to serve on honor guard detail forveterans’ funerals while on state active duty. The adjutant general must request reimbursement forthe pay and allowances due to members of the honor guard detail. Compensation, which covers
pay and allowances for active duty, is subject to available appropriations (Ga. Code. Ann. § 38-212)

Illinois
The Illinois Military Funeral Honors Program allows a member of the National Guard to be ordered
to funeral honors duty. It also allows the adjutant general to authorize another appropriateorganization to provide these honors and, within available appropriations, to pay a $100 stipend tothe organization (20 Ill. Comp. Stat. 1805/28.6).

Indiana
Indiana law authorizes the establishment of a ceremonial unit to perform the honor guard detail.
Members of the unit include members of the Indiana National Guard. Members participate in honor
guard detail in a volunteer status. The law authorizes payment of actual expenses to members fromdonations made to the state armory (Ind. Code § 10-16-5).

KentuckyKentucky has two separate trust funds that provide money to offset the costs of veterans' burial
honor guards: the Military Honor Guard Trust Fund and the Veteran's Service Organization (VSO)
Burial Honor Guard Trust Fund. The funds contain state appropriations, gifts, grants, federal funds,
and other public or private funds.
The Military Honor Guard Trust Fund is used to reimburse the costs, beyond federal
reimbursements, incurred by the Military Affairs and Veterans' Affairs departments to run theMilitary Burial Honor Guard Program. The program involves only members of the Kentucky National
Guard (Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 36.392).
The VSO Burial Honor Guard Trust Fund is used to support the costs incurred by VSOs in providing
honor guards (Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 40.362).

Louisiana
Louisiana law authorizes the Reserve Officers Training Corps in the state university systems toprovide an honor guard for military funerals. The honor guard must consist of a bugler andbetween seven and 10 people (La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 29:292).

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Maryland
Under Maryland law, the adjutant general may organize an honor guard from the National Guard if,among other things, one is not provided by the active armed forces or veterans' organizations. Theadjutant general must set reasonable compensation for honor guard members based on available
appropriations. The maximum compensation per member covers the expenses incurred inparticipating in the ceremony, plus the greater of either the daily pay rate as determined by state
minimum wage law or the federal Department of Defense pay scale (Md. Code Ann., Pub. Saf. § 13215).

Minnesota
Minnesota law requires the veterans commissioner to pay, within available appropriations andupon request of certain veterans organizations, up to $50 for the unit to provide an honor guard
detail at a veteran’s funeral. If the organization provides a student, the local unit may pay thestudent some or all of the $50 (Minn. Stat. § 197.231).

Missouri
Missouri's statute authorizes the adjutant general, subject to appropriations, to order theappropriate requested uniform honor detail at a veteran’s funeral. If a recognized veterans’organization provides the service, it is compensated from the Missouri National Guard Trust Fund,
within available appropriations. The law requires the adjutant general to determine the amount
paid to such organizations (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 41.958).

Rhode Island
Rhode Island's statute requires the adjutant general to furnish a firing squad and, wheneverpossible, a bugler to play Taps live (R.I. Gen. Laws § 30-25-1-2). The law requires the legislature toannually appropriate an amount it deems necessary to carry out these duties (R.I. Gen. Laws § 3025-2).

Wisconsin
By law, the Department of Veterans' Affairs administers a military funeral honors program. Under
the program, honor guard details are provided by certain local units of member organizations andby members of the Wisconsin National Guard. The law authorizes reimbursement to local member
organizations of the council for the costs of providing a military honors funeral. The maximum
reimbursement for each funeral is $50. In addition to this stipend, the law creates a tuition
voucher for certain students of $25 to someone who plays Taps on a bugle, trumpet, or cornet (Wis.
Stat. § 45.19).

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Wyoming
Wyoming provides reimbursement to registered veteran burial teams for performing honor guard
detail. The maximum reimbursement to a team is $100 for each funeral. Funding is through theVeteran Burial Team Account. A veteran burial team is any group of veterans with whom theveterans' commission contracts to perform military services. If there is not enough money, then thecommission must prorate the reimbursements among all the claims (Wyo. Stat. Ann. §19-14-109).
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