Many retirees overlook the fact they are eligible for federal burial benefits.
Eligibility is also established if death occurs in a VA facility or in a nursing home in which VA has a contract. Grave space in the VA system is free. Claims for burial benefits must be made within two years of interment or cremation. VA furnishes a headstone or marker to mark the unmarked grave of a veteran burined in a national, state or private cemetary. VA also provides markers for eligible dependents interred in a national or state veterans cemetary and for veterans whose remains have not been recovered or identified.