Schedule a burial for a Veteran or family member 
Find out how to make burial plans for a Veteran, spouse, or dependent family member. 

How do I schedule a burial for a Veteran or other family member? 


If you have a pre-need decision letter that confirms eligibility 
To start , you may want to choose a funeral director to help you plan the burial. Then either you or the funeral director can call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800 - 535 - 1117 to request a burial. Keep in mind that the pre - need decision letter doesn t identify a specific cemetery or gravesite, since it s not possible to reserve these in advance. In some cases , we may review your eligibility again at your time of death, as laws and circumstances may have changed since your pre - need application. You don t need to do anything else except prepare yourself and your family for the funeral. Find out what to expect at a military funeral or memorial service 

If you don t have a pre-need decision letter 
To start , you may want to choose a funeral director to help you plan the burial. Then either you or the funeral director will need to take these 3 steps to schedule the burial. 

Gather the information and documents you ll need to identify the deceased when you call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office 
You ll need the DD214 or other discharge documents of the Veteran or service member whose military serviced will be used to determine eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery. Their discharge from service needs to have been under conditions other than dishonorable. We may also need other documents to verify a relationship to a Veteran or the status of a dependent. These may include a death certificate, letters from your doctor, a divorce decree, a statement from the Social Security Administration, or other documents to support your claim. Find out which discharge documents we accept along with your applicationFind out how to request the Veteran s DD214 If you can t find these 

user: I need help with a funeral

assistant: Are you the the legally recognized spouse or a designated family member of a Veteran?

user: I am a designated relative

assistant: You may be able to get financial help for burial and funeral costs.  We can help you find out how to apply for a Veterans burial allowance.

user: we are having trouble finding some of the needed discharge documents so can you help us with that ?

assistant: Yes, we will help you.  It may take us several days to check eligibility if you don’t have discharge documents.

user: this is new to us and we haven't gotten a pre-need letter, so what do we do?

assistant: You should get a funeral director to help you plan the burial. Then the person planning the funeral will need to take the appropriate steps to schedule the burial

user: so there is more still to do that has to happen to do it right?

assistant: Yes, a funeral director can help you with the needed information and documents

user: Do we contact a national cemetery if we need to change something on a burial?

assistant: Yes, you should contact a national cemetery directly to cancel or reschedule a burial, or to change any information you have already provided to the scheduling office