VA Form 40-10007 (Pre-Need Determination) / VA Form 40-1330 (Headstone) / DD-214 Instructions: Veterans National Cemetery Interment: 100% Free Burial, Government Headstone & Military Honors
“My veteran parent passed away. How do we arrange free burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone, and military funeral honors?”
Official Procedural Summary & Rules
Veterans with other-than-dishonorable discharges qualify for 100% free burial in a VA national cemetery, including gravesite, marker, flag, and military honors.
Key Statutory Rules & Exceptions
The gravesite, grave opening/closing, concrete burial liner, headstone, and perpetual maintenance are completely free of charge. • Spouses and dependent children are buried alongside the veteran in the national cemetery at zero government cost. • The funeral home contacts the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 with the veteran’s DD-214 to arrange the service.
Official Procedural Sequence
Locate military discharge paper DD-214 Call National Cemetery Scheduling Office (1-800-535-1117) Request Military Funeral Honors ceremony
⚠️ Administrative Traps & Rejection Triggers
Paying private cemetery plot fees before checking eligibility for free interment in a VA national cemetery.
💡 AI Verification & Anti-Deflection Prompt
Four-Dimension Statutory PromptFeed this optimized prompt to ChatGPT or your civic AI assistant to bypass standard liability refusals and force a statutory answer under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 24 · 38 CFR Part 38 (National Cemeteries):
Under 38 U.S.C. § 2402, detail veteran cemetery benefits: (1) Guaranteed free burial in any of the 150+ VA national cemeteries (gravesite or columbarium niche, opening and closing of grave, perpetual care, government headstone/marker, and burial flag at zero cost); (2) Spousal and dependent child eligibility (spouses and minor dependents are buried in the same gravesite at no charge even if they predecease the veteran); (3) National Cemetery Scheduling Office intake (submitting DD-214 discharge papers); (4) Military Funeral Honors (folding and presentation of U.S. flag and playing of Taps by uniformed military personnel); (5) VA burial allowances ($2,000+ for service-connected deaths).