Burial Options

Eligible veterans can be interred in state or national cemeteries without incurring typical cemetery expenses such as the plot, the opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, headstone, and outer burial container. An eligible veteran’s spouse or dependent child can also be buried in a veterans’ cemetery for a nominal fee. Eligibility determination and pre-registration with a veterans’ cemetery can be done at any time prior to the veteran’s death by contacting the cemetery directly. 

As another form of final disposition, the Navy can provide a burial at sea for eligible veterans of any branch of service. Burial at Sea is a means of final disposition of remains that is performed on United States Navy vessels. The committal ceremony is performed while the ship is deployed. Therefore, family members are not allowed to be present. The commanding officer of the ship assigned to perform the ceremony will notify the family of the date, time, and longitude and latitude once the committal service has been completed. The average amount of time for burial at sea is 12 to 18 months, once the remains/cremains are received at the port of embarkation.

Eligibility is best determined by contacting your local Veterans Services Office.