The Burial Benefits Seniors and Veterans Can Qualify For(And How to Claim Each One)

We’ve got good news for seniors and veterans. There is real money set aside to help your family pay for a funeral. It comes from Social Security, from the VA, and in many places from your state or county.

Many families never claim all of it. Not because they don’t qualify. Because nobody ever told them it was there.

Here is what each program pays, who qualifies, and how to claim it.

1. The Social Security Death Payment

What it pays: A one-time payment of $255.

Who qualifies: A surviving spouse who lived with the person who died. A spouse who lived apart may qualify if they can get benefits on that person’s record. If there is no spouse, children may qualify if they are 17 or younger, 18 or 19 and still in high school, or disabled before age 22. The person who died must have worked long enough to qualify for Social Security.

How to claim it: Apply online with a my Social Security account, call 1-800-772-1213, or visit a local office. The family must apply within two years of the death. If the spouse was already getting benefits on that record, no separate application is needed.

Surviving spouses may also qualify for monthly survivor benefits, which are separate and can be worth far more. Ask about both on the same call.

2. Veterans Burial Benefits

Veterans have earned more than many families realize.

What it pays: For a death not related to service, the VA pays a burial allowance of up to $1,002, plus up to $1,002 toward a plot if the veteran is not buried in a national cemetery. For a service-connected death, up to $2,000. These amounts are for deaths on or after October 1, 2025, and change each October.

What else is included: Burial in a VA national cemetery at no cost to the family, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. A spouse can often be buried there too. Funeral home charges are not covered.

Who qualifies: Veterans with any discharge other than dishonorable, who meet the VA’s conditions, such as dying from a service-connected condition, receiving VA pension or compensation, or passing away under VA care.

How to claim it: File VA Form 21P-530EZ online, by mail, or with help from a funeral director. For a death not related to service, file within two years of the burial. A surviving spouse listed on the veteran’s VA record may be paid automatically. Keep the veteran’s DD214 discharge papers where your family can find them.

3. State and County Burial Programs

Many states and counties have approved burial assistance programs of their own.

What it pays: It varies widely by location, from a few hundred dollars to over $3,000, usually paid directly to the funeral home. Many programs also cap the total cost of the funeral.

Who qualifies: These programs are typically for families with limited income or assets. Some are tied to Medicaid or other public assistance.

How to claim it: Contact your county human services office or your state’s department of social services. Some require approval before the funeral, and deadlines can be short, so call before signing anything with a funeral home.

4. The Benefits Families Forget

• Employer and union death benefits. Many pensions and unions pay a small death benefit, even years after retirement.
• Old life insurance policies. Policies from a former employer or from decades ago may still be in force.

Now Add It All Up

Here is the part nobody mentions.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association’s 2023 price study, the median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial is $8,300. With the burial vault many cemeteries require, it is $9,995. And that is before the cemetery plot, the headstone, or flowers.

Now take the best case: a married veteran whose family claims the Social Security payment and both VA allowances.

For a senior who is not a veteran, it may be $255. With no surviving spouse, it is often nothing at all.

The difference doesn’t disappear. It lands on a spouse, or on the kids, usually within days, and often on a credit card.

How Families Cover the Rest

This is what final expense insurance was designed for. These are small whole life policies, approved for sale by your state’s insurance department, built specifically to cover funeral and final costs.

• Coverage amounts typically from $5,000 to $30,000
• Many plans require no medical exam, just a few health questions that can affect approval and price
• On most whole life plans, your rate is locked in and never goes up
• The benefit is paid directly to the person you choose, to use for any expense

One thing to know: plans that ask no health questions usually have a waiting period, often two years. If death from natural causes happens during that time, the plan pays a reduced amount instead of the full benefit.

If you already have enough savings or life insurance set aside, you may not need it. Many families find they don’t have either.

What you qualify for, and what it costs, depends on your age, your health, and your state. Rates are lowest today. They go up with every birthday.

The Next Step: Talk to an Expert

Four programs. Four sets of forms and deadlines. Plus the gap.

One free conversation with a licensed expert covers all of it: which benefits your family can claim, and what it would take to cover the rest.