Veterans benefits for cremation in California

The VA pays part of the cost. Riverside National and LA National both accept cremated remains. Here's the paperwork, and the shortcut most families miss.

If the person who died served in the military, there are benefits. Not huge ones, but real ones. And the burial — whether of a casket or an urn — can take place at a national cemetery at no cost to the family.

This is one of those areas where ten minutes of paperwork saves a family a thousand dollars.

Two separate things

Burial allowance: a lump-sum payment from the VA to the family, meant to defray funeral costs. Currently $300 for a non-service-connected death, $2,000 for a service-connected death. If the veteran died at a VA facility, there's also a transportation allowance.

Cemetery eligibility: burial or interment of cremated remains at a national cemetery, including the plot, opening and closing, headstone, and perpetual care. No cost. For eligible veterans and, in many cases, eligible dependents.

These are separate systems. You can use one without the other.

Who qualifies

Any veteran who served on active duty and received a discharge other than dishonorable is generally eligible. There are some specifics around reservists and length of service, but the baseline is wide.

Spouses, surviving spouses, and dependent children of eligible veterans are also generally eligible for interment at a national cemetery.

If the person is a veteran and received an honorable or general discharge, start the paperwork. Don't try to adjudicate eligibility in your head. Submit and let the VA respond.

The two LA-area national cemeteries

Riverside National Cemetery — 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside. This is the major one families use. It's about 70 miles from downtown LA. Driving is 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on traffic. They accept cremated remains and do the full ceremony.

Los Angeles National Cemetery — 950 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, in Westwood. This is the historically older one, located in the city. It is closed to new ground burials but still accepts cremated remains in the columbarium when space allows. Scheduling can take longer because capacity is tighter.

For most families we work with, Riverside is the practical choice. The drive is longer, but the scheduling is cleaner and the ceremonies are well-run.

The paperwork you need

DD-214. The discharge document. This is the single most important paper. If you don't have it, the veteran's family can request a copy from the National Personnel Records Center online, free. Processing can take several weeks for a certified copy, which is slower than the burial timeline, so start it as soon as you know a death is approaching.

VA Form 21P-530EZ. The application for burial benefits. Fill out, attach the DD-214, attach the death certificate when you have it, submit online at VA.gov or by mail.

VA Form 40-1330. Application for a government-furnished headstone or marker. The headstone is free; the application is one page.

The eligibility determination for national cemetery burial comes from the VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. Call them with the DD-214 in hand and they'll tell you same-day whether the person is eligible.

The shortcut most families miss

Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office first, before you file anything else. They can confirm eligibility in a single phone call. Once eligibility is confirmed, they can schedule the interment ceremony as soon as the cremated remains are ready.

Riverside typically can schedule within 1–3 weeks of the call. Los Angeles National's columbarium timeline varies.

The military honors — flag, bugler if available, rifle salute for eligible veterans — are coordinated through the cemetery once the ceremony is scheduled. You don't have to arrange this separately.

What we handle, what you handle

If the family tells us at the arrangement conference that the veteran is eligible, we:

- Order enough certified copies of the death certificate to include one for the VA benefits application - Give you a printed packet with the three VA forms, pre-filled where we can - Coordinate the pickup date of the ashes with the cemetery scheduling office - Transport the urn to the cemetery on the day of the ceremony (or deliver to the family if they'd rather bring it themselves)

The family files the benefits application. We can't file it on their behalf — the VA requires the beneficiary's signature.

The flag

Every eligible veteran's family receives a United States flag at the ceremony. It's folded by the honor guard and presented. If there isn't an honor guard scheduled for the specific service, the flag is still provided by the VA and we can arrange for it to be presented during our pickup.

Don't skip asking for the flag. Even if a family doesn't think they want a formal ceremony, the flag is theirs.

One practical note about timing

If the family is working from out of state and can't attend the Riverside interment immediately, the VA allows for a delayed interment. The ashes can be kept at home or with us until a date that works for the family — months later is fine. The eligibility doesn't expire.

Some families use this to schedule the interment for Memorial Day weekend or Veterans Day. It's a dignified choice and the ceremony is often more meaningful on those days.

If you're preplanning

Veterans can also pre-apply for eligibility determination. It's called VA Form 40-10007, Pre-Need Eligibility Determination. Takes about an hour of paperwork and the VA responds with a decision letter the family can keep on file. When the time comes, the scheduling office already has the file open.

For veterans we're preplanning for, we complete this form with them at the planning meeting. It's one of the most useful hours we can spend together.

Call us if you have questions. We don't charge for VA coordination. It's part of what we do.