“The Veterans Benefits Act increased the burial and funeral benefit as well as the plot allowance for nonservice-related deaths from $300 to $700,” Congressman Sablan explained.
“Now we need to make sure that the money is in the budget, so veterans and the families of veterans have the support they need.”
Obama signed the Veterans Benefits Act into law on October 13; and members of Congress are wasting no time working to ensure that the funding authorized in the Act is actually available in the president’s FY12 budget.
“Congress can, of course, appropriate whatever amount we choose,” Sablan said. “But it is always a better strategy to get the funding level you want in the president’s budget.
“Our letter to OMB acting Director Jeffrey Zients makes the case that the current burial benefit and plot allowance are inadequate, falling far short of the amount veterans actually pay for their funeral expenses.
“But the increase provided in the Benefits Act will help the families of veterans meet the rising cost of funeral expenses for their loved one.” said Congressman Sablan. “It is the least we can do for our veterans who have honorably served our country.”
The plot allowance was introduced in 1973 as an effort to help veterans who did not have reasonable access to a national cemetery. Although neither the plot allowance nor the burial allowances were intended to cover the full cost of a civilian burial in a private cemetery, the increase in the benefit’s value indicates the intent to provide a meaningful benefit by adjusting for inflation. At its inception, the payout covered 72 percent of the funeral cost for a service-connected death, 22 percent for a non service-connected death, and 54 percent of the burial plot cost.
While the burial benefit has increased by only 2.5 times, the cost of a funeral has increased by nearly seven times since 1973, leaving families and state veterans’ cemeteries to cover the increasing costs.
The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a partial reimbursement of burial and funeral costs for eligible veterans. When the cause of death is not service related, two payments are provided: 1) a burial and funeral expense allowance, and (2) a plot or interment allowance.
For additional information on VA Burial Allowances or to apply for burial benefits, go to http://www.cem.va.gov/bbene_burial.asp
