Veteran Services

We’re proud to do our part in honoring our country’s veterans. Our duty is to provide you and your family with professional and dignified assistance during your time of need, and we promise to support you in honoring your loved one for their dedication and selfless service.

Traditional Honors

Eligible veterans receive the folding and presenting of the American flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps by a bugler or recording. These honors are performed by an honor guard detail that has at least two members of the Armed Forces. One member must be a representative from the branch in which the veteran served, and this member will present the flag.

Honors also MAY include, depending on eligibility:

• We will request honors on your behalf in accordance with the rules of the Veterans Administration. National cemeteries have rules that apply to honors and honor guards and are set by the government. For example, veterans generally are entitled to have a flag presented and taps played but may not have the ability to have a Rifle detail unless they are retired military of more than 20 years or active duty and members of that branch of service are available to provide such honors. However, veteran service organizations may provide honors with a Rifle salute when available, but this establishment cannot guarantee what benefits in the way of honors will be provided.
• The U.S. flag draped over the casket.
• A three-volley rifle salute to represent duty, honor, and country.
• A final salute at the gravesite.

Veteran Benefits

In addition to honoring your veteran during the service, we can help contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for:

• Headstones: The VA provides headstones and markers for the graves of veterans anywhere in the world and for eligible dependents of veterans buried in national, state, or military cemeteries.
• A Presidential Memorial Certificate: This certificate shows the nation’s recognition of the veteran’s service. It includes the veteran’s name and the signature of the President.
• Memorial plots: If an eligible veteran’s remains are not available for burial, the VA can provide a plot and headstone or marker in a national cemetery for memorialization. If you want to place the memorial in a cemetery other than a national cemetery, the VA will provide the headstone or marker but not the plot.
• Burial in a national cemetery: This includes the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a grave box, and perpetual care.
• Reimbursement of burial: For information on eligibility and the different levels of potential reimbursement, please review the Guide to VA Burial Allowances.

Eligibility

Military funeral honors are free and mandated by law for eligible veterans. Eligibility is verified by the veteran’s DD-214 or discharge papers. Eligible members are:

• Military members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve.
• Former military members discharged from the Selected Reserve due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.
• Former military members who served on active duty and departed with honorable conditions.
• Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under honorable conditions.

Other Resources

Check out these resources for more information about honoring veterans and military funerals:

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Click on Veteran Services and look under the Burials & Memorials heading.
• Veterans’ Funeral and Burial Benefits. Useful information from the Funeral Consumers Alliance.