Five Advantages of Prearranging:

	Your Preferences. By taking care of all your arrangements yourself, you can tailor them to your preferences and ensure your personal wishes will be known. You determine where and how you want to customize your funeral to be remembered by family and friends.
	Your Family. By prearranging, you spare your loved ones the burden of making difficult decisions at an emotionally stressful time and eliminate unexpected expense and emotional overspending.
	Your Money. When you prearrange, you benefit from special offers with substantial savings. Numerous payment plans to fit any budget are available, including monthly payments with no finance charges.
	Our Experience. When you prearrange, you receive some good free advice. Our experienced staff will discuss the options and help you determine what works best for you. You will receive all the information you need to make sound choices, confidentially and with no cost or obligation.
	Peace of Mind. This is the most important advantage of all.

Which burial expenses will be reimbursed by VA? 

Service-Related Deaths. If a military service-related injury or disease caused the veteran's death, VA will pay up to $2,000 toward burial expenses. If the veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the costs for transporting the veteran's remains may be reimbursed.

Certain Non Service-Related Deaths. VA will pay up to $300 toward burial and funeral expenses, and $300 as a plot-interment allowance. If the veteran died in a VA hospital or under VA contracted home care, some or all of the costs for transporting the deceased's remains may be reimbursed.

VA will pay a $150 plot allowance when the veteran is not buried in a cemetery that is under U.S. Government jurisdiction if the veteran is discharged from active duty because of disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty, if the veteran was in receipt of compensation or pension or would have been in receipt of compensation but for receipt of military retired pay, or if the veteran died while hospitalized by VA. The plot allowance is not payable solely on wartime service.

If the veteran is buried without charge for the cost of a plot or interment in a state-owned cemetery reserved solely for veteran burials, the $150 plot allowance may be paid to the state. Burial expenses paid by the deceased's employer or a state agency will not be reimbursed.

Who may receive monthly benefits?

• A widow or widower age 60 or older (50 if disabled), or at any age if caring for an entitled child who is under 16 or disabled.
  
  
• A divorced widow or widower age 60 or older (50 if disabled) if the marriage lasted 10 years, or if caring for an entitled child who is under 16 or disabled.
  
  
• Unmarried children up to 18 (19 if they are attending a primary or secondary school full lime).
  
  
• Children who were disabled before reaching 22, as long as they remained disabled.
  
  
• Dependent parent or parents 62 or older.

• A surviving spouse who lived in the same household as the deceased person at the time of death.
• A surviving spouse eligible for or entitled to benefits for the month of death.
• A child or children eligible for or entitled to benefits for the month of death