Hawaii Funeral Assistance Programs: Burial Benefits and Financial Help After a Death

Hawaii has among the highest funeral costs in the United States, driven by the island cost of living and limited local competition in the mortuary industry. A full-service funeral with burial in Hawaii can easily exceed $15,000 to $20,000. Cremation with a memorial service typically runs $3,000 to $7,000 or more depending on the island and the services selected.

Several financial assistance programs exist to help cover these costs — but none of them are automatic. Each requires a separate application, has its own eligibility rules, and pays into its own account. A family that doesn't know to apply for all available programs will leave money unclaimed.

Workers' Compensation Funeral Allowance

If the death was work-related, Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 386 requires the employer's workers' compensation insurer to pay funeral and burial expenses directly to the service providers. For 2026:

• Funeral allowance: Up to $8,710 (10 times the maximum weekly benefit rate of $871), paid directly to the mortician
• Burial/cemetery allowance: Up to $4,355 (5 times the maximum weekly benefit rate), paid directly to the cemetery

These payments go to the funeral home and cemetery, not to the family. If you are planning a work-related death funeral, notify the mortician and cemetery of the workers' compensation claim before they finalize their invoices. They should bill the insurer directly rather than the family.

If the insurer disputes coverage or delays payment, the family may need to pay upfront and seek reimbursement — which is why documenting the claim filing date and all communications with the insurer matters from day one. Contact the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) Disability Compensation Division if the insurer fails to pay within a reasonable time.

Social Security Lump-Sum Death Benefit

The Social Security Administration pays a one-time lump-sum death benefit of $255. This amount has not changed in decades and covers virtually nothing in terms of funeral costs, but it is still a benefit you must claim — it is not paid automatically.

To receive the $255:

• The surviving spouse must have been living with the deceased at the time of death, or
• If no surviving spouse is in the household, the payment can go to a surviving child who was entitled to Social Security benefits on the deceased's record in the month of death

File Form SSA-8 (Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment) at your local Social Security office or by phone. The application must typically be filed within two years of the death.

Veterans Burial Benefits

For veterans, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides burial and memorial benefits that vary based on the veteran's discharge status and cause of death:

Veterans buried in private cemeteries: The VA pays a burial allowance of up to $948 for service-connected deaths and up to $948 for non-service-connected deaths for veterans receiving VA compensation or pension at the time of death (as of recent figures — verify current amounts with the VA). For veterans who died from a non-service-connected cause while not receiving VA benefits, a smaller partial allowance applies.

Interment in a national or state veterans' cemetery: The VA provides the grave site, opening and closing, perpetual care, a headstone or marker, and a burial flag at no cost. Hawaii has a National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu. The Hawaii Office of Veterans' Services maintains the Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe on Oahu, and additional veterans' cemeteries are available on the neighbor islands.

Military funeral honors: Surviving families of veterans are entitled to a military funeral honors ceremony consisting of at minimum a two-person detail to fold and present the flag and play "Taps" (which may be by bugler or electronic recording). This service is provided at no cost upon request through the decedent's military branch.

To apply for VA burial benefits, file VA Form 21P-530 (Application for Burial Benefits). The application should be filed promptly, as reimbursement for costs already paid requires timely filing.

Crime Victim Compensation Funeral Assistance

If the death resulted from a violent crime, the Hawaii Crime Victim Compensation Commission (CVCC) can compensate surviving family members for funeral and burial costs not covered by other sources. The aggregate limit for funeral costs and lost financial support combined is $10,000 per incident across all related claims.

Applications must be filed within 18 months of the criminal incident. See the Hawaii crime victim compensation post for the full application process.

County Indigent Burial Assistance

Each of Hawaii's four counties maintains some form of indigent burial assistance for families who cannot afford funeral costs and have no other applicable resources. These programs are administered through the county's social services or medical examiner office and are intended as a last resort after other sources have been exhausted.

Benefits under county indigent programs are minimal — typically covering a basic cremation or simple burial — and the threshold of financial need is strict. If a family has significant assets, a life insurance policy, or access to any of the above programs, they are unlikely to qualify for county indigent assistance.

Contact the county Department of Human Services or the county medical examiner's office for current eligibility requirements and application procedures.

Social Services and Nonprofit Assistance

Hawaii has a network of social service agencies and nonprofit organizations that can provide emergency assistance with funeral costs for families in crisis. These include:

• The Queen's Medical Center Social Work Department and other hospital social work teams, which can assist in connecting families with available community resources
• Aloha United Way's 211 helpline, which can connect callers with local assistance programs
• Faith-based organizations in the islands, many of which maintain emergency assistance funds

These sources are most useful for families who fall through the gaps of the formal programs — for example, where the death was neither work-related nor the result of a crime, the deceased was not a veteran, and the estate is too small to cover funeral costs but too large for county indigent eligibility.

How to Coordinate Multiple Sources

Most families navigating a death in Hawaii are eligible for more than one of these programs. The key is to apply for all of them simultaneously rather than exhausting one first and then discovering another exists.

Order of priority for applying:

1. File the workers' compensation death claim with DLIR immediately if the death was work-related — funeral allowances are paid directly to the mortician and reduce out-of-pocket costs from day one
2. Notify the VA and apply for burial benefits if the deceased is a veteran
3. File the CVCC application if the death resulted from a crime (within 18 months)
4. File the Social Security lump-sum death benefit claim
5. Apply for county indigent assistance if all other sources are insufficient and the family meets the need criteria

The Hawaii Survivor Benefits Navigator provides a coordinated checklist for all of these programs alongside the estate administration timeline, property tax deadlines, and the ERS pension and EUTF health insurance processes. Funeral costs are the most immediate financial pressure a surviving family faces. Knowing which programs exist and how to access them in the first 72 hours can make a substantial difference.

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