Hawaii Military Funeral Benefits and Veteran Burial Allowances

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific — Punchbowl — is one of the most recognized military cemeteries in the United States, and it is located on Oahu. For Hawaii veterans and their families, understanding what benefits are available, who qualifies, and what the process involves can make a significant difference both financially and in honoring a veteran's service.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)

Punchbowl is administered by the National Cemetery Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It offers burial at no cost to eligible veterans and, in many cases, their family members.

Who Is Eligible for Punchbowl Burial

Eligibility for interment at a national cemetery includes:

• Veterans with an honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge from any period of service
• Service members who died on active duty
• Reserve and National Guard members who were called to active duty under specific circumstances
• Spouse, surviving spouse, or minor children of an eligible veteran
• Unmarried adult children with permanent disability who were dependent on the veteran

Eligible non-veterans who can be interred alongside an eligible veteran include spouses, minor children, and in some cases permanently disabled adult children.

Eligibility is confirmed through the National Cemetery Scheduling Office. A DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) is the primary document needed to verify veteran status. If the DD-214 cannot be located, it can be requested from the National Personnel Records Center.

What Punchbowl Provides at No Charge

For eligible veterans, Punchbowl provides:

• The burial plot
• Opening and closing of the grave
• Liner or grave box
• Perpetual care of the grave site
• A government-furnished grave marker (upright granite or flat bronze)

What it does not cover: transportation of remains, funeral home services, ceremony costs, or military funeral honors coordination (though those are provided separately through the military services).

Availability and Waitlists

Punchbowl has been accepting burials since 1949 and its available space is constrained. New full-casket burials may be limited to veterans dying in Hawaii and certain other eligible individuals, depending on space availability at the time of death. In-ground cremation burials and columbarium niches have broader availability.

Contact the cemetery directly or use the National Cemetery Scheduling Office to confirm current availability and scheduling.

VA Burial Allowances for Qualifying Deaths

Separately from the national cemetery burial benefit, the VA provides monetary burial allowances for qualifying veterans. The amount depends on the circumstances of death:

Service-connected death: The VA pays a burial allowance of up to $2,000 for veterans whose death was connected to a service-related condition. This is the highest allowance available.

Non-service-connected death while receiving VA care: For veterans who died in a VA facility or under VA care and whose death was not service-connected, the allowance is currently around $300 for burial and $300 for plot or interment. These amounts are periodically adjusted.

Non-service-connected death, veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation: A burial allowance of around $300 may be available. The family pays for the funeral and then submits a claim to the VA for reimbursement.

Transportation allowance: If the veteran died in a VA facility away from home, the VA may reimburse some transportation costs for returning the remains to the place of burial.

These allowances are not automatic. The responsible party (surviving spouse, executor, or funeral home) must file VA Form 21P-530EZ (Application for Burial Benefits) within two years of the veteran's death.

Military Funeral Honors

All veterans are entitled to military funeral honors as a minimum: a two-member military detail, the playing of "Taps" (live or recorded), and the folding and presentation of the American flag to the next of kin. This service is provided at no cost.

Additional honors — such as a ceremonial rifle volley, a full honor guard, or chaplain services — may be available depending on the veteran's rank and unit affiliation. Contact the relevant branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or National Guard) to request military funeral honors. Honors are coordinated through the relevant service's casualty affairs office.

To receive military honors, the family must notify the funeral home, who then contacts the appropriate military branch to coordinate. Provide the DD-214 and the date, time, and location of the service.

State of Hawaii Benefits for Veterans

The Hawaii Office of Veterans' Services and the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery (located in Kaneohe on Oahu) offer additional options for veterans buried in Hawaii.

The Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery provides burial to eligible veterans who resided in Hawaii, with a similar structure to national cemeteries: grave sites, opening and closing, markers. Contact the Office of Veterans' Services for current eligibility and scheduling.

Hawaii also provides property tax exemptions for surviving spouses of veterans killed in service, and state income tax exemptions for military retirement income. While these are not directly funeral-related, they are relevant to the financial picture for surviving families.

Practical Steps for Veterans' Families

When a veteran dies in Hawaii, here is the basic sequence for accessing burial benefits:

1. Locate the DD-214. This is the foundational document for all VA and military benefits. If unavailable, request a copy from the National Personnel Records Center immediately — this can take time.
2. Contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office if Punchbowl burial is desired. Confirm eligibility and schedule an interment date.
3. Notify the funeral home to coordinate military funeral honors with the appropriate service branch.
4. File VA Form 21P-530EZ to claim burial allowances. Submit within two years of death.
5. Check Hawaii state veterans benefits through the Office of Veterans' Services for any state-level assistance.

For a complete overview of the broader funeral law framework in Hawaii — including the burial-transit permit process, embalming rules, and your consumer rights when working with funeral home providers — see the Hawaii Funeral Laws and Consumer Rights Guide.

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