Louisiana Veterans Cemeteries: Benefits, Eligibility, and What Families Need to Know

Louisiana maintains five state veterans cemeteries offering burial at no cost to eligible veterans and their families. If you are planning a burial and searching for information about a specific cemetery — whether in Slidell, Keithville, or another location — this guide covers everything you need: locations, eligibility, what the state provides for free, and critically, the one significant cost that families are still responsible for paying.

The Five Louisiana State Veterans Cemeteries

Louisiana's veterans cemeteries are managed by the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Here are all five locations with contact numbers:

Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Keithville, LA Phone: 318-925-0612

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Slidell, LA Phone: 985-646-6458

Northeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Rayville, LA Phone: 318-728-4346

Central Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Leesville, LA Phone: 337-238-6405

Southwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Jennings, LA

If you are making immediate arrangements, call the relevant cemetery directly. Staff can confirm current availability, walk you through the scheduling process, and answer questions specific to your situation.

Who Is Eligible for Burial

Eligibility for Louisiana state veterans cemetery burial is based on the veteran's discharge status and service record, and extends to certain family members.

Veterans are eligible if they were discharged from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable. An honorable discharge or general (under honorable conditions) discharge qualifies. A dishonorable discharge disqualifies a veteran from burial in both state and federal veterans cemeteries.

Reservists and National Guard members are eligible if they were called to active federal duty and served that active duty period — not simply for reserve drill periods, but for active duty orders.

Legal spouses of eligible veterans are eligible for burial regardless of whether the veteran is buried at the cemetery first. A surviving spouse may be interred at the veterans cemetery even if the veteran was not.

Dependent children are also eligible for burial, subject to certain age and dependency criteria.

If you are uncertain whether a veteran qualifies, contact the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs or the specific cemetery. They can verify eligibility based on the veteran's DD-214 discharge documentation.

What Louisiana Provides at No Cost

For eligible veterans and their family members, the state of Louisiana provides the following at no charge:

Burial plot or columbarium niche. The interment space itself — whether in-ground burial or columbarium placement for cremated remains — is provided at no cost.

Opening and closing of the grave. The labor and equipment costs of interment are covered.

VA headstone or grave marker. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides a government headstone or marker for eligible veterans at no cost. This can be an upright granite or marble marker, a flat bronze marker, or a niche marker depending on the type of interment. The family does not pay for this marker.

Military honors. Louisiana state veterans cemeteries coordinate with the Department of Defense to provide military funeral honors. This typically includes the folding and presentation of the American flag and the playing of "Taps" (live or recorded). Additional honors may be available depending on the branch of service and the family's requests.

Perpetual grounds care. The cemetery maintains the grounds, including the veteran's burial space, permanently. Unlike a private cemetery plot purchase, there are no ongoing maintenance fees.

The combined value of these benefits — land, interment services, marker, honors, and perpetual care — represents a substantial reduction in funeral costs for eligible families.

What Families Are Still Responsible For

This is the most important practical point in this guide, and it is frequently misunderstood by families who assume that burial at a veterans cemetery means the funeral is free.

It is not. The Louisiana state veterans cemeteries provide the burial site and everything that happens at the cemetery. They do not provide the services required to prepare the body and transport it to the cemetery gates.

Under La. R.S. 37:848, all disposition of human remains in Louisiana must be handled through a licensed funeral establishment. Even for burial at a state veterans cemetery, a family must hire and pay a licensed funeral home to:

• Collect the body from the place of death
• File the death certificate with the Louisiana Office of Vital Records
• Obtain the burial transit permit — which under Louisiana Administrative Code can only be secured by a licensed funeral director, not a private citizen
• Prepare the body (which may or may not include embalming, depending on circumstances and family preference — see our post on Louisiana embalming laws)
• Transport the body to the veterans cemetery

These funeral home services carry real costs — the typical full-service funeral in Louisiana runs $7,000–$10,000, though families can often reduce this significantly by choosing only the services they legally need and declining unnecessary add-ons. If the veteran is cremated, direct cremation in Louisiana typically costs $700–$2,500, with the cremated remains then interred at the veterans cemetery at no charge.

Families should ask funeral homes for a General Price List (GPL) — which the FTC Funeral Rule requires any funeral home to provide upon request before any discussion or viewing. You are entitled to select only the specific services you need, and the funeral home cannot legally require you to purchase a package. You can bring a casket from a third-party vendor, and the funeral home cannot charge a handling or rejection fee for receiving it.

VA Burial Benefits That May Offset Funeral Home Costs

While the family is responsible for funeral home costs, federal VA benefits may help offset them.

VA Burial Allowance: For veterans who died as a result of a service-connected condition, the VA pays a burial allowance to cover funeral costs. For veterans who did not die of a service-connected condition but were receiving VA pension or compensation, a smaller non-service-connected burial allowance is available. Rates change periodically — check current amounts directly with the VA.

Workers' Compensation Burial Allowance: If the veteran's death was work-related, Louisiana Workers' Compensation law (La. R.S. 23:1210) provides a burial allowance of up to $8,500. This is not a VA benefit — it applies to any worker's compensable death and may apply to veterans who were employed at the time of death.

Apply for VA burial benefits through the veteran's regional VA office. These benefits are applied to funeral home costs, not to veterans cemetery costs (which are already free).

How to Arrange Burial at a Louisiana Veterans Cemetery

If you are making arrangements now or in advance, here are the practical steps:

1. Confirm eligibility. Gather the veteran's DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. This is the primary document used to verify eligibility. If you do not have the DD-214, you can request it from the National Archives (archives.gov/veterans) — though this takes time.

2. Contact the cemetery. Call the specific cemetery you are considering. Confirm current availability (some sections may have limited space) and ask what documents they require at the time of scheduling.

3. Select a licensed funeral home. The funeral home will handle the paperwork, body preparation, and transport. They coordinate directly with the veterans cemetery on scheduling. Ask for their GPL and select only the services your family needs and is legally required to have.

4. Notify the VA. Apply for any applicable VA burial benefits to help offset funeral home costs. Your funeral home can often assist with this process.

5. Coordinate military honors. The funeral home and the veterans cemetery work together to arrange military honors. If you have preferences — a specific branch honor guard, a particular ceremony format — communicate these early.

A Note on Advance Planning

If a veteran in your family has not yet made their wishes known, now is a good time to have that conversation. Burial at a Louisiana state veterans cemetery is a benefit that must be exercised — it does not happen automatically. Veterans who want this burial must let their family know, and families should have the veteran's DD-214 accessible.

Pre-need arrangements can also be made directly with the veterans cemetery in some cases. Contact the cemetery to ask about their pre-need process.

Understanding the Full Picture

Louisiana's rules around burial — including what happens at the cemetery, what the funeral home must do, and what families can and cannot arrange themselves — are worth understanding clearly before the moment of need. Our posts on Louisiana burial and cremation laws and Louisiana embalming laws cover the specific statutory rules that govern how the body is handled before it reaches the cemetery.

Get the Complete Guide

Navigating veteran burial benefits alongside Louisiana's funeral licensing requirements involves more moving parts than families often expect. The complete guide covers consumer protections under the FTC Funeral Rule, how to read a General Price List, embalming and transit permit requirements, and the full scope of your rights under Louisiana law.

Get the complete guide to Louisiana funeral laws and consumer rights so your family can honor your veteran's service without overpaying or being caught off guard by requirements you didn't know existed.

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