What to Do When a Veteran Dies — Checklist

The phone call comes, and suddenly you need to make decisions that carry real consequences — financial, legal, ceremonial. Military families face a unique problem: the standard funeral planning process runs parallel to an entirely separate federal administrative pipeline, and missing a step in either one can cost thousands of dollars or forfeit honors your loved one earned.

This checklist covers the critical actions in sequence, from the first hours through the weeks that follow.

The First 24 Hours

Get the legal pronouncement of death. A physician, coroner, or hospice nurse must establish the official date, time, and cause. Every federal agency — DFAS, the VA, SSA — requires this before processing anything.

Locate the DD Form 214. This is the primary document used to verify military honors, national cemetery eligibility, and burial allowances. Check the veteran's personal files, a fireproof safe, or the county recorder's office where they may have filed it after discharge.

If the DD-214 is missing, start an emergency records request immediately. You have two routes:

• National cemetery burial: Call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117. The NCSO can pull records directly from the National Personnel Records Center without a separate family application.
• Private cemetery burial: Submit Standard Form 180 to the NPRC. Use the eVetRecs portal and select "Emergency Request," or fax directly to 314-801-0764.

Notify DFAS if the veteran was receiving retired pay. Call 1-800-321-1080. Military retired pay stops on the exact date of death — not at the end of the month. Any deposits after that date get clawed back from the bank account automatically. Prompt notification prevents overpayment debts that the surviving spouse becomes legally responsible for.

Days 1 Through 3

Notify the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 to stop civilian benefits and begin survivor benefit transitions.

Contact the VA at 1-800-827-1000 to halt disability compensation or pension payments, and to start the burial benefit application process.

Choose a funeral home and tell them you want military funeral honors. The funeral director handles the honors coordination request — they submit the paperwork to the nearest military installation's casualty office. The general request lead time is at least 48 hours; the Air Force and Marine Corps request at least seven days' notice to guarantee a detail, with the Marine Corps requiring a 72-hour minimum processing window.

Order at least 10 certified death certificates. You'll need them for DFAS, the VA, SSA, life insurance, bank accounts, and the DD-214 records request. Ordering too few creates weeks of delay later.

The First Two Weeks

Apply for the burial flag. Complete VA Form 27-2008 and bring it with a copy of the DD-214 to any VA regional office or U.S. Post Office. The 5' x 9.5' interment flag is provided free of charge.

Request a headstone or marker. Submit VA Form 40-1330 for a government headstone, or VA Form 40-1330M for a bronze medallion if the grave already has a private stone. These are free for eligible veterans in any cemetery.

File for burial allowances. Use VA Form 21-530. For non-service-connected deaths, the VA pays up to $1,002 for burial and $1,002 for the plot (2025–2026 rates) — but generally requires filing within two years of burial, subject to the VA-care exception described below. Service-connected deaths qualify for up to $2,000 with no filing deadline.

Apply for the Presidential Memorial Certificate. Submit VA Form 40-0247 with the DD-214 and death certificate. Multiple family members can each request their own certificate.

Financial Deadlines That Cannot Slip

The two-year filing deadline for non-service-connected burial allowances is strict. The research identifies an exception when the veteran died while under active VA hospital or contracted care; otherwise, confirm eligibility and timing with VA or an accredited VSO.

For surviving spouses, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) provides tax-free monthly income starting at $1,699.36 (2026 E-1 through E-6 rate), with higher amounts for higher pay grades. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity is separate and requires its own paperwork through DFAS.

If the veteran accepted a government-provided commemorative urn or plaque from the VA, that permanently disqualifies them from burial in a national cemetery. This forfeiture is irreversible — confirm what was accepted before making cemetery decisions.

Planning the Service

National cemeteries typically schedule committal services within three business days of receiving eligibility documents. Arlington National Cemetery operates differently — wait times range from two weeks for casketed remains to seven or eight months for cremated remains with standard honors.

All national cemetery services are conducted in committal shelters (not at the actual gravesite) and limited to 20 minutes. Plan the religious readings and military honors sequence within that window.

The Military Funeral & Honors Guide walks through every step in this checklist with the exact scripts, forms, and coordination templates you need — from the emergency DD-214 request through the final flag presentation.