Does a veteran with a 1947 "undesirable" discharge qualify for any VA benefits? Specifically, can they be buried in a national cemetery?

My understanding is that as long as a veteran's discharge was anything OTHER THAN "dishonorable," the veteran is entitled to VA funeral and burial benefits. BTW, so is his/her spouse and dependent children. The staff at the National Cemeteries can confirm this. You should know that any any funeral expenses incurred BEFORE THE BODY ARRIVES AT THE GATE OF THE CEMETERY are not covered. That would include removal of the body, storage in climate-controlled facility while death certificate is processed (often mandatory by law), embalming, cremation, cost of casket or urn, any costs associated with a memorial service or funeral, transport to the cemetery, etc. etc. Most good funeral service professionals can help you sort out what is covered and not covered by the V.A. Hope this is helpful. Blessings to you.

One other important note to the above ... the veteran must apply for this benefit of internment at a National Cemetery before the veteran passes away. VA benefits are not paid out to deceased non-active veterans. The VA will also require that you make all funeral arrangements prior to approval of an application for internment and will be verified by the VA.

My father of 87 years, honorably discharged in 1945, who will be interned at the Gerald B.H. Solomon National Cemetery in Saratoga, NY, was under the impression at first "Oh you can take care of all that after I'm gone" which, as his POA, health care proxy and executor, found out is not true. Applications for benefits must be made while the veteran is still living.

as far as i know, we didn't complete any application. my dad died and the mortuary did all the work and dad got his military benefits. guess i better check up on that since mom has AD and can also be buried in the nat'l cemetery with dad. ugh. more work.

Children should question where the proof of military service is, NEVER send the original proof to the VA, it may never be seen again.
Request from the National Archives a 'certified' copy of the Military service and keep it in a safe place, to save a a lot of drama and trauma later.
Unless the death is service Connected expect only about $300. from the VA
google up 'Bugles across America", for TAPS.

Undesirable, bad conduct, and any other type of discharge other than honorable may or may not qualify the individual for Veterans benefits, depending upon a determination made by a VA Regional Office.

Sorry I clicked before I could finish post. This is from the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs concerning burial in a National cemetery.

My husband said there was a fire that destroyed some military records. We are trying to get coyies of his discharge papers. What happens if his was in the ones destroyed? Do they/we have other ways to find this information?

requesting your military records, including your DD214.

AnchorHouse, your father may or may not be eligible for burial, you can apply and hope. I imagine it will likely depend on the conditions under which he was discharged. At least he was not discharged dishonorably which would out right disqualify him.

If he appeals his discharge, to a general or honorable, then he would qualify for any and all benefits do any other veteran. He must appeal to the branch of service he was in.

^that's true^ if his appeal is not denied.

Again, as I stated in the first post, "... Most good funeral service professionals can help you sort out what is covered and not covered by the V.A. ..." Also, they can help you replace papers. Check your local yellow pages for Funeral Service Providers and notice which ones make a point of stating they honor veterans. These are the ones who would be most knowledgeable and helpful about veterans benefits. If you ask them for help with that, you are not obligated to use them as your provider when you need funeral services. You can still do "consumer research" and decide which provider you want to use, but in the meantime the provider that is going after the "veterans market" will be very helpful. Blessings to all, especially to the one who said "we don't want undesirables resting among us." You need the blessing most of all. I hope you learn some compassion, acceptance, and tolerance before you die, since I assume you are NOT the first perfect person who has walked the earth in over 2000 years. If you were, I'm sure we would have all heard about you before now. ;)

yes, what nick said was cruel and unnecessary, i didn't touch it because the things i would have said would have gotten me kicked out of here.

nick, you have no idea why the man has an undesirable discharge so it's best to keep your mouth shut. for all you know it could have been PTSD. back then he would have been put out of the military for it as PTSD was unheard of. the fact that it was not a bad conduct or dishonorable is your first clue that whatever it was, was likely to be a small thing. as a veteran in the VA system i know to listen and learn before i speak, and i try really hard not to make a judgement on a fellow veteran. try that.

go to va.gov

at the top you will see VETERANS SERVICES. hover over it and it brings up a multitude of links. under Burials and Memorials,

click on Burials.

this page will give you a lot of information, everything in BLUE is a link to more information.

peakat66: if you click on the link that says "discharge papers", you will find out how to get your father's DD214 and other military records.



AnchorHouse: go to va.gov

at the top you will see VETERANS SERVICES. hover over it and it brings up a multitude of links. under Burials and Memorials,

click on Cemetery Services.

under Burial and Memorial Benefits,

click on "Eligibility For Benefits"

this page will give you the information you want. a. 2 is the most pertinent paragraph for you, and it seems encouraging. if i were you i would go ahead and apply to your local VA Regional Office.

" (2) Any Veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. With certain exceptions, service beginning after September 7, 1980, as an enlisted person, and service after October 16, 1981, as an officer, must be for a minimum of 24 continuous months or the full period for which the person was called to active duty (as in the case of a Reservist called to active duty for a limited duration). Undesirable, bad conduct, and any other type of discharge other than honorable may or may not qualify the individual for Veterans benefits, depending upon a determination made by a VA Regional Office. Cases presenting multiple discharges of varying character are also referred for adjudication to a VA Regional Office."

"undesirable discharge" Defined ...

"Undesirable discharge refers to an administrative discharge under "conditions other than honorable.” It is generally given to a member of the military who does not qualify for an honorable discharge. An undesirable discharge does not involve punishment. It reflects only that the military has found the particular individual unfit or unsuitable for further service. No criminal charges are brought and no further sanction, such as fine or imprisonment, is imposed for the conduct which forms the basis for the undesirable discharge."

So, maybe the guy had a hard time carrying his rifle? Big deal. He is still a veteran and deserves just respect. We are not all born to be heroes.

BURIAL ALLOWANCES

go to va.gov

at the top you will see VETERANS SERVICES. hover over it and it brings up a multitude of links. under Burials and Memorials,

click on Burials.

on the right side of the page you will see a list of IMPORTANT LINKS.

click on the PDF for BURIAL ALLOWANCE BENEFITS.



Department of Veterans
Burial and Plot-Interment Allowances

What Are VA Burial Allowances?
VA burial allowances are partial reimbursements of an eligible Veteran's burial and funeral costs. When
the cause of death is not service related, the reimbursements are generally described as two payments:
(1) a burial and funeral expense allowance, and (2) a plot or interment allowance.

Who Is Eligible?
You may be eligible for a VA burial allowance if:
 you paid for a Veteran's burial or funeral, AND
 you have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some other source, such as the
deceased veteran's employer, AND
 the Veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met:
 the Veteran died because of a service-related disability, OR
 the Veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation at the time of death, OR
 the Veteran was entitled to receive VA pension or compensation, but decided not to reduce his/her
military retirement or disability pay, OR
 the Veteran died while hospitalized by VA, or while receiving care under VA contract at a non-VA
facility, OR
 the Veteran died while traveling under proper authorization and at VA expense to or from a specified
place for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care, OR
 the Veteran had an original or reopened claim pending at the time of death and has been found
entitled to compensation or pension from a date prior to the date or death, OR
 the veteran died on or after October 9, 1996, while a patient at a VA-approved state nursing home.

How Much Does VA Pay?

Service-Related Death. VA will pay up to $2,000 toward burial expenses for deaths on or after
September 11, 2001. VA will pay up to $1,500 for deaths prior to September 10, 2001. If the Veteran is
buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the cost of transporting the deceased may be reimbursed.

Non-service-Related Death. For deaths on or after October 1, 2011, VA will pay up to $700 toward
burial and funeral expenses (if hospitalized by VA at time of death), or $300 toward burial and funeral
expenses (if not hospitalized by VA at time of death), and a $700.00 plot-interment allowance (if not
buried in a national cemetery). For deaths on or after December 1, 2001, but before October 1, 2011, VA
will pay up to $300 toward burial and funeral expenses and a $300 plot-interment allowance. The plotinterment
allowance is $150 for deaths prior to December 1, 2001. If the death happened while the
Veteran was in a VA hospital or under VA contracted nursing home care, some or all of the costs for
transporting the Veteran’s remains may be reimbursed. An annual increase in burial and plot allowances,
for deaths occurring after October 1, 2011, begins in fiscal year 2013 based on the Consumer Price Index
for the preceding 12-month period.

How Can You Apply?

You can apply by filling out VA Form 21-530, Application for Burial Benefits. You should attach a copy of
the veteran’s military discharge document (DD 214 or equivalent), death certificate, funeral and burial
bills. They should show that you have paid them in full.

Thank You Pamela Sue!

And that should now bring us to close on this discussion! Meeting adjourned!

LOL! you are very welcome caregiverson! the second meeting is across the street at the brewery for a couple of well earned beers; caregivers UNITE!

Motion seconded. All those in favor say "aye". Motion passed ...

I'll race ya!

!BANG! *and they're OFF!*

when my father died the mortuary did all the leg work. we just provided the discharge papers. tell the mortuary you want to plan a funeral in advance...when they get you an answer double check to make sure it is accurate good luck

Ummm....My first guess is that he CAN NOT be buried at a National Cemetery.
Contact the VA and they will tell you what to do. When my husband died, the VA was very specific that he had an Honorable Discharge ( on the papers ).

Regardless Unless a veteran dies of service related injury, even if one gets an allowance it is only $300. Do not forget the family is responsible for transportation and body prep, for burial in National Cemetery, burial in a National Cemetery is often assumed to be 'free'

There is also a an option for a marker benefit.

In fact, burial in the cemetery IS free. What is not provided by the VA are other services that are needed before the remains arrive at the cemetery, e.g., removal of the body, storage in climate-controlled facility while death certificate is processed (usually several days), embalming (if chosen), cremation (if chosen), casket (if chosen), funeral/memorial service expenses, transportation of the casket/cremated remains, etc. What IS provided is the burial space for both the veteran and the spouse (even if the spouse pre-deceases the veteran, even if the veteran is buried in a private cemetery, the spouse can still be buried in a national cemetery if the spouse was married to the veteran when the veteran died), also the opening and closing of the burial space is provided (can be quite costly in a private cemetery), the marker for both the veteran and the spouse, and perpetual care. The burial and cemetery benefits provided for the veteran and the spouse are NOT all-inclusive by any means, but can be quite costly if purchased in the private market. Speak to a reputable funeral director about funeral and burial benefits for veterans, preferably one who does not sell cemetery burial rights, because these have no incentive to "forget" to tell you about all of your benefits.

if you look back you will see that we already settled the question with information from va.gov pages.

My father served un the vietnam war an was medically discharged aftet 90 days is there any benefits to help him with his ahlzheimer for home healt carw

go to VA.gov

I am not sure. Was he ever service connected for what he was medically discharged for? You will have better help if is was.