If someone has already died, you or the funeral director can call the VA National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY 711). If you’re planning ahead, you can ask VA to decide now whether you qualify for burial in a VA national cemetery. These are separate requests. Knowing which one to make can save your family a second application when time matters.
If you’re planning ahead
Start with the cemetery your family has in mind. For a VA national cemetery, use VA’s pre-need application instructions. For a state, territorial or tribal veterans cemetery, contact that cemetery directly about its own process. If you want a private cemetery, confirm arrangements with that cemetery separately.
For a VA national cemetery, you can apply online or send VA Form 40-10007 by mail or fax. A couple planning together needs a separate application for each person. A spouse, surviving spouse or certain dependent children may qualify based on the veteran’s service. Guard and Reserve cases can turn on details such as qualifying active service or retirement eligibility. Check the facts that apply to your family in VA’s burial eligibility rules.
Gather separation papers if you have them. VA can try to locate military records for a pre-need decision if you don’t have the DD214. Other supporting documents may still be required, especially for an adult dependent child or when someone signs for the applicant. If you want a copy for your own files, use our guide to requesting a DD214.
What to do with the decision letter
Keep the letter with the documents your family will use to make arrangements. Tell one person you trust where to find it. Write down your preferred cemetery and whether you prefer casket burial or cremation. A favorable decision answers the eligibility question in advance. Your family still has to schedule the burial, and the letter does not reserve a particular cemetery or gravesite. VA may review eligibility again if circumstances or the law have changed.
If a family member has died
Use VA’s burial scheduling checklist. With a favorable pre-need letter, you or the funeral director can call the scheduling office to begin. Without a letter, the checklist explains how to provide discharge papers and what details to have ready before the confirmation call. If the discharge papers are missing, call and ask for help now. VA says checking eligibility can take several days in that situation.
Before calling, write down the preferred cemetery, the type of burial and the next of kin’s contact information. If a spouse is already buried in a national cemetery, gather their full name and the cemetery section and site number if you have them. Ask what the office still needs and when you can treat the arrangements as confirmed. Share service records and identifying details only through the official channels on VA’s checklist.
If the immediate concern is paying the funeral bill
A cemetery eligibility letter does not settle the funeral home’s bill. Ask the funeral director for an itemized estimate before agreeing to services. If you paid expenses, keep the receipts and check VA’s separate burial allowance rules for who can claim, which costs may qualify and when to file. A family’s eligibility for a cemetery burial alone does not establish reimbursement.
FTVA checked the linked VA instructions on November 9, 2026. VA makes the eligibility and scheduling decisions.