Veteran Burial Guide
A plain-English breakdown of what VA burial benefits cover, what they do not, and exactly where the gaps sit.
Veterans and their families · Nationwide
Leave your family a plan.Not a bill.
Most veterans never find out which burial benefits they have earned. Their families find out later — with a funeral home already waiting to be paid. The Burial Benefit & Will Kit puts the whole picture in your hands: what you are owed, what you are not, your wishes in writing, and a way to cover the difference.
- No cost, no obligation
- About 20 minutes
- From home, anywhere in the U.S.
Alongside the organizations you already trust
We work with veterans through the organizations they already belong to — the VFW, the American Legion, and other veteran service organizations across the country.
What your burial benefits actually cover
Veterans are often told “the VA takes care of it.” Some of it, yes — and the parts it covers are genuinely worth having. The trouble is the other column, which is where nearly all of the money is.
Covered, at no cost to your family
- Burial in a VA national cemetery
- A headstone or grave marker
- A burial flag
- Presidential Memorial Certificate
- Perpetual care of the gravesite
- Military funeral honors
Not covered — your family pays
- Funeral home services
- The casket or urn
- Transportation of remains
- A private cemetery plot
This column is the funeral. It is due up front, usually within a few days, and it is the reason families end up borrowing.
The bill comes first. Everything else comes later.
Funeral homes are paid up front. Anything paid by reimbursement arrives after the fact. Whatever else is coming — a pension change, a policy from a former employer — lands weeks or months after somebody has already had to write the check.
$8,300
Median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial in the U.S.
$9,995
The same funeral once you add the burial vault most cemeteries require.
$6,280
Median cost of cremation with a viewing and a service.
Median figures from the National Funeral Directors Association 2023 General Price List Study. None of these include the cemetery plot, the interment fee, or the headstone — those are billed separately, and they are why families are regularly surprised by a five-figure total.
Everything in the kit
Seven pieces. The guides, the organizers and the will kit cost nothing and are yours to keep regardless of what you decide.
Legal Will Kit
A step-by-step will system with beneficiary designation tools, at no cost to you.
Will & Estate Organizer
Your executor information and funeral preferences in one place your family can actually find.
Family Information Sheet
Where your records live and who gets called first — the questions families scramble over at 2am.
VA Coverage Comparison Sheet
Line by line: what the VA pays for, and what falls to your family.
Freedom of Choice Certificate
Funeral payment assistance, so your family is not covering costs out of pocket up front.
Benefit Review Call
About twenty minutes with a specialist who walks you through all of it, by phone.
How we are different
Most agencies open with a product. We open with what you have already earned — because a good deal of it you should not have to buy twice.
01
We start with what you have earned
Before anything is sold, we go through the burial benefits you may be eligible for and what each one actually pays. It is always better to know that number now than to have your family discover it later.
02
We write your wishes down
Burial or cremation. Which cemetery. Who gets called first. Where the DD-214 is kept. Families argue about these things because nobody wrote them down. We document yours and you keep a copy.
03
We cover only what is left
Once you know the benefits and the real cost, the difference is a specific number. We show you the Freedom of Choice certificate and what it would do against that number. You decide from there.
How it works
Three steps. About twenty minutes.
From your own home, on whatever screen you already have. No home visit and no paperwork mailed back and forth.
1
Request the kit
Book a time or call us. We confirm your branch of service and set the appointment — and if you have a spouse or partner, we will ask that they sit in, because the review covers both of you.
2
We walk you through it on screen
A specialist shares their screen — from your own home, on a laptop, tablet or phone — and takes you through the burial guide and the coverage comparison, then documents your final wishes. You get a copy, and so does whoever you name.
3
You see the gap, and your options for it
If there is a shortfall between what is covered and what a funeral costs, we show you the Freedom of Choice certificate and exactly what it would and would not do. If the honest answer is that you do not need it, we will tell you that too.
Straight answers
Is this a VA program or a government benefit?
No. Siena Insurance Services is a private, licensed insurance agency. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the VA, the Department of Defense, or any government agency. We help you understand the benefits you may be eligible for — we do not administer them, and nothing we offer changes them.
Is the kit really at no cost?
The burial guide, the coverage comparison, the will kit, the estate organizer and the family information sheet cost nothing and are yours to keep — you receive them even if you do not qualify for coverage. The Freedom of Choice certificate is a separate insurance product with a premium. Your specialist will give you the exact figures before you decide anything, and you are free to take the kit and decline the rest.
What is the Freedom of Choice certificate?
It is the coverage option we present to help with funeral costs and other final expenses, so your family is not paying up front. Your specialist will walk you through the benefit amount, the premium, any waiting period, and the exclusions before you apply. The certificate itself governs all of those terms.
Am I too old, or too sick, to qualify for coverage?
Possibly not. Coverage of this kind is generally built for people who have a health history — that is largely the point of it. Eligibility and underwriting are set by the issuing insurance company, and your specialist will tell you where you stand before you apply rather than after.
Will my family get the money quickly?
Speed is the entire reason this exists — the funeral home asks to be paid long before anything paid by reimbursement arrives. Your specialist will confirm the claim process and timing in writing, so your family knows who to call and what to send.
I already have coverage. Do I need this?
Maybe not, and we will say so. But check two things first: whether a policy through a former employer actually followed you into retirement, and whether a term policy you bought years ago is close to expiring. Both quietly disappear at exactly the wrong time. Either way, the guides and the wishes record are still worth twenty minutes.
Do I have to be a member of a veteran organization?
No. We work alongside veteran service organizations, but the package is available to any veteran or surviving spouse who asks for it.
Is somebody going to keep calling me?
One specialist, one conversation. If it is not a fit, we close the file and you will not hear from us again. If you would rather not book online, the number at the top of this page reaches us directly.
No cost · No obligation
Claim your Burial Benefit & Will Kit.
Pick a time that works. A specialist calls you, walks you through the burial benefits you have earned, and writes your wishes down. If you decide that is all you need, that is a complete and acceptable outcome.
- About 20 minutes, from home, anywhere in the U.S.
- Guides, will kit and wishes record at no cost
- No home visit and no obligation to buy
- We never sell or share your information
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Build something of your own.
We are as committed to developing our agents as we are to serving the families who call us. Agents here build their own agency, create residual income, earn performance bonuses, and qualify for world-class incentive trips — inside a culture built on professional growth, teamwork, integrity, and doing right by the people we serve.
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- Performance bonuses
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- Training and mentorship
- A team that competes and wins