Recent News
VA Changes Casket/Urn Program for Unclaimed Veterans Remains
Published on August 25, 2023 on The Forum
The U.S. Veterans Administration has changed the financial criteria for the casket and urn program for unclaimed veterans.
The program will now provide a flat-rate allowance rather than a reimbursement. The change took place on July 31, 2023.
The program provides funds for the purchase of a casket or urn to use for the interment of the unclaimed remains of a deceased veteran in a VA or VA-funded state cemetery, such as the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown. The funds can also be used for interment in tribal veterans cemeteries.
The program aids qualified veterans organizations seeking to provide a dignified burial in approved cemeteries for deceased veterans who have no next of kin and insufficient funds to purchase a casket or urn.
The VA will now pay $1,199 for a casket or $138 for an urn to hold cremated remains. Also, the VA will no longer require that caskets have a gasketed seal as part of the required minimum specifications.
To process a request for allowance, Part I of the new VA Form 40-10088, called a Request for Casket/Urn Allowance, must be filled out. The form, which can be found at https://www.va.gov/vaforms/va/pdf/VA40-10088.pdf, must be brought to the cemetery on the day of interment. Prior to interment, a cemetery official must complete and sign Part II.
The form and any supporting documentation needed must then be submitted by fax to 314.416.6340 or mailed to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Attention: NCA Finance Services, P.O. Box 141, Triangle, VA 22172.
The VA will continue to accept the old version of Form 40-10088, but all requests made will now be processed as flat-rate allowances rather than reimbursements.