Many Veterans desire to have their final resting place be within a VA National Cemetery.
Upon the Veteran’s passing, often the family has difficulty locating the necessary military documents of the deceased veteran.
These documents are critical to proving the Veteran is eligible for burial in a State or national veterans cemetery.
In addition to not being able to locate the documents in a timely fashion, there may be delays in processing which have been known to take up to 8 months.
Recently, the VA has instituted the use of a new form about which many Veterans are not aware. The VA Form 40-10007, Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a National VA Cemetery, is available for Veterans to become pre-authorized for such eligibility. A fillable form can be found on the VA website at www.va.gov . It can be printed out and mailed or faxed. After it is processed the VA will send an eligibility certification for internment on VA letterhead. Families will pass on this letter of authorization when they are planning the Veteran’s services.
One only completes this form if the Veteran is applying for a determination of eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery prior to his/her death. If the Veteran has already passed away, do not use this form. Instead, families should contact a local funeral home or the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-800-535-1117 to expedite processing.
