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Tom Morris
Tom Morris is president of Downing & Lahey Mortuaries and Crematorium. He joined the family business as a funeral director and embalmer in 1986-the fourth generation to do so. There are two Downing & Lahey locations in Wichita-one on the east side at 6555 E. Central, and another on the west side at 10515 W. Maple. Tom can be reached at his office at (316) 682-4553, by fax at (316) 685-8624, or by e-mail at info@downingandlahey.com. You can also visit Downing & Lahey on the Internet at www.downingandlahey.com
Final Arrangements
2001-10-01 17:43:00
Benefits for veterans
Answer: The Veterans Benefits Administration (VA, for short) will pay a burial allowance of up to $1,500 if a veteran's death is service-connected. In some instances, the VA will also pay the cost of transporting the remains of a service-disabled veteran to the national cemetery nearest the home of the deceased that has available gravesites.The VA will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for veterans who, at the time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation, or would have been entitled to compensation but for receipt of military retirement pay. Eligibility also may be established when death occurs in a VA facility, a nursing home under VA contract, or a state nursing home. Additional costs of transportation of the remains may be paid.The VA will pay a $150 plot allowance when a veteran is not buried in a cemetery that is under U.S. government jurisdiction under the following circumstances: the veteran was discharged from active duty because of a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty; the veteran was in receipt of compensation or pension, or would have been except for receiving military retired pay; or the veteran died in a VA facility.Only a small percentage of veterans will qualify for any monetary payment from the VA after the time of death.  But most veterans are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. The guidelines state that veterans and members of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard) who are discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. In most cases, this eligibility also extends to the spouse and minor children of the veteran or member of the Armed Forces.This burial benefit makes available a gravesite in any of the 119 national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone or marker, a grave liner for casketed remains, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family.In addition to the burial of casketed remains, most national cemeteries also have space available for the burial of cremated remains.Gravesites in the VA national cemeteries cannot be reserved in advance. But families are encouraged to prepare in advance by discussing cemetery options and collecting the veteran's military information, including discharge papers. I cannot stress enough the importance of having easy access to military discharge papers (most commonly, the DD214 report) at the time of death. It would be a good idea to keep a copy of this information in a safe place other than a safety deposit box, which can be hard to access on weekends. As always, the best way to make sure your wishes are carried out is to put them in writing and to discuss them with the family members who will be left to take care of your final arrangements. Also, if you make pre-arrangements with a funeral home, give them a copy of the discharge papers for their files.A lot of the information contained in this article was taken directly from the Veterans Administration Web site, which can be found at http://www.va.gov/. You can also call their assistance center at 1 (800) 827-1000 to request additional information, and also to obtain military records.
 
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