Burial insurance or funeral insurance is a form of life insurance policy that usually covers people until they reach 100 years old. Burial insurance is a way to pay in advance for your funeral expenses so that your loved ones won't have to pay for your funeral.
Protect your family and let them mourn peacefully in their time of sorrow. By making arrangements to cover the expenses of unfortunate loss. Some of the expenses covered can be the casket, cremation, embalming, grave marker, flowers, funeral vehicles, and the cemetery plot.
Any monies left over after having this services paid for can then be used for any other expenses or debts that the deceased may have left behind like credit cards, mortgage, legal fees or doctor bills.
Other Helpful Resources for Burial and Burial Insurance
List of Department of Insurances by State
Find resources by each state, see tips and resources by each state and learn more about your rights, how to find the right insurance company and how to research licenses and file a complaint.
NAIC National Association of Insurance Commisions
The mission of the NAIC is to assist state insurance regulators, individually and collectively, in serving the public interest and achieving the following fundamental insurance regulatory goals in a responsive, efficient and cost effective manner.
Department of Veterans Administration
Burial Benefits Available from the National Cemetery Administration
Requests for burial in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemetery cannot be made via the Internet. The VA does not make funeral arrangements or perform cremations. Families should make these arrangements with a funeral provider or cremation office. Any item or service obtained from a funeral home or cremation office will be at the families expense.
For Burial in a National Cemetery Burial benefits available include a gravesite in any of our 131 national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some Veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains. Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the Veteran, perpetual care, and the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death will be inscribed on the Veteran's headstone, at no cost to the family. Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried, even if they predecease the Veteran.
For Burial in a Private Cemetery Burial benefits available for Veterans buried in a private cemetery include a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some Veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances. There are not any benefits available to spouses and dependents buried in a private cemetery. Check Eligibility
Burial in a Private Cemetery
You may want to ask the following questions when preparing for burial in a private cemetery:
When responding to an offer of a "free" gravesite for Veterans, ask if there is a requirement to purchase an additional gravesite.
If an additional gravesite is required, where will it be located and what is the cost?
What type of trust fund does the cemetery have to protect buyers?
Ask if there are restrictions on the type of headstone or marker that can be used to mark the grave.
Does the cemetery require a special marker base to be purchased prior to ordering a free government marker for a Veteran's grave?
Is there an additional cost for the placement, setting or care of a free government headstone or marker? Is it more than if a private headstone or marker is purchased?
Is an outside container (usually called a "vault" or "grave liner") required and how much does it cost?
Know what you are receiving and what is required by the company and have them put it in writing prior to burial.
Only an eligible Veteran may receive a Government-furnished headstone or marker for placement in a private cemetery. Veteran’s spouses and dependent children are not eligible.
Cemeteries
Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries - The VA's National Cemetery Administration maintains 131 national cemeteries in 39 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as 33 soldier's lots and monument sites.
VA National Cemeteries - A listing of VA national cemeteries, soldier's lots and monument sites
State Veterans Cemeteries- Many states have established state veterans cemeteries. Included is a listing of these state veterans cemeteries.
Department of the Army National Cemeteries - The Department of the Army maintains two national cemeteries, the Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National Cemetery.
United States Soldiers' & Airmen's Home National Cemetery
21 Harewood Road, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 829-1829
American Battle Monuments Commission Cemeteries - The ABMC commemorative mission is reflected in 24 overseas military cemeteries that serve as resting places for almost 125,000 American war dead; on Tablets of the Missing that memorialize more than 94,000 U.S. servicemen and women; and through 25 memorials, monuments and markers.
