National Personnel Records Center

NPRC Funeral Home Director Information Page

This is a reminder of the current procedures when dealing with the burial of a military veteran or retiree.  Additionally, direct links to burial information on the Department of Veterans Affairs web site are provided.  

NOTE: Do NOT submit a request to both the National Cemetery Scheduling Office and NPRC – that will slow things down since the record(s) cannot be in two places at once.

MOST IMPORTANT – TO SCHEDULE A BURIAL IN A FEDERAL CEMETERY:
http://www.cem.va.gov/burial_benefits/need.asp

If the veteran/retiree will be buried in a Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery (Federal Cemetery), make contact with the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (NCSO) (link shown above) first.  If you do not have military discharge document (DD Form 214 or equivalent) available, you should still contact the NCSO first.  The NCSO will obtain missing documentation from NPRC, if needed.  Do NOT submit a request to both the National Cemetery Scheduling Office and NPRC

If the veteran/retiree will NOT be buried in a Federal Cemetery and the family needs documentation for proof of military service (Separation Document) (DD Form 214 or its earlier versions or equivalent), then submit Standard Form 180, with proof of death, to NPRC.  Only request the Separation Document – requesting any other documents or services may slow down the response.  The following are acceptable forms of proof of death:

  • Death certificate
  • Newspaper article (obituary) or death notice
  • Coroner's report of death
  • Funeral director's signed statement of death
  • Verdict of coroner's jury
     

MILITARY FUNERAL HONORS: 

As of Jan.1, 2000 all eligible veterans, including retirees, are entitled to military funeral honors.  Information on how to obtain military funeral honors and related information can be found at the following links:  

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/leaders-service-providers/casualty-assistance/military-funeral-honors  (Family Members)

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/leaders-service-providers/casualty-assistance/funeral-directory-and-planner-resources (Funeral Directors)

or call toll free 1-800-342-9647.

 

"EMERGENCY" REQUESTS

If your request is urgent (e.g. funeral)  please provide this information in the "Purpose" section of the Standard Form 180 and fax it to our Customer Service Team at (314) 801-0764.

Please contact our customer service staff at (314) 801-0800 if you have questions. Due to the large number of calls we receive at this number, hold times are often long. However, once you reach a technician they will be happy to assist you with emergency service.

Snippet

Department of Veterans Affairs Web sites which explain Burial Benefits:

http://www.cem.va.gov/  (Main Page)

http://www.cem.va.gov/burial_benefits/index.asp  (Burial Benefits)

http://www.cem.va.gov/hmm/index.asp  (Headstones & Markers)

http://www.cem.va.gov/pmc.asp  (Presidential Memorial Certificates)

http://www.cem.va.gov/burial_benefits/burial_flags.asp
(Burial Flag – eligibility and link to form for flag application)

We hope this information is useful and will assist you with the final care of military veterans and retirees.

Download the most current version of Standard Form 180
(We do not recommend printing hundreds of copies since the form is periodically updated.)

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