Burial Benefits for Veterans Service Officers (VSO)
There are several burial (and death benefits) for military veterans, retirees, and certain relatives. Most of these are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (previously called Veterans Administration or VA). That agency has a comprehensive list on their web site.
The National Cemetery Scheduling Office is the point of contact for burials. That office will obtain proper documentation from NPRC for burials in National Cemeteries.
See: http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/burial_benefits/need.asp
The above information should be shared with funeral homes.
If the Next-of-Kin (NOK) needs documentation of military service for a burial AND DOES NOT plan on using the National Cemetery Scheduling Office, a request for a Separation Document (DD Form 214 or equivalent) should be submitted.
If your request is urgent (e.g. upcoming surgery, funeral, etc.) please provide this information in the "Comments" section of eVetrecs or in the "Purpose" section of the SF-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.
If your burial request involves internment at a Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery, contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at (800) 535-1117 or visit their website http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/burial_benefits/. We work directly with the Veterans Affairs staff to obtain records to verify service for burial benefits. If the veteran is not going to be interned at a National Cemetery, the requester may fax the SF-180 or signature page from eVetRecs (including signature of the next of kin and proof of death) to the Customer Service Team at (314) 801-0764. If your request involves the burial of a Marine Corps veteran, you may also contact the USMC Liaison Officer at (314) 538-2344.
NOTE: The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center damaged or destroyed 16-18 million Army and Air Force records that documented the service history of former military personnel discharged from 1912-1964. Although the information in many of these primary source records was either badly damaged or completely destroyed, often alternate record sources can be used to reconstruct the service of the veterans impacted by the fire. Sometimes we are able to reconstruct the service promptly using alternate records that are in our holdings, but other times we must request information from other external agencies for use in records reconstruction. In some instances, therefore, requests that involve reconstruction efforts may take longer to complete.
Back to NPRC Veterans Service Officer (VSO) Information Page