VA Loan Updates

Cindy Raybould knows all too well what it is like to have to maneuver through the difficult time of burying a spouse.

She also knows the difficult task of handling grief while maneuvering through the many obstacles the government has established to receive burial benefits for a veteran.

William Raybould, her husband, served for 23 years in the U.S. Army, so when he died he was eligible for burial in a national cemetery or to have some of his funeral expenses paid for in a private cemetery.

Raybould said the process of burying her own husband, and the education benefit she received following his death that allowed her to return to college and earn a master’s degree in social work, now allow her to take the hands of widows and help them through the process she is all too familiar with.

“I’m able to take the hands of those grieving widows” (or widowers) and guide them down that road, said the assistant veterans affairs officer for Aiken County.

In recent weeks, Raybould said she has been outraged to see some funeral homes advertising “special veterans packages” that enable people to pre-arrange their funerals.

These ads upset Raybould because she knows there is no way to apply for veterans benefits before the death of an eligible benefit recipient. “You can’t pre-register for anything, because you can’t apply for it until death,” she said.

Any veteran who was not dishonorably discharged from military service or who has not been convicted of a capital crime and received a death or life sentence is eligible for burial in a national or state cemetery with military honors, Raybould said. The 123 national cemeteries in America are run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to these cemeteries, eligible veterans can be buried in state cemeteries.

Raybould said South Carolina currently has national cemeteries in Beaufort and Florence. A new national cemetery is being prepared at Fort Jackson, which is located near Columbia.

Ray Visotski, owner of George Funeral Home, said he too has been surprised in recent months to see ads from competitors offering such “special packages.”

“It’s misleading in that they are offering benefits that are free to the veteran,” Visotski said. “It’s not a good thing. It doesn’t help veterans at all.”

Eddie Hatcher, owner of Hatcher Funeral Home, said such offers really don’t provide any extra benefits to veterans. Hatcher said all veterans who are eligible for benefits are treated alike when it comes to planning funerals. “It’s the same thing we do for everybody,” he said.

“If they qualify for a check each month (from the government as a result of service or service-related injury), there is a chance the VA will pay some burial expenses,” Hatcher said.

Visotski feels so strongly about offering educational opportunities about the benefits available to veterans that he has a six-minute video on his website explaining in detail the benefits veterans can receive. The video can be viewed on the Internet at www.southcarolinacremation.com, he said.

Hatcher said when he speaks with families planning a funeral in advance that he always encourages them to shop around, if they are uncomfortable with anything presented. “That’s the key, is to figure out something ahead of time,” Hatcher said.

One option offered by funeral homes is the pre-payment of final expenses. In these cases, the funeral home sets up an interest-bearing account that is paid into by the person planning the funeral. The funds deposited in such accounts pay for funeral costs.

Raybould, however, points out that the person paying into such accounts is responsible for paying taxes each year on the interest the accounts generate. “Pre-plan, but don’t pre-pay, it’s a rip-off,” she said.

“Upon the family’s request, Public Law 106-65 requires that every eligible veteran receive a military funeral honors ceremony, to include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of Taps,” according to VA rules.

Eligible veterans who served 20 or more years in the military are also eligible to have a 21-gun salute at their funeral, Raybould said.

Burial in a VA national cemetery is available to all eligible veterans, their spouses and dependents at no cost to the family and includes the grave site, grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker and perpetual care as part of the national shrine, according to VA rules.

“Veterans, active-duty members and retired reservists and National Guard members are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker to mark their grave at any cemetery; national, state veterans or private, delivered at no cost, anywhere in the world,” according to the rules. “Spouses and dependent children are eligible for a government headstone or marker only if they are buried in a national or state veterans cemetery.”

Family members of a veteran who died in a service-related way can receive a burial allowance of up to $2,000. There is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims in service-connected death cases.

A burial allowance of $300 is available for veterans, who, at the time of their death, were entitled to receive benefits. “In non service-connected death cases, claims must be filed within two years after burial or cremation,” according to VA rules.

The VA also offers a plot allowance of $300 for veterans to be buried in cemeteries other than those under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government.

Raybould said even those convicted of crimes, other than capital crimes, who are serving a sentence in prison are still eligible to receive benefits.

“It’s honoring your military service; it is not honoring you as an individual,” Raybould said.

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