Sponsors (2)
This bill expands and permanently preserves burial and memorial benefits for veterans and their families—reducing out‑of‑pocket costs and administrative uncertainty—while increasing long‑term federal costs, risking cemetery capacity strains, and limiting some individualized memorialization and future policy flexibility.
Surviving spouses and dependent children of eligible service members permanently retain eligibility for government-provided headstones, markers, and interment in national cemeteries, reducing uncertainty for families and VA administrators.
More veterans (including those discharged under conditions other than dishonorable who lack required active-duty time) and their spouses/dependents gain eligibility for VA plot/interment allowances and cemetery burial, expanding access to burial benefits.
Veterans' families receive a higher, CPI‑adjusted transportation allowance (about $745) and, for deaths in certain facilities, actual transport costs paid—reducing out‑of‑pocket funeral transport expenses.
Permanently extending and expanding burial benefits (headstones/interment eligibility, higher transportation allowances, broader eligibility) increases long‑term federal obligations and VA program expenditures, imposing higher costs on taxpayers and VA budgets.
Broader eligibility may increase demand for burial space at high‑demand national cemeteries, potentially causing longer waits or capacity strains for veterans seeking burial there.
At sites designated for group markers, individuals cannot receive new or replacement individual markers and the Secretary controls appearance, size, material, and inscription (with some preservation consultation), limiting families' ability to personalize memorials and potentially excluding some names from recognition.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Makes certain spouse/child burial benefits permanent, sets a $745 CPI‑indexed transportation allowance, authorizes group markers, and expands plot/interment eligibility.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Chris Pappas · Last progress December 17, 2025
Makes several permanent and new changes to veterans burial benefits. It removes expiration dates on certain spouse-and-child burial provisions, creates a higher, inflation-indexed transportation allowance for moving veterans' remains to veterans’ cemeteries, authorizes VA to pay certain excess transportation costs, allows the VA to furnish group headstones/markers for gravesites containing multiple eligible remains, and expands who may receive VA plot/interment allowances to include some veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable who lack the minimum active-duty service.