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About Stone & Marker
Most families order a headstone once. The industry knows that, and prices, paperwork and cemetery rules are all easier to navigate when somebody explains them before you sign anything.
What this site is
An independent reference for headstones, grave markers and the memorial benefits available to American veterans and their families. It covers what things cost, what the government provides free, which form does what, and the cemetery rules that decide more than most families realise.
It exists because that information is scattered across federal publications, regulations, cemetery fee schedules and industry pricing pages, and nobody had put it in one place in plain English.
What we do not do
- We do not sell headstones or markers.
- We do not take payment from monument dealers or funeral homes.
- We do not collect your details or pass them to anyone. There is no contact form on this site for a reason.
- We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and we cannot decide a claim. Only the VA can.
How the site is funded is set out in full on the disclosure page.
Where the facts come from
| Veterans' benefits | VA and National Cemetery Administration publications, VA forms and their instruction sheets, and 38 CFR. |
|---|---|
| Service records | National Archives and National Personnel Records Center procedures. |
| Cleaning and conservation | NCA protocol and research from the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. |
| Costs | Published cemetery fee schedules, monument dealer pricing and industry guides, stated as 2026 ranges rather than quotes. |
Where a figure is set by law and changes over time, we say so and point you to the VA rather than asking you to rely on a number here.
The tools
Three of the pages here are interactive rather than articles:
- The eligibility checker walks the actual rules, including the 1 November 1990 provision and the Guard and Reserve conditions that most summaries skip.
- The cost estimator itemises what setting a marker costs, by type and region.
- The pre-need checklist tracks what to settle while there is no time pressure.
All three run entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Corrections
This site gives guidance to families making a permanent decision, often in the worst week of their lives. Accuracy is not a nice-to-have.
If you find an error — a rule we have stated wrongly, a figure that has moved, a form number that has changed — write to corrections@stoneandmarker.com. We would rather be corrected than be wrong.
Contact
We do not offer individual advice on a particular grave, because we are not qualified to and the VA is. For a claim, an eligibility question or the status of an application, call the VA's Applicant Assistance Unit at 800-697-6947, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
For anything about this site itself: hello@stoneandmarker.com.