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The certificate most families never ask for
It is free, it comes automatically with an approved headstone claim, and you can request as many copies as you have people who would want one. Very few families know the second part.
A Presidential Memorial Certificate is an engraved certificate signed by the sitting president, honouring a veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. It is free. If the veteran is eligible for a headstone, marker, or medallion, one certificate is sent automatically with the approved claim unless you decline — and you can request extra copies on the same form.
The part families miss
Most people who receive one didn't know it was coming. It arrives with the headstone paperwork and it is often the thing that ends up framed on a wall while the rest of the file goes in a drawer.
What almost nobody realises is that you can ask for more than one. There is a block on VA Form 40-1330 where you write the number you want. One for each child, one for each grandchild, one for the veteran's old unit association — all free, all sent together.
If you are filling in that form right now, this is a thirty-second decision that a family will thank you for in twenty years. Count the people who would want one and write the number.
Who qualifies
Any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. That is a broader standard than people assume: honorable, general, and other-than-honorable discharges all qualify. Only a dishonorable discharge disqualifies.
There is no date limit. A veteran who died in 1971 is as eligible as one who died last month.
If you are not claiming a headstone
Plenty of families are in this position — the veteran has had a private stone for thirty years and nobody is filing anything with the VA. You can still request a certificate on its own.
You'll need proof of service and proof of death. The VA's National Cemetery Administration handles it, and the line for headstone and certificate questions is 800-697-6947.
What it looks like
An engraved paper certificate bearing the veteran's name and the signature of the current president. Which president signs depends on who is in office when it is issued, not when the veteran served or died — something worth knowing if a family has a preference, because requesting one later means a different signature.
Presidential Memorial Certificate policy follows National Cemetery Administration guidance. Requests are handled by the VA at no cost — no third-party service is needed. Questions: 800-697-6947.