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Is the veteran eligible for a free VA headstone?

The VA furnishes a headstone, marker, or bronze medallion at no cost for eligible veterans, anywhere in the world, regardless of when they died. Six questions will tell you where you stand.

What decides eligibility

Four things, and they interact in ways that aren't obvious from reading the form: how the veteran was discharged, how long they served and when, the date of death, and whether the grave already has a stone on it.

The last two are where families get a wrong answer.

The November 1990 line

It is a hard rule and the VA has no authority to set it aside. The same veteran, buried a few years later, would qualify. Families find this difficult to accept, and understandably so.

But before you accept it, check what "marked" means. It is narrower than it sounds.

What counts as an unmarked grave

• For service during or after World War I, a grave counts as marked if the stone shows the name together with a date of birth and/or death — even with no military detail on it at all.
• For service before World War I, a grave counts as marked if the stone shows the name only, or if the name was recorded in a burial ledger against a numbered grave block.
• A stone that is broken, illegible, or carries no readable name may leave the grave legitimately unmarked.

Go and look at the stone. Photograph it. If nothing is legible, that changes the answer.

Service length, and why "probably not" is worth filing anyway

Service that began after September 7, 1980 for enlisted members, or after October 16, 1981 for officers, generally requires 24 consecutive months of active duty or completion of the full period the veteran was ordered to serve. Earlier service carries no minimum at all.

The exceptions are broad, and this is the single most common place families talk themselves out of a valid claim. Death on active duty counts. Discharge for a service-connected disability counts. Completing whatever period the veteran was actually called up for counts, even when that was under two years.

The VA makes the determination, not you, and a denied claim costs nothing. File it.

Who is barred

Two exclusions, and both are absolute. A discharge under dishonorable conditions disqualifies by statute, and the VA has no discretion to waive it. Honorable, general, and other-than-honorable discharges all qualify.

The second is narrower and rarely applies: federal law also bars a person convicted of a federal or state capital crime and sentenced to death or life imprisonment, a person found by clear and convincing evidence to have committed such a crime but unavailable for trial, and a person convicted of a serious sex offence requiring lifetime registration.

The paperwork, briefly

Missing the cemetery's signature is the most common reason a claim stalls. And if you can't find the DD-214, file anyway — the VA will attempt to obtain the records it needs.

An approved claim also brings a Presidential Memorial Certificate automatically, and you can ask for extra copies at no cost.

Every possible outcome, written out

The checker above walks you to one of these. They are all here in full, so you can read them without answering anything.

The grave is unmarked

The clearest case in the whole program. For a veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, with an unmarked grave, the VA furnishes a headstone or marker regardless of the date of death and regardless of where in the world the grave is.

You choose the type and the inscription. Upright headstones come in granite or marble; flat markers in granite, marble, or bronze. Name, branch of service, and years of birth and death are required and included. Rank, war service, decorations, and a religious emblem are optional additions at no extra cost. A Presidential Memorial Certificate follows automatically.

A private headstone is already there, and the veteran died on or after November 1, 1990

Eligible, and you have a choice to make. The VA can furnish a marker even though a private stone is already on the grave. You get one option or the other, never both.

A full headstone or marker stands free beside the existing stone. It needs its own space in the plot and its own foundation.

A bronze medallion attaches to the stone that is already there, for veterans who served on or after April 6, 1917. It comes in three sizes, with a separate Medal of Honor medallion in two. The VA mails it with a fixing kit, so there is no foundation and no crew. Confirm the cemetery permits medallions on existing stones — some do not.

In practice: the medallion if the family likes the existing stone or the plot is tight, the headstone if the grave deserves a fuller military inscription. Medallions use VA Form 40-1330M, a different form from the headstone claim.

A private headstone is already there, and the veteran died before November 1, 1990

Not eligible, and this is the hardest rule in the program to accept. For a death before that date the law allows a government marker only for an unmarked grave. The VA cannot waive it.

Before you accept the answer, verify what "marked" means — the definition is narrower than it sounds, and it is set out above. If the existing stone is broken, illegible, or shows no readable name, the grave may legitimately be unmarked, and the answer changes.

The remains were never recovered, buried at sea, scattered, or donated to science

Eligible for a memorial headstone or marker, inscribed In Memory Of as the first line. The same range of upright and flat markers applies. Two conditions: the VA issues it only after the disposition of the remains, and it must be set in an established cemetery rather than kept by the family. National cemeteries have memorial sections, and there is no cost for the plot or the setting there.

Cremated remains in a columbarium niche

Eligible for a bronze niche marker sized to the niche front. Cremation does not reduce eligibility in any way. Get the columbarium's required dimensions in writing before you file — they vary, and a marker in the wrong size will be rejected.

National Guard or Reserve service

More generous than most families assume. A Reservist entitled to retirement pay at the time of death qualifies — or one who would have been entitled had they reached age 60. So does a Reservist called to active duty for a purpose other than training, and a Guard member who served in a federal status for the full period called up.

Service consisting only of active duty for training generally does not qualify, with one exception that matters: if the veteran died during the training or as a result of it, they are eligible. That covers training accidents, illness contracted on duty, and injuries that proved fatal later. Twenty years of service with entitlement to retired pay is established by the Reserve Retirement Eligibility Benefits Letter.

Under 24 months of service

Probably not eligible on the face of it — but this is where families most often talk themselves out of a valid claim. Early discharge for a service-connected disability counts. A hardship discharge can count. Completing whatever period the veteran was actually ordered to serve counts, even when that was under two years. File the claim and let the VA decide.

A spouse or dependent child

Only an eligible veteran can receive a government headstone or marker for placement in a private cemetery. Spouses and dependent children are not eligible there. They are eligible when buried or memorialized in a national cemetery, a VA grant-funded state, territory or tribal cemetery, or a military post or base cemetery — and in those cemeteries the cemetery office files the paperwork and sets the stone at no cost.

But there is a route in a private cemetery that most families are never told about, and it has a date rule of its own.

Two practical points. The inscription is requested in block 18 of Form 40-1330, at the time you order the headstone — not added later as an afterthought. And if a veteran who died on or after October 1, 2019 already has a government headstone, the VA will pay for a replacement stone carrying the new inscription, though the family pays the cost of removing the original and setting the replacement.

The veteran has not died yet

Eligibility cannot be claimed in advance and Form 40-1330 cannot be filed early. What you can do now is make the later claim easy: get a certified copy of the DD-214 and store it with the will, write down the exact inscription the veteran wants including name spelling and any religious emblem, and ask the cemetery for its headstone regulations in writing. The delay families run into is almost never the engraving — it is locating the discharge papers. A separate pre-need eligibility determination for burial is available on Form 40-10007 and is covered on our pre-need page.

Common questions

Does the VA provide a free headstone for veterans buried in private cemeteries?

Yes. The VA furnishes a headstone or marker at no cost for eligible veterans anywhere in the world, including private and local government cemeteries. It does not pay for the foundation, setting fee, or cemetery permit at a private cemetery.

Why does November 1, 1990 matter for VA headstone eligibility?

For veterans who died on or after that date, the VA can furnish a marker whether or not the grave already has a privately purchased headstone. For veterans who died before it, the VA may only furnish a marker for an unmarked grave.

Can a veteran receive both a VA headstone and a medallion?

No. An eligible veteran may receive a government headstone or marker, or a bronze medallion affixed to an existing private headstone, but not both. Headstones use VA Form 40-1330 and medallions use VA Form 40-1330M.

Can a spouse's name be added to the veteran's headstone in a private cemetery?

Yes, if the spouse or dependent child would be eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery, even if they are not buried there. If the veteran died on or after October 1, 2019, the VA inscribes the name, both dates, and a term of endearment on request. If the veteran died before that date, the VA inscribes the name only, after "Husband of," "Wife of," or "Spouse of," with no dates. Request it in block 18 when you order the headstone.

How much active duty service is required for a VA headstone?

Service beginning after September 7, 1980 as an enlisted member, or after October 16, 1981 as an officer, generally requires 24 consecutive months of active duty or completion of the full period ordered. Earlier service carries no minimum. Exceptions include death on active duty and discharge for a service-connected disability.

Does a dishonorable discharge disqualify a veteran from a VA headstone?

Yes. A discharge under dishonorable conditions disqualifies by statute and the VA cannot waive it. Honorable, general, and other-than-honorable discharges all qualify.

This tool follows the eligibility rules published on VA Form 40-1330 and in National Cemetery Administration guidance. It is not an official determination — only the VA can decide a claim. Questions: 800-697-6947.