$1,800 Toward the Funeral When the Estate Cannot Pay
CGS 27-118 pays $1,800 toward funeral services and merchandise, burial, cremation or disposition, and an obituary, for any veteran who dies leaving insufficient funds — as determined by the state veterans commissioner in consultation with the probate court. Members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit are included. The claim must be made within one year of death, or of the return of the remains.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
CGS 27-118 pays $1,800 toward funeral services and merchandise, burial, cremation or disposition, and an obituary, for any veteran who dies leaving insufficient funds — as determined by the state veterans commissioner in consultation with the probate court. Members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit are included. The claim must be made within one year of death, or of the return of the remains.
What it's worth: $1,800 toward the funeral, burial or cremation, and an obituary
- The amount is $1,800, under CGS 27-118 as amended by PA 22-34 s.3.
- It covers funeral services and merchandise, burial, cremation or disposition — and an obituary, which most burial benefits do not.
- It applies where the veteran dies leaving insufficient funds for funeral expenses, as determined by the state veterans commissioner in consultation with the probate court.
- Members of the Hmong Laotian Special Guerrilla Unit are included.
- The claim must be made WITHIN ONE YEAR of death, or of the return of the remains. That is the deadline families miss.
- This is separate from the social services funeral and burial allowance. Ask about both.
Who is entitled to it
- You are claiming on the veteran's behalf.
- The claim is made in Connecticut.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Claim within ONE YEAR of the death, or of the return of the remains. This is the condition that most often defeats an otherwise good claim.
- 2Apply to the state veterans department, not to social services — this is a different payment from the DSS allowance, with its own statute and agency.
- 3Expect the commissioner to consult the probate court on whether the estate had sufficient funds.
- 4Ask about the obituary. It is inside this payment and is usually paid for separately.
- 5Ask about the social services funeral and burial allowance as well. They are different benefits.
- Form
- Burial expense claim to the state veterans department
- File with
- Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · published policyConnecticut OLR 2022-R-0155 — veterans' burial benefits (CGS 27-118)
- operating · published policyConnecticut Department of Veterans Affairs
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