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burialstate

The County Burial Allowance — Up to $1,000, and Your County Sets the Figure

Indiana counties pay a burial allowance for a deceased Indiana-resident member of the armed forces. The statutory ceiling is up to $1,000, but the ACTUAL amount is set by county ordinance — Hamilton County publishes $500, which is itself the proof that the figure varies. Claims run through the County Veteran Service Officer to the board of commissioners. There is no disability requirement.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Indiana counties pay a burial allowance for a deceased Indiana-resident member of the armed forces. The statutory ceiling is up to $1,000, but the ACTUAL amount is set by county ordinance — Hamilton County publishes $500, which is itself the proof that the figure varies. Claims run through the County Veteran Service Officer to the board of commissioners. There is no disability requirement.

What it's worth: Up to $1,000 by statute — your county's ordinance sets the actual figure

  • The statutory ceiling is up to $1,000. The ACTUAL amount is set by COUNTY ORDINANCE and differs.
  • Hamilton County publishes $500. That is not the statewide figure — it is evidence that the figure varies, and the reason no statewide amount is asserted here.
  • The deceased must have been an Indiana-resident member of the armed forces.
  • There is no disability requirement.
  • Claims run through the County Veteran Service Officer to the board of commissioners.
  • The $1,000 ceiling comes from a statute mirror rather than an official page opened this session.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are claiming on the veteran's behalf.
  • The county is in Indiana.

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

  1. 1Contact the County Veteran Service Officer in the county where the veteran lived. They handle these and it costs nothing.
  2. 2Ask what YOUR county's ordinance sets the allowance at. It is not $1,000 everywhere and it is not $500 everywhere.
  3. 3Claim alongside the state cemetery burial if you are using it — they are separate benefits.
  4. 4There is no disability test, so do not rule the claim out on that ground.
Form
Claim through the County Veteran Service Officer
File with
Your County Veteran Service Officer
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Known gapThe $1,000 statutory ceiling comes from a statute mirror rather than an official page opened this session. The only county figure confirmed is Hamilton County's $500, which is cited as evidence of variation rather than as a general amount.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.