Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery — No-Cost Burial at Madison
Burial at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison carries no charge for opening and closing the plot, the outer burial container, the monument, or use of the chapel. It takes veterans separated under conditions other than dishonorable, Guard members and reservists who die while serving, and active duty line-of-duty deaths. Casket burial, in-ground cremation, a columbarium and a scatter garden are all available.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
Burial at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison carries no charge for opening and closing the plot, the outer burial container, the monument, or use of the chapel. It takes veterans separated under conditions other than dishonorable, Guard members and reservists who die while serving, and active duty line-of-duty deaths. Casket burial, in-ground cremation, a columbarium and a scatter garden are all available.
What it's worth: No charge for opening and closing, the outer burial container, the monument or the chapel
- There is NO charge for opening and closing the plot, the outer burial container, the monument, or use of the chapel. Those are the items that make a private burial expensive.
- The discharge test is wide: separated under conditions OTHER THAN DISHONORABLE.
- Guard members and reservists who die while serving are covered, as are active duty line-of-duty deaths.
- Options are casket burial, in-ground cremation, a columbarium and a scatter garden.
- The cemetery is at Madison, which is a real consideration for a family elsewhere in the state.
Who is entitled to it
- You are the veteran, or a family member arranging on their behalf.
- Separation was under conditions other than dishonorable.
- The cemetery 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
- 1Contact the cemetery at Madison, or have the funeral director do it. Funeral directors arrange these routinely.
- 2Take the discharge document. The test is separation under conditions other than dishonorable, which is wider than most benefits.
- 3Ask which option suits — casket burial, in-ground cremation, columbarium or scatter garden all exist and the costs differ outside the cemetery.
- 4Ask what the family still pays for. The plot, opening and closing, container, monument and chapel are free; the funeral itself is not.
- 5Ask about the county burial allowance separately — it is a different payment and can be claimed alongside.
- Form
- Arranged through the cemetery or a funeral director
- File with
- Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Madison
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · published policyIndiana Department of Veterans Affairs — Veterans Memorial Cemetery
- operating · published policyIndiana Department of Veterans Affairs
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.