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Burial in a State Veterans Cemetery — Five Sites, No Charge for the Veteran
A plot, a grave liner, a headstone and interment at no expense for an eligible veteran and their eligible dependants. Guard and reserve members and their dependants pay $1,002.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
A plot, a grave liner, a headstone and interment at no expense for an eligible veteran and their eligible dependants. Guard and reserve members and their dependants pay $1,002.
What it's worth: A plot, liner, headstone and interment at no expense — or $1,002 for a Guard or reserve interment
- For an eligible veteran and their eligible dependants the department states the plot, grave liner, headstone and interment services are provided at no expense.
- The $1,002 charge covers a casketed or cremated interment for a Guard or reserve member and their dependants, and includes the liner and perpetual care. The same figure applies to a disinterment or re-interment.
- The family or estate pays preparation and transportation of the remains in every case, except where the death occurred on active duty. A weight of roughly $4,000 stands for the plot, liner, marker and interment a family would otherwise buy commercially, not for a funeral in full.
Who is entitled to it
- You are the servicemember or veteran, or a spouse or dependent child.
- The character of service is other than dishonorable.
- Your home is in Maryland.
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
- 1Pick from the five: Cheltenham in Prince George’s County, Crownsville in Anne Arundel County, Eastern Shore in Dorchester County, Garrison Forest in Baltimore County, and Rocky Gap in Allegany County. All five are operational.
- 2Check the service test. A veteran qualifies where the discharge was not dishonorable, as does a servicemember who died on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty for training. Guard and reserve members must have completed their contractual obligation and been released under conditions other than dishonorable.
- 3Note who the residency test actually binds: two or more years of Maryland residency is stated for Guard and reserve members, evidenced by tax records, utility bills, a driving licence, voting records, twelve or more years of continuous school enrolment, or a letter from an elected official.
- 4Family eligibility runs to a legal spouse, minor children and, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. Bring a marriage licence or death certificate as proof of relationship.
- 5Use the Pre-Application Interment Planning form to settle eligibility in advance. Final approval still happens at the time of death, but the paperwork is far easier to gather now than then.
- 6At need, the funeral director contacts the chosen cemetery with the discharge documents to confirm eligibility and set a date. Where the $1,002 applies, it must be paid before interment by a single funeral home or mortuary business cheque, cashier’s cheque or money order.
- Form
- Pre-Application Interment Planning form, for an advance eligibility determination
- File with
- The state veterans cemetery you have chosen
- Documents you will need
- dd214 · marriage certificate · death certificate
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionThe $1,002 is not what a veteran pays. An eligible veteran and their eligible dependants are interred at no expense; the charge attaches to Guard and reserve members and their dependants.
Worth knowingThe $1,002 is not fixed. It adjusts every 1 October in line with the federal burial plot allowance, so a figure quoted in a plan written years ago will be wrong.
Worth knowingThe two-year residency requirement is stated for Guard and reserve members. A veteran who has recently moved should not assume it applies to them.
Known gapUnderlying eligibility follows the federal National Cemetery Administration criteria, which the department applies rather than restates. An unusual service record — a short enlistment, a reserve component question, merchant service — needs checking against those criteria directly before a family relies on a plan.
Sources
- authority · published policyDepartment of Veterans and Military Families — Veteran Cemetery Eligibility and Requirements
- operating · published policyDepartment of Veterans and Military Families — Burial Costs and Arrangements
- operating · published policyDepartment of Veterans and Military Families — Veteran Cemeteries
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.