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Veterans Alliance — Veterans Alliance
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Military Funeral Honours — Requested Through the Funeral Director

An honourably discharged veteran is entitled to a detail, Taps, the folding of the flag and its presentation to the next of kin. A retiree gets a nine-soldier detail with a firing party. The department itself renders none of it.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

An honourably discharged veteran is entitled to a detail, Taps, the folding of the flag and its presentation to the next of kin. A retiree gets a nine-soldier detail with a firing party. The department itself renders none of it.

What it's worth: A detail, Taps, the flag folded and presented — more if the veteran retired

  • Honours are rendered, not paid for. There is no cash benefit here and no reimbursement to the family, so we publish no figure.
  • What is rendered varies by category rather than by request: a two or three soldier detail for a veteran, a nine-soldier detail with a firing party for a retiree, and a six-soldier casket carry with a seven-soldier firing party for a Medal of Honor recipient or a death on active duty.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are the veteran, or a family member arranging the funeral.
  • The character of service works for this one.
  • Your home is in New Jersey.

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. 1Ask the funeral director to request the honours. The department states that funeral directors usually assist the family with requesting them, and it is the practical route.
  2. 2Do not wait for the department to act. Its own page says it has no direct role in rendering military funeral honours — it provides guidance and nothing more.
  3. 3Have the discharge document ready. The category of honours turns on whether the veteran was a veteran, a retiree, a Medal of Honor recipient or died on active duty, and the paperwork is what settles that.
  4. 4For an Army burial in the State, the department names the Casualty Assistance Center at Fort Dix on 609-562-4453 as the contact.
  5. 5For another branch, or for a burial outside the State, the department points to the nationwide directory of honours contacts rather than handling it itself.
  6. 6Ask specifically what will be rendered before the day. A family expecting a firing party at a veteran’s funeral, when the entitlement is a two or three soldier detail with Taps, is a family that will be disappointed at the graveside.
File with
Your funeral director, who requests the honours
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionThe State department does not render honours and says so. A family that files a request with the department instead of asking the funeral director has filed with the wrong body, and the delay lands on the funeral date.
Worth knowingThe retiree tier is materially better than the veteran tier — nine soldiers with a firing party against two or three with Taps. If the veteran retired rather than separated, make sure the paperwork sent with the request says so.
Known gapThe department’s page states no cost figure and no stipend to the veterans organisations that turn out. Whether any payment is made to them is not published where we could read it, so we make no claim about it.

Sources

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