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Burying a Spouse or Child at a State Veterans Cemetery — the Fee You Cannot Pre-Pay
This record covers interring a dependent. A spouse, minor child or disabled adult child of a qualified veteran may be interred at any of the four state veterans cemeteries. There is a burial fee for them, it is subject to change at any time, and the cemetery will not let you pre-pay it. The concrete vault or liner is yours to buy as well. For the cemeteries and the veteran's own entitlement, see nc-state-veterans-cemeteries.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
This record covers interring a dependent. A spouse, minor child or disabled adult child of a qualified veteran may be interred at any of the four state veterans cemeteries. There is a burial fee for them, it is subject to change at any time, and the cemetery will not let you pre-pay it. The concrete vault or liner is yours to buy as well. For the cemeteries and the veteran's own entitlement, see nc-state-veterans-cemeteries.
What it's worth: Interment for an eligible family member — at a burial fee the department does not publish
- The department states there is no charge for burial of a qualified veteran at any state veterans cemetery, and that there is a burial fee for the interment of a spouse or dependants. No amount is published on either brochure read this session.
- The Eastern Carolina policies brochure adds that the dependant burial fee is subject to change at any time and cannot be pre-paid.
- A concrete vault or liner is required for a casket burial and payment for it is the responsibility of the veteran or the family. Eastern Carolina is the exception — it has pre-installed crypts and vaults are not permitted there. No vault or liner is required for a cremation.
- All funeral expenses are the responsibility of the veteran, the family or the estate. The cemeteries provide the plot, opening and closing, a grave marker with installation, and perpetual care.
- No figure is quoted here because the department publishes none, and the brochure itself says it is written in general terms and should not be taken as law or official regulation.
Who is entitled to it
- A spouse, widow or widower, or an eligible child of a qualified veteran may be interred.
- The veteran arranges the family side of the plot as well as their own.
- The veteran’s service was terminated under honorable conditions, which is what the brochure asks for.
- The brochure limits interment to veterans who are legal residents of North Carolina.
- Your home is in North Carolina.
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
- 1Do not take a driving licence to prove residency. The brochure states that a North Carolina driver’s licence cannot be accepted as proof of residency, and it is the single commonest wasted document at this counter.
- 2Where the veteran cannot show entry into service from North Carolina, bring two documents from the primary list: North Carolina voter registration, a jury duty form, a concealed carry permit, North Carolina government assistance, state personal income tax, state property tax, a W-2 with North Carolina income tax paid, or the deed to the home. School or bank records, mortgages, and official records from state or municipal agencies are considered as secondary documents.
- 3Prove the relationship on paper. A marriage certificate is the primary document for a spouse; a birth certificate or adoption papers for a child; and for an adult dependant, a letter from the dependant’s physician certifying that they became permanently incapable of self-support because of a physical or mental disability before the age of 18.
- 4Check the child’s age against the rule: unmarried, dependent on the veteran at the time of death, and under 21 — or under 23 where pursuing a course of instruction at an educational institution approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- 5Ask the cemetery for the current dependant burial fee in writing, and accept that you cannot lock it in. The policies brochure says it is subject to change at any time and cannot be pre-paid.
- 6Budget separately for the vault or liner, which the family buys, unless you are using Eastern Carolina, where pre-installed crypts are used and vaults are not permitted.
- 7Plan the service around the cemetery’s day, not your own. Burial services are conducted Monday to Friday at 10am, 12pm and 2pm only, and are not held on Saturdays, Sundays, or state or federal holidays.
- 8Tell the family there will be no graveside service and no open casket. Services are held in the committal shelter or chapel on site, and viewings have to happen at the funeral home instead.
- 9Get the inscription decided quickly. At Eastern Carolina, inscriptions must be received five days after the committal service, headstones and niche covers are ordered seven days after it with or without the emblem, and markers take 8 to 12 weeks to arrive.
- 10Ask the funeral director to arrange military honours — the brochure notes funeral homes arrange honours for the services they attend, and gives the North Carolina Air National Guard number as 984-664-6273.
- 11The burden of proof is yours. The department states it is the responsibility of the veteran, the survivors or the legal representative to provide the evidence establishing eligibility before interment is approved.
- Form
- Interment application through the funeral director, with documentary evidence of service, residency and relationship
- File with
- The state veterans cemetery you have chosen
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionA North Carolina driving licence will not prove residency here. The department’s own brochure excludes it by name and asks for two documents from a specific list instead — voter registration, a jury duty form, a concealed carry permit, state income or property tax records, a W-2 showing North Carolina tax paid, or the deed to the home.
CorrectionThe dependant burial fee cannot be pre-paid, and the department will not quote it as a fixed figure. A family trying to settle the cost in advance is asking for something the cemetery says it does not offer.
Worth knowingThe residency test is written about the veteran, not about the family member being buried. Entry into service from North Carolina is the first route; two documents proving legal residence is the fallback.
Worth knowingSome of the operating detail — the pre-installed crypts, the 30-minute service, the inscription deadlines and the floral rules — comes from the Eastern Carolina brochure and is that cemetery’s own practice. The fee position, the residency test and the vault rule come from the department-wide brochure. Ask your chosen cemetery which of the rest applies to it.
Known gapThe dependant burial fee amount is still unpublished, and N.C.G.S. ch. 65 art. 8A remains unread — ncleg.gov refused retrieval again this session. Whether the residency test and the family fee are statutory or administrative is not established here.
Sources
- authority · published policyNC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs — State Veterans Cemeteries eligibility brochure: "There is no charge for burial of a qualified veteran at any state veterans cemetery. There is however, a burial fee for the interment of a spouse or dependent(s)"; a concrete vault or liner is required for a casket burial with payment the responsibility of the veteran or their family, excepting Eastern Carolina which has pre-installed crypts where vaults are not permitted, and no vault or liner is required for a cremation; all funeral expenses are the responsibility of the veteran, family or their estate, while the cemeteries provide a burial plot, opening and closing of the grave, a grave marker and installation, and perpetual care at no cost to the veteran; there are no graveside services and services are held at a committal shelter or chapel on site; caskets cannot be opened for viewing; burial services are conducted Monday through Friday at 10am, 12pm and 2pm and not on Saturdays, Sundays or state or federal holidays; a qualified veteran is any former member of the U.S. Armed forces who served on active duty, other than for training, terminated under honorable conditions, or a veteran entitled to retired pay for non-regular service or who would have been but for being under 60; "Only those veterans who are legal residence of North Carolina are eligible for interment"; where a veteran cannot provide proof of entry into service from North Carolina two documents are required to establish residency, with primary documents being North Carolina Voter Registration, Jury Duty Form, Concealed Carry Permit, NC Gov't Assistance, State Personal Income Tax, State Property Tax, W2 with NC Income Tax Paid or Deed to Home, and secondary documents being school or bank records, mortgages or official records from state or municipal agencies, and "A NC Drivers License cannot be accepted as proof of residency"; dependants are the spouse, widow or widower of a qualified veteran and a minor child unmarried and dependent at the time of death, meaning under 21, or under 23 if pursuing a course of instruction at an educational institution approved by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, plus an unmarried adult child who became permanently incapable of self-support due to a physical or mental disability before attaining the age of 18; verification is a marriage certificate for a spouse, a birth certificate or adoption papers for a child, and a physician's letter for an adult dependant; the DD Form 214 last issued stating "Honorable" is the primary proof of service, with a 20 year letter or proof of entitlement to retired pay for Reserve and National Guard claims; the cemetery addresses are Sandhills at 8220 Bragg Blvd, Fort Bragg (P.O. Box 39, Spring Lake 28390, 910-436-5630), Western Carolina at 896 Old US 70 Highway, Black Mountain 28711 (828-669-0684), Coastal Carolina at 110 Montford Point Road, Jacksonville (P.O. Box 1486, Jacksonville 28541, 910-347-4550) and Eastern Carolina at 164 Longs Plant Farm Road, Goldsboro 27534 (P.O. Box 10556, Goldsboro 27532, 919-648-0510); the brochure states it is written in general terms and should not be regarded nor taken as law or official regulation, and that the law guiding the programme is established under Article 8A, Chapter 65 of the General Statutes
- operating · published policyNC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs — Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, General Information and Policies brochure: "There is no charge for veteran burials. There is a burial fee for dependents. This amount is subject to change at anytime and cannot be pre-paid"; all casket burials are placed in pre-installed concrete crypts and there is no vault burial section; committal documents must be signed by the next of kin or power of attorney one day prior to the service; services are held Monday to Friday at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., all services are 30 minutes, all attendees must exit the cemetery at half past the hour, and services are stopped 23 minutes past the hour to permit military honours; open-casket and graveside services are not permitted and all services are held in the committal shelter, which is set up with 16 chairs, a casket or urn stand and a podium; headstones allow 2 lines at 15/15 characters and most niche covers 4 lines at 13/13/13/9, markers take 8-12 weeks to arrive after being ordered, inscriptions must be received 5 days after the committal service, and headstones and niche covers are ordered with or without emblem or inscription 7 days after the committal service; military honours are arranged by funeral homes for services they are attending, with the North Carolina Air National Guard number given as 984-664-6273; office operates by appointment only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.