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burialstate

Vermont Guarantees a Burial for a Veteran Who Dies Destitute

The State of Vermont guarantees "an appropriate burial" for a veteran who dies destitute. It is arranged through the local ECONOMIC SERVICES DIVISION office on (800) 479-6151 — a welfare office rather than the veterans department, which is why families do not find it. The exact service and discharge conditions, and the amount the state will pay, are NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed. Ask before committing to a funeral director's estimate, and ask the Office of Veterans Affairs to help you make the call.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

The State of Vermont guarantees "an appropriate burial" for a veteran who dies destitute. It is arranged through the local ECONOMIC SERVICES DIVISION office on (800) 479-6151 — a welfare office rather than the veterans department, which is why families do not find it. The exact service and discharge conditions, and the amount the state will pay, are NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed. Ask before committing to a funeral director's estimate, and ask the Office of Veterans Affairs to help you make the call.

What it's worth: The state guarantees an appropriate burial

  • The State of Vermont GUARANTEES 'AN APPROPRIATE BURIAL' for a veteran who dies destitute.
  • Arranged through the LOCAL ECONOMIC SERVICES DIVISION office, (800) 479-6151.
  • That is a welfare office, not the veterans department — which is why families do not find it.
  • THE EXACT SERVICE AND DISCHARGE CONDITIONS ARE NOT ESTABLISHED from the sources reviewed.
  • THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IS NOT ESTABLISHED either.
  • Vermont has a separate record noting there is no state burial assistance fund. Both are true: no fund, but this guarantee.
  • The Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery is a separate route worth asking about.

Who is entitled to it

  • You are in one of the groups who can raise this.
  • Vermont.

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. 1Call the Economic Services Division on (800) 479-6151 BEFORE committing to a funeral director's estimate.
  2. 2Ask the Office of Veterans Affairs to help you make the call — the two offices do not routinely talk to each other about this.
  3. 3Ask what the state will actually pay and what it will arrange; neither is published.
  4. 4Ask about the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery at the same time. It is a separate and often better route.
  5. 5Have the discharge papers if you can find them.
Form
Contact the local Economic Services Division office
File with
Vermont Agency of Human Services, Economic Services Division
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Known gapWe could not establish the conditions or the amount. That is worth saying: a family in the days after a death needs to know who to call, and a phone number with an honest 'ask them what it covers' is more use than silence.
Worth knowingVermont's existing record correctly says there is no state burial assistance FUND. This guarantee is a different thing and sits alongside it.

Sources

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