A few years ago I was talking to an old Korean War Veteran who said, “I told my wife that when I die, all she needs to do is call the National Cemetery office. They will come and get me and take care of everything for you.”

Someone in the past had told him that the Veterans Administration would take care of all the expenses relating to his funeral. He assumed that expenses like the casket, transportation to the cemetery, death certificates, embalming or cremation were all covered.

Many Veterans have the mistaken idea that the National Cemetery has a mortuary or a crematory and all that their family needs to do is hand over a copy of the DD-214 and it’s all taken care of. They believe that their space is reserved and all expenses are paid for. The great news is that cemetery expenses are indeed free for you, your spouse and your dependent children if you qualify. However, funeral obligations fall squarely on you! Here is the easy way to remember this: Inside the gate – your cost is free; Outside the gate – you pay the fee! It’s a good thing we were able to help him before it was too late. If his family would have followed his mistaken advice and waited until his death, they would have been in for a heart wrenching financial disaster.