Veterans Honors

A veteran’s family should not have to chase down what was already earned.

Veterans, and in many cases their spouses and dependent children, are entitled to burial benefits and to military funeral honors. We make the requests, complete the applications, and coordinate the honor guard, so that on the day itself your family can simply be present when the flag is folded.

Eligibility is determined by the VA and the full requirements are published at va.gov. If you are not sure what applies to your family, call (575) 342-1005 and we will look into it with you.

Every eligible veteran is entitled to military funeral honors, at no cost to the family. By law the detail consists of at least two uniformed members of the armed forces, who fold and present the United States flag to the next of kin and sound Taps.

• The folding and presentation of the flag
• The sounding of Taps
• A rifle volley, where a detail is available to render it
• A United States burial flag furnished by the VA
• Honors at the chapel, at the graveside, or at the cemetery committal shelter

Honors are available whether your family chooses burial or cremation, and can be arranged alongside a Mass, a chapel service, or a graveside service. Local veterans organizations frequently take part in rendering them as well.

Grant County families do not have to travel far for a national cemetery burial. Fort Bayard National Cemetery, at 200 Camino de Paz near Santa Clara, has space available for both casketed and cremated remains. It is administered by Santa Fe National Cemetery, and scheduling runs through the VA’s National Cemetery Scheduling Office.

Burial in a national cemetery is furnished at no cost to the family and includes the gravesite, the opening and closing of the grave, a government headstone or marker, and perpetual care. Eligible spouses and dependent children may be buried there as well, even if they die before the veteran.

New Mexico also operates state veterans cemeteries at Fort Stanton, Angel Fire, Gallup, and Taos. Wherever your family chooses, we make the request and coordinate the date.

Claiming benefits means paperwork, and the paperwork is where families get stuck. Bring us whatever you have — the discharge papers, DD Form 214 or an earlier equivalent, are the key document — and we will complete and file the applications with you.

• A government headstone, marker, or bronze medallion, including for burial in a private or church cemetery
• A United States burial flag
• A Presidential Memorial Certificate signed by the President
• Burial and plot allowances, in certain service-connected and non-service-connected cases

Ordinary funeral home charges — professional services, transportation, caskets and urns, death certificates, obituaries, flowers — are not paid by the VA, and neither is a plot in a private cemetery. We will be clear about which is which before you decide anything. For more detail, see our Veterans Burial Benefits page.