Recent Survey: Veterans Believe Govt Pays For Funerals

Sanibel, Florida- Sixty percent (60%) of U.S. Veterans believe that the United States government pays for their funeral or cremation arrangements. One third of the 27 million veterans do not even know about the national cemeteries. This a result of a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The V.A. says that too few people are taking advantage of this most lasting benefit, free burial in a national cemetery. “Our focus is on education” says Mark Davis, president & CEO of Veterans & Family Memorial Care. “We receive phone calls and emails every day from veterans or their family members with the expectation that the V.A. is going to pay for their funeral or cremation arrangements. They are either misinformed or uninformed regarding the actual burial benefits due them.” The Veterans Department prepares the gravesite, carries out the burial, furnishes a headstone or marker and a flag for the casket and provides perpetual care. But the department does not provide funeral arrangements, transportation or military honors, and a gravesite cannot be reserved in advance. There are over 700 family owned & operated exclusive Veterans & Family Memorial Care Providers in 45 states that encourage veterans to take advantage of their free burial benefit in a V.A. national cemetery. Although not always conveniently located, choosing to be buried in a national cemetery can save families thousands of dollars on final arrangement expenses. In many situations it’s even worth a two or three hour drive. “During my 30 plus years as a funeral director I have personally made arrangements for thousands of veterans,” says Mark Davis. “Spending a few extra minutes in the arrangement conference educating families on their options makes a world of difference. When faced with the prospect of spending several thousand dollars on a cemetery package for two versus free burial in a national cemetery more often than not the national cemetery wins. The problem is that in most metropolitan areas the corporate owned funeral homes are affiliated with a corporate owned cemetery. A veteran that chooses to be buried in a national cemetery means lost revenue potential for the cemetery. Because employees at the corporate owned funeral homes are motivated to drive sales into their own cemeteries they are less likely to discuss the option of burial at a national cemetery.” Veterans who choose burial outside of a V.A. cemetery may receive a headstone or grave marker from the V.A. They may also receive an American flag to cover the casket and a memorial certificate with the President’s signature. The department buries about 10 percent of all veterans. That number continues to grow with the increasing age of the veteran population. Over 2 million people have been buried in veterans’ cemeteries since President Abraham Lincoln created the first 12 on or near Civil War battlefields.   The private cemetery industry says it believes the department is overestimating the number; it suggests limiting eligibility for burial in national cemeteries. There are now over 130 national cemeteries of which over 50 limit burial to relatives of people all ready buried there or cremation inurnment only. The lack of available burial space has led to a flurry of newly developed cemeteries in areas like Boynton Beach, Sarasota and Jacksonville, FL.  But the American Cemetery Association estimates there is enough existing private space for new burials for the next century. The ACA would like to see the Veterans Affairs Department limit eligibility, perhaps to combat-era veterans, and abide by the policy adopted in the 1970’s of having one national cemetery for each of 10 Federal regions. “There is only one reason the private cemetery industry would like to limit eligibility says Mark Davis, and that is to stimulate sales.” Veterans represent a huge market share. The National Hospice Organization estimates that in the U.S. there are 50,000 veteran deaths each month, representing nearly one third of the total number of deaths nationwide. When you extrapolate spouses into the mix the numbers are even greater. Veterans who opt to take advantage of their free burial benefit significantly diminish the number of sales prospects for private cemeteries. “Next to the ever increasing cremation rate, the private cemetery industry looks upon the federal government as their greatest challenge,” said Mark Davis. Because the V.A. does not accept reservations in advance at the national cemeteries, Veterans & Family Memorial Care has developed a portal on their website: VeteransFuneralHomes.com to accommodate veterans wanting to register their desire to be buried in the closest V.A. national cemetery and take advantage of their free burial benefit. VFMC collects the data and passes it on to the Exclusive VFMC Provider in their area. The VFMC Provider contacts the veteran and ensures that their wishes are recorded at the funeral home along with a copy of their DD/214 discharge papers. In addition to the free burial registration portal on the VFMC website is the Veterans Funeral Home Directory, a widely used resource by families searching for a veteran friendly funeral home. Each VFMC Provider location is listing in the directory which is categorized by state and county and links directly to each Provider’s respective website. Exclusive VFMC Providers are selected for having high ethical business standards and must demonstrate a willingness and desire to honor and pay tribute to veterans. They are all family owned & operated and many have deep roots in their community, some going back five or six generations. To find the Certified Veterans & Family Memorial Care Provider in your area visit VeteransFuneralHomes.com or call toll free (866) 770-6791. Mark Mark E. Davis, LFD President/CEO Veterans & Family Memorial Care (239) 472-3877 954 Sand Castle Rd. Sanibel, FL 33957 www.VeteransFuneralHomes.com


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Veterans & Family Memorial Care's Exclusive Network of family owned funeral homes nationwide extends benefits and savings to Veterans and their spouses beyond those provided by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

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