03/28/2024

Unclaimed Veterans' Remains

Here are some of the ways we can help:

• Determining Veteran status of unclaimed remains or cremains.
• Contacting next of kin of record with VA (if available).
• Determining eligibility for burial in a national cemetery if Veteran status is confirmed.
• Filing claims for burial allowances.

If you are in possession of remains that you are hoping to inter, please contact us.

Each VA Regional Office has an Indigent Veterans and Unclaimed Remains Coordinator (IVURC) that can help you learn more about available benefits and assist you in making burial arrangements in a national, State, or tribal cemetery for eligible Veterans.

To find your local coordinator, please visit the nearest VA Regional Office or call the VA's Benefits Hotline at 1-800-827-1000 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday.  For more information on VA Regional Office locations, click here.  When calling, be sure to do the following:

• Select “burial assistance” when prompted.
• Enter the decedent’s social security number (if known, but not required to proceed).
• Identify yourself as a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral industry partner.
• Request to speak with the IVURC in the city and state the applicable VA Regional Office is located.

We will ask you for your contact information and refer you to the IVURC, who will complete a return call within three (3) business days.  

For best resolution of your case, it’s helpful to know whether the decedent is a Veteran, their name, social security number, date of birth, and other identifying military information.  We realize that all this information may not be readily available, but the more information you provide increases the IVURC’s chance of identifying if the individual is a Veteran.

Click here for more information on indigent Veterans and unclaimed remains.

If you know of anyone else who may be in possession of unclaimed Veteran remains, please share this information with them!

Veterans Benefits Administration