The Added Veterans Benefit of Preplanning With French

The staff at French is deeply honored when we’re asked to help lay a veteran to rest. We do everything possible to help a family plan a funeral worthy of their loved one’s service to our country while assisting them in securing the veteran's benefits they are entitled to.

For those eligible, veterans' burial benefits include a burial space in a national cemetery where there is space available, as well as perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and a grave liner, at no cost to their family.

Does the VA pay for the entire funeral?

Many people mistakenly believe that veterans' funeral benefits mean the VA pays for all funeral or burial/cremation expenses. The VA does not directly pay for items or services such as the cost of a casket, embalming, cremation, viewing, flowers, obituaries, or transportation of the remains and the family.

The person who pays for the funeral may be eligible for reimbursement of a portion of the expenses. We find that many veterans only qualify for basic benefits. The remainder of the costs falls on loved ones

Shouldering a heavy burden

At French, we feel it’s our responsibility to help take off as much of this burden as possible. That’s why we encourage families to preplan. By planning and paying for your funeral arrangements in advance, you ensure that the many details of planning a funeral are taken care of ahead of time, lifting an immense weight off your loved ones during what can be an extremely difficult time.

Freeing them from having to plan every detail of your burial or cremation and memorial service allows them to focus on being with family and friends, spend time honoring your life, and grieving in the way that is best for them.

Our gift to veterans and their families

There’s an added benefit to making advanced arrangements if you’ve served in the military. French offers a substantial earned discount to all of our veterans, an unprecedented amount compared to other veteran discounts. We also offer the same preplanning discount to spouses of veterans, because we believe they served as well. That means a discount on all funeral, cremation, and burial services. We want to give back to those who gave so much for our country and help remove some of the stress from their families.

Military Honors services

The dedicated staff at French are available to help you honor your veteran. We can help you arrange for traditional military honors services. The basic Military Funeral Honors ceremony consists of the folding and presentation of the United States flag to the veteran’s family and the playing of Taps. This ceremony is performed by a funeral honors detail of at least two members of the Armed Forces.

The Funeral Honors provided to you or your veteran will be determined by the status of the veteran. Honors may be Full Military Honors, Seven Person Detail, or Standard Honors Team Detail. At least one of the funeral honors detail will be from the Armed Force in which the deceased veteran served. Taps may be played by a bugler or, if a bugler is not available, we will play a high-quality recording. Military Funeral Honor Teams may act as pallbearers if the family prefers.

Have questions about preplanning or veterans benefits? Call us at 505-843-6333.