Claim Filing Process
Dependents of veterans, widows and/or children will need to visit the Department of Veterans Affairs office upon a veteran’s death to complete a claim form. The veterans office in this area prefers to assist family members in completing the claim documents. Remember to take along a death certificate and the discharge papers or service number and information. When the claim is processed, payment will be made according to the insured’s  intention: lump sum or monthly installments. Processing time is about 30 days.
The benefits listed below are available for veterans only. For a veteran who dies while receiving compensation or pension, or a wartime veteran who dies in a veterans hospital, or while domiciled in a veterans facility or other facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the following benefits are available:
Burial Benefits Payable
- Basic Burial Allowance - This is applied to burial and funeral expenses of the eligible deceased veteran.
- Interment or Burial Plot Allowance - This additional allowance is applied to incurred expenses of interment or burial plot if the burial was not made in a national cemetery or other cemetery under the jurisdiction of the United States.
- Burial Allowance for Service-Connected Death - When the veteran’s death occurs as the result of a service-connected disability, a larger amount may be paid in lieu of the basic burial allowance and the interment and plot allowance.
- Transportation Costs - The cost of transporting to the place of burial may also be paid in addition to the above allowances when:
1). The veteran died while in a hospital, domiciliary or nursing home to which he or she had been properly admitted under authority of the VA; or
2.) The veteran died enroute while traveling under prior authorization of the VA for the purpose of examination, treatment or care.
- Headstone-Marker Allowance - A government-provided headstone or marker is available upon request from the Department of Veterans Affairs to mark the burial space for a deceased veteran.
Check for Survivors Death Benefits and Additional State and Local Benefits
We recommend you check with your local state veterans office concerning the widow pension benefits for which you are eligible. They will advise and assist in matters pertaining to federal and state benefits earned by honorable service in the military of the United States.
MISSOURI VETERANS COMMISSION
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
201 N. SECOND ST. ROOM 323
ST. CHARLES MO 63301
PHONE: 636-949-7330
| 
