Burial Insurance for Veterans in 2023
Yes, you can get affordable burial insurance for veterans from companies like Mutual of Omaha’s final expense insurance. Burial insurance is final expense whole life insurance which is a whole life policy with a benefit amount between $2,000 – $40,000 in coverage. This is private life insurance not associated with any veterans benefits.
The truth is according to va.org the burial allowance for a non-service related death is only $300 and $893 for the burial plot. This totals $1,193 for the burial allowance now with the median cost of a burial being $7,848 according to the NFDA this is like throwing a pin at a brick wall.
The VA allowance benefits will not cover the entire cost of the burial period. This is why having burial insurance for veterans is so crucial to giving your family peace of mind knowing they will not have to pay your funeral expenses when you die.
Our goal is to provide you with the answers to your questions as quickly as possible so we are going to get straight to the point.
Table of contents
- Veteran Benefits like SGLI Do not Last
- How Burial Insurance for Veterans Works
- Does the VA Cover Burial Expenses
- Eligibility Requirements for Veteran Burial Insurance
- Burial Insurance for Veterans Benefits & Features
- Burial Insurance Companies for Veterans
- How to Apply for Burial Insurance for Veterans
- What Funeral Expenses are Covered for Veterans
- Is there a Burial Benefit for Veterans?
- Can Veterans get Free Burial?
- How Much is Life Insurance for Veterans
- Conclusion
Veteran Benefits like SGLI Do not Last
When you are in the military as current military personnel you are covered by Service Members Group Life Insurance (SGLI). However, if you leave the military you have 120 days to convert your SGLI to a Veterans Group Life policy (VGLI). The total amount of time you would have to make sure you convert your SGLI into a VGLI would be 485 days if you miss this window you will not be able to keep these benefits.
The benefits your family could receive from the SGLI coverage is $400,000 so it is crucial for you to convert this coverage if you have not already. If you missed this opportunity then burial insurance for veterans is your next best option. Funeral insurance is a simplified issue whole life insurance.
This means the coverage is easy to qualify for even if you have received a diagnosis of PTSD. Most companies that provide burial insurance for veterans will not even have this question on their application. In addition to this you can get funeral insurance at age 80, funeral insurance at age 70, funeral insurance at age 75, funeral insurance at age 85, and funeral insurance at age 60 all the way up to funeral insurance age 90.
How Burial Insurance for Veterans Works
Burial insurance is final expense life insurance(cremation insurance, funeral insurance etc.) which means it is a small simplified issue whole life insurance policy or guaranteed issue whole life. It has coverage amounts of between $2,000 – $50,000 in death benefit for your beneficiary.
Simplified issue plans do not require a medical exam but they do have medical underwriting(health questions, medical & prescription history checks). Guaranteed issue whole life plans have no medical underwriting(health questions, medical exam, history or prescription checks).
Guaranteed acceptance plans have a 2 year waiting period(return of premium plus 10% for death within first 2 years). This is due to the fact that the life insurance company will not deny you coverage.
Now the way burial insurance for veterans works is when you die your named beneficiary is going to contact the life insurance company.
When your beneficiary contacts the life insurance company to file a claim they will ask for a death certificate. As soon as the death certificate is received they will send your beneficiary a check for the death benefit amount in the policy.
Your beneficiary is going to take that check and use it to pay your funeral and any other end of life expenses left behind to them. That is how burial insurance works for anyone.
Does the VA Cover Burial Expenses
According to va.org the only benefits given to a veteran for the VA to cover burial expenses are $300 for a burial allowance and $893 for a plot. This is for a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2022. For a service-connected death the burial allowance is $2,000 if it occurred on or after September 11th, 2001. These benefits are not enough money to bury someone.
This means no the VA will not cover burial expenses entirely.
Eligibility Requirements for Veteran Burial Insurance
To be eligible for burial insurance you just need to do 3 simple things:
- Work with a Licensed Insurance Agent or Agency
- Answer health questions on the life insurance application
- Consent to a medical history & prescription check
If everything checks out on your medical and prescription history you will be approved.
Below is our table describing the eligibility requirements for burial insurance for veterans in more detail.
Eligibility Requirement | Description |
---|---|
Age & Date of Birth | Your current age determines your eligibility with different policies. If you are older than age 85 for example a majority of life insurance companies will not offer you burial insurance. |
Height & Weight | You current heigh and weight affect your eligibility with some life insurance companies because high risk health conditions are directly linked to obesity. |
Resident State | Your resident state determines which plans are available to you. Some life insurance companies may not have their policies available in your state. |
Current & Past Health History | Your health determines your eligibility for burial insurance. If you hav extreme current or a past history of health conditions such as cancer you are considered high risk and many life insurance companies may not accept you. |
US Citizenship | You must be a US citizen or permanent resident to buy burial insurance in the United States. If you are a citizen of a different country you are not eligible. |
Current Medications | Your current medications indicate to the life insurance company how your health is. This is how they can categorize you as a high risk applicant or not. |
Criminal History | A criminal history indicates if you are a high risk. If you have an extensive criminal record life insurance companies will not accept you. |
Burial Insurance for Veterans Benefits & Features
Burial insurance for veterans has very good benefits to give you and your family the peace of mind you deserve. These benefits include the tax free death benefits of the policy itself which means your beneficiaries will not owe any taxes on the money they used to bury you.
Benefits
- No Medical Exam to Qualify
Burial insurance for veterans is a simplified issue whole life insurance policy which means they will not send a paramedic out to do a medical exam for you to qualify. You simply answer the health questions and the life insurance company will look at your medical and prescription history.
- Instant Approval or Denial
Upon looking at your medical history and prescriptions you will receive an instant decision as soon as you apply which means you do not have to wait to know if you are approved for funeral insurance.
- Premiums Never Increase
The life insurance premiums lock in the moment you are approved for your coverage. This means as long as you make your monthly premium payments you will never see a price increase for your coverage.
- Death Benefit Never Decreases
Final expense insurance is whole life insurance which means the death benefit of the policy will never decrease. It will stay level for your entire life which means if you signed up for $15,000 in death benefits for your burial insurance for veterans policy even if you reach age 100 your family will still receive the $15,000.
- Easy Underwriting
Burial insurance has easy underwriting which means there are some health conditions the application will not even ask about such as PTSD. Most final expense life insurance applications will not ask about PTSD on their applications. This means qualifying is easy unless you have very extreme health conditions. If that is the case we can also help you get a burial insurance with no health questions policy.
- Builds Cash Value
The funeral insurance policy will build cash value which is like a small savings account in addition to your policy’s face amount that you can borrow from.
Burial insurance for veterans is designed to guarantee your family is protected from funeral expenses. Burials are extremely expensive and making sure your family has the right amount of coverage that pays out fast is exactly why final expense insurance is the perfect product for veterans.
Below is our Table on the benefits of burial insurance with more detail and insight.
Benefit | Description |
---|---|
Level Premiums | Burial insurance Premiums never increase for the life of the policy |
Level Death Benefit | Burial Insurance Death benefit never decreases for the life of the policy |
Coverage Never Expires | Policy never expires as long as premiums are paid |
Cash Value | Premiums paid into the policy build an additional savings to the policy’s face amount that can be borrowed against |
Tax-Free Death Benefit | The Death Benefit to your beneficiary is 100% tax free |
Peace of Mind | Burial, funeral and cremation expenses are all covered which gives you peace of mind |
No Medical Exams | No medical exams required to qualify. You only answer health questions. |
Financial Security | Burial Insurance provides the money to pay your funeral costs so your family does not have the financial burden placed on them to pay burial expenses. |
Easy Underwriting | Burial Insurance is easy to qualify for. Even seniors with moderate health conditions can get a low premium. |
Instant Decision | Burial Insurance uses instant decision during the application process. This means when you apply you will receive a decision of approval or denial right after the application is submitted. |
Burial Insurance Companies for Veterans
The following companies all offer burial insurance for veterans these are top companies nationwide with A-ratings across the board.
- Mutual of Omaha
- American Amicable
- Aetna Accendo
- Transamerica
- Prosperity Life
- American General (AIG)
- Gerber
- Guarantee Trust Life
- Great Western
These carriers offer the best products when it comes to burial insurance for veterans. With all of those carriers at our disposal it allows us to place 90% of our clients with immediate coverage which is burial insurance with no waiting period. Always remember that guaranteed issue policies with no health questions always come with a 2-year waiting period but policies that have health questions do not.
How to Apply for Burial Insurance for Veterans
We have our table below going over the exact details on how to apply for burial insurance step by step.
Steps to Apply | Description |
---|---|
1. Speak with a Licensed Insurance Agent or Agency | In order to buy burial insurance you must speak with a licensed life insurance agent that sells the product. You cannot apply for majority of burial insurance products on your own. |
2. Answer Health Questions & Provide Your Prescriptions | You must answer the health questions on the burial insurance application & provide your medications. The Life Insurance company will look at the Medical Information Bureau Health Report and run a Script Check on you using your Social Security Number provided on the application. This allows them to asses your risk and determine if they will approve you. |
3. Provide the Name of your Doctor | The life insurance company will want to know the name of your doctor. In most cases they will never contact your doctor however, in some rare cases they can depending on what is found in the MIB reports. |
4. Electronically Sign your Life Insurance Application | When applying for burial insurance online you will sign for your application using an electronic signature. Depending on the company you apply it will be a voice signature, e-mail signature or Text message signature. |
Instant Decision of Approval or Denial | Burial insurance does not require a medical exam which means when you submit your application to the life insurance company it is the last step. Depending on which company you applied with you will receive an instant decision on your application. Some companies or situations may take a few days for a decision. |
What Funeral Expenses are Covered for Veterans
There is no guarantee any funeral expenses are covered for veterans that do not have burial insurance. The only thing you get from the VA is the $300 burial allowance and the $893 for the plot, that’s it.
The only solution to making sure your burial is covered if you are a veteran is by having burial insurance which is final expense life insurance.
Is there a Burial Benefit for Veterans?
The only burial benefit provided for veterans is $300 burial allowance and $893 for a plot. This will not be enough to cover final expenses.
If you want to make sure your burial is covered you need to purchase burial insurance for veterans.
Can Veterans get Free Burial?
The VA does give a burial allowance but there is no way of knowing if there is a free burial. A surviving spouse can inquire about what they are entitled to by applying for burial benefits with the VA.
How Much is Life Insurance for Veterans
Life insurance for veterans or more specifically burial insurance for veterans will range between $50 – $100 depending on age health and life style. You can see quotes by filling out our quote form on the right of this page.
This will give you an accurate idea of how much burial insurance for veterans costs for you or your loved ones.
Conclusion
Our veterans are not being taken care of when it comes to their burial expenses period. The benefits supplied by the VA are not enough to make sure a veteran’s family does not have to come out of pocket for their funeral. They are better off dying during active duty with the low amount of benefits they receive as veterans. This is why burial insurance for veterans is crucial to surviving families. It will provide the benefits they need at the most crucial and emotional time of their lives when they lose you.
This is why having a final expense whole life policy for veterans is the key to providing the benefits you know your family deserves for their peace of mind. Veteran’s should not have to leave any burdens for their family. It should all be taken care of which is what we help veteran’s with every day.