Veteran's Funeral Services | Charleston, SC

Services for Veterans

J. Henry Stuhr extends a grateful thanks to American veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

J. Henry Stuhr can assist families of veterans and retirees with requesting funeral honors and with obtaining the benefits outlined below, when eligible, which are provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, he can work with a funeral home to help the family honor their love one. Families will need the discharge papers, known as a DD214 form, to confirm eligibility.

The J. Henry Stuhr family is proud to have veterans on our team.
Read their stories to learn more:

Charles P. “Chuck” Blankin joined Stuhr Funeral Home in 2008, following a career as a Law Enforcement Officer with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Department as a Homicide Investigator and is a Certified Veteran Services Officer. Chuck is a Vietnam veteran who served as a US Naval Officer with the Riverines and served as a Launch Officer aboard the USS Forestall. He currently serves as Commander of American Legion Post #147, life member of VFW Post 445, La Societe 40&8 and is certified by the American Legion as a Veterans Advocate. As a Veterans Advocate Chuck assists veterans and their families with Veteran’s Administration benefits and Honors. Chuck can be reached at Chuck.Blankin@jhenrystuhr.com

Veteran Services in South Carolina - Stuhr Funeral Home

VA and Burial Expenses

If the Veteran’s death is service-connected, the VA will pay a burial allowance up to $2,000. The VA also will pay the cost of transporting the remains of a service-disabled Veteran to the national cemetery nearest the home of the deceased that has available gravesites. In such cases, the person who bore the veteran’s burial expenses may claim reimbursement from VA. The VA will pay a $300 burial and funeral expense allowance for Veterans who, at time of death, were entitled to receive pension or compensation or would have been entitled to compensation but for receipt of military retirement pay. Eligibility also is established when death occurs in a VA facility or a nursing home with which VA contracted. Additional cost of transportation of the remains may be reimbursed in those cases. Concerning service-connected deaths, there is no time limit for filing reimbursement claims. In other deaths, claims must be filed within two years after permanent burial or cremation.

You may be eligible for a VA burial allowance if:

You have paid the funeral bill in full and you have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some other source, such as the deceased Veteran’s employer, AND the Veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

-the Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability, OR
-the Veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation at the time of death, OR
-the Veteran was entitled to receive VA pension or compensation, but decided instead to receive his or her full military retirement or disability pay, OR
-the Veteran died while hospitalized by VA, or while receiving care under VA contract at a non-VA facility, OR
-the Veteran died while traveling under proper authorization and at VA expense to or from a specified place for the purpose of examination, treatment or care, OR
-the Veteran had an original or reopened claim pending at the time of death and would have been entitled to VA compensation or pension from a date prior to the date of death, OR
-the Veteran died on or after October 9, 1996, while a patient at a VA–approved state nursing home.

stuhrs veterans day charleston

Mount Pleasant resident Tom Mefferd, a U.S. Army veteran, distributes American flags to a group of fourth grade students from James B. Edwards Elementary School at Mt. Pleasant Memorial Gardens, Nov. 8, 2018. A group of nearly 100 fourth grade students decorated the graves of veterans to ensure that every headstone was marked with a U.S. flag before Veteran’s Day. (photo by Brian Calhoun)

Burial in a National Cemetery

Burial benefits available include a gravesite in any of the 131 national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some Veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains.

Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the Veteran, perpetual care, and the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death inscribed on the Veteran’s headstone, at no cost to the family. Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried, even if they predecease the Veteran.

Burial in a Private Cemetery

Burial benefits available for Veterans buried in a private cemetery include a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some Veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances. There are not any benefits available to spouses and dependents buried in a private cemetery.

Resources
Arlington National Cemetery
VA Regional Offices
Beaufort National Cemetery
Florence National Cemetery
Fort Jackson National Cemetery

Burial Flags

The VA provides an American flag to drape the casket of a Veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable and to a person entitled to retired military pay, including reservists. After the funeral service, the flag may be given to the next of kin or a close associate of the deceased. The VA also will issue a flag on behalf of a service member who was missing in action and later presumed dead.

Presidential Memorial Certificates

The Presidential Memorial Certificate is a parchment certificate with a calligraphic inscription expressing the nation’s grateful recognition of the Veteran’s service. The Veteran’s name is inscribed and the certificate bears the signature of the President.

Eligibility

Certificates are issued in the name of honorably discharged, deceased Veterans. Eligible recipients include next of kin, other relatives and friends. The Veteran may have died at any time in the past. The local VA regional office generally originates the application for the Presidential Memorial Certificate if a Veteran’s death is brought to official attention. Your funeral director at J. Henry Stuhr can handle these details when requested by the family.

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