Franklin County pays $100 toward the burial of a wartime veteran or a veteran's widow and $50 toward installing a standard government headstone or marker, on two posted application forms whose marker authorization certifies the $50 installation; the office bought and volunteers placed 14,268 flags for Memorial Day 2026.
Also called: burial allowance, $100, funeral, headstone, grave marker, flag holder, Memorial Day flags, burial records, grave project, 16 Pa.C.S. 15509, 15513.
The duties are the State's, under 16 Pa.C.S. Chapter 155; see the Pennsylvania entry on county burial and grave benefits. The Veterans Affairs office certifies the applications.
Burial allowance. "Franklin County pays burial benefits for war-time veterans and widows at the time of death and the installation of a standard government headstone or marker. The amount of the benefit is $100.00 toward the burial and $50.00 toward the installation of the headstone/marker. It is customary for the funeral homes in Franklin County to file for this benefit at the time of the veteran's/widow's death." Two forms are posted: an Application for Burial Allowance with a veteran version and a spouse checkbox, whose Part IV is the funeral director's affidavit of burial and expense - the office asks that Party IV sections C and D be filled out completely - and a Marker/Headstone Installation Authorization, signed by a county commissioners' representative and the director of veterans affairs, on which the installing firm certifies that it "installed a veteran's grave marker ... at the cost of $50.00"; payment goes out when the completed certification returns to the office at 425 Franklin Farm Lane. Apply within one year of the death (sections 15509 and 15510), with the death certificate, the DD 214, the funeral bill and proof of Franklin County residency; incomplete applications are returned.
Grave flags and records. Flag holders are placed at the grave at burial, and every year the county buys flags for distribution through volunteer coordination for Memorial Day - 14,268 American flags across the county's wartime veterans' graves in May 2026 - which the individual cemeteries take down after the July 4 holiday. The office's burial-records work is the grave project Director Curry presented to the commissioners on May 13, 2026: improved collection and reporting of veteran burial data under sections 15522 and 15523, collaboration with community partners, organizing the records held and a searchable resource.
Budget. The 2026 county budget carries the Veterans Affairs office at $453,893 in the general fund (2025: $501,044; 2024 actual $483,714.21) and a $39,000 veterans line in the special revenue trusts (2025: $121,900).
Thresholds
Thresholds for Franklin County Burial Allowance and Headstones
Gate
Rule
A wartime veteran, or the spouse of one, living in the county
Apply within one year of the death. No rating is needed.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.