Kent County Veteran Burial Allowance, Marker Setting and Honor Guard

Michigan requires every county to pay at least $300 toward the burial of a qualifying wartime veteran, spouse or surviving spouse (MCL 35.801; see the Michigan entry on the county burial allowance). On June 18, 2026 the Veterans Services Advisory Committee voted to raise Kent County's allowance from $300 to $1,000, "to match some of the bordering counties", and the reimbursement for setting a VA headstone or marker from $80 to $200. Both took effect on July 1, 2026 and do not apply to applications submitted or approved before then. Who qualifies, by the county's pages. A veteran who meets the wartime service test, or the spouse of one, whose assets do not exceed the limit and who lived in Kent County at death, with a discharge under honorable conditions. The eligibility page gives the war periods and asks for at least 90 days of active duty. The county does not print its asset limit; the statute's is $40,000, not counting the home, unless a county has opted down to $25,000. The statute also takes a veteran with under 90 days whose service ended because of a service-connected disability. What to bring. The burial allowance application, the DD-214 showing active service and character of discharge, the death certificate showing the county of residence, and the funeral home's invoice with the cost, the balance and who is responsible for it. Apply within two years of the death (35.801). Military honors. The Kent County Veterans Honor Guard, about 90 volunteer veterans founded in 1982, gives 400 to 500 ceremonies a year: a eulogy and prayer, a three-rifle volley, Taps, and the folding and presentation of the flag. The service must be in Kent County, the veteran must have an honorable discharge and must not have received honors before. It does not supply the flag; the post office gives a burial flag on the DD-214. Coordinators: north of Fulton Street, Mark Bauer, 616-438-1235; south, Maggie Dennis, 231-578-7279. The honor guard runs on donations. Federal benefits the department will file: burial at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta or Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, a VA headstone or marker, a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and the VA burial allowance. Call 616-632-5722.