Saginaw County Soldiers and Sailors Commission Burial Allowance
Saginaw County pays a burial allowance for a veteran with 90 days of wartime service whose legal address was in the county, applied for on the Probate Court's form. A surviving spouse applicant may keep $40,000 in assets and any other applicant may keep an amount up to the cost of the funeral; the county does not publish the amount it pays.
Also called: burial, funeral, burial allowance, Soldiers and Sailors Commission, probate court, 35.801, $40,000, marker, spouse.
Michigan requires every county to pay at least $300 toward the burial of a qualifying wartime veteran, or the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (MCL 35.801; see the Michigan entry on the county burial allowance). In Saginaw County the claim is made on the "Saginaw County Soldiers & Sailors Commission Burial Allowance Application" and goes through the Probate Court of Judge Patrick J. McGraw; the court's forms page carries a print and a fill-in version of the form (revised November 2009).
Who qualifies, by the form. The deceased's legal address must have been in Saginaw County, Michigan. The veteran must have at least 90 days of active duty in one of the listed periods: World War I (April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918, extended to April 1, 1920 for service in Russia), World War II (December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946), Korea (June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955), Vietnam (February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975) and the Gulf Era (August 2, 1990 "to a date to be determined").
Assets. A husband or wife applying for a deceased spouse may keep $40,000; every other applicant's asset limit is the cost of the funeral itself. In both cases the home the deceased lived in and all life insurance are excluded, and real estate other than the home, cash, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, retirement accounts and the wholesale value of vehicles less what is owed on them are counted, under notarization.
What to attach. The itemized funeral bill, the mortician's affidavit, and an assignment of the allowance payment to the funeral home, which the form ties to "Section 35.801, CL 1948, as amended by Act 235 of 1959". The form also asks whether the free VA marker has been applied for, and warns that a case may be chosen for review of the asset answers.
The amount. The county does not publish what it pays; the statute's floor is $300. Ask the Probate Court, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Saginaw (989-790-5279).
Thresholds
Thresholds for Saginaw County Soldiers and Sailors Commission Burial Allowance
Gate
Rule
90 days of wartime service, Saginaw County legal address
At least 90 days of active duty in the listed war periods and a legal address in Saginaw County at death. No rating is needed.
Asset limits
A spouse applicant may keep $40,000; other applicants an amount up to the funeral cost. The home and all life insurance are excluded.
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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.