Death & Survivor Benefits
Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery
Burial at no cost to the veteran and a flat $780 for a spouse or eligible child. The veteran's service is what creates eligibility, so a spouse may be buried first.
Also called: cemetery, burial, Donel C. Kinnard, Dunbar, $780, spousal fee, perpetual care, Presidential Memorial Certificate, niche.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
Where it applies
Written for the jurisdictions listed here.
- West VirginiaState
The Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery at 130 Academy Drive in Dunbar opened on Memorial Day 2012, built with a Department of Veterans Affairs grant after a 2006 campaign by veterans service organizations. West Virginia already had two national cemeteries, at Grafton and elsewhere in the north, and neither was convenient to the center or south of the state. This is the state-run answer to that.
It is named for Navy Hospital Corpsman Senior Chief Donel C. Kinnard, a Vietnam veteran awarded the Navy Cross, several Purple Hearts, and the Bronze Star, who after a 22-year career chaired the West Virginia Veterans Council and the State Veterans Cemetery Organization. At his request his ashes were held after his death in February 2009 until the cemetery was finished, and he was the first veteran interred there.
Burial for an eligible veteran is at no cost. That covers a grave site or niche, opening and closing services, a pre-set crypt, a headstone or niche cover, and perpetual care. A Presidential Memorial Certificate is provided to the surviving next of kin.
For a spouse or another eligible family member there is a flat fee of $780.
One rule prevents a common and painful mistake, and the cemetery states it directly: the order of death does not determine eligibility. A spouse or eligible child may predecease the veteran and still be buried there. It is the veteran's service that creates the eligibility, not the veteran's death. A family that loses a spouse first does not have to look elsewhere.
Eligibility follows the federal pattern: a veteran discharged from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable; a person who died on active duty; a member with twenty or more years of National Guard or reserve service qualifying for military retirement; an activated reserve component member; and spouses and dependents. Dependent children are limited to unmarried children under twenty-one, or under twenty-three if a full-time student, or with a lifelong disability that began before twenty-one.
Apply for a pre-eligibility determination before it is needed. The cemetery offers it, and settling eligibility in advance removes a decision from the worst week of a family's life. A Department of Veterans Assistance service officer will handle the paperwork at no charge.
The cemetery accepts credit card payment of the spousal burial fee through a secure site administered by the state Treasurer's Office.
Thresholds
| Gate | Rule |
|---|---|
| No disability rating required | Eligibility rests on service and character of discharge rather than on a rating, so the rating filter never hides this entry. |
| A spouse or child may be buried first | The order of death does not determine eligibility. A spouse or eligible child may predecease the veteran and still be interred, because it is the veteran's service rather than the veteran's death that creates the entitlement. |
| Free for the veteran, $780 for a family member | Burial or interment for an eligible veteran is at no cost, including a grave site or niche, opening and closing, a pre-set crypt, a headstone or niche cover, and perpetual care, with a Presidential Memorial Certificate to the next of kin. A fee of $780 is charged for a spouse or another eligible family member. |
| Discharge other than dishonorable, or twenty years in the Guard or reserves | Eligibility covers a veteran discharged from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable, a person who died on active duty, a member with twenty or more years of National Guard or reserve service qualifying for military retirement, and an activated reserve component member. |
| Dependent children have age limits | Dependent children are limited to unmarried children under twenty-one, under twenty-three if a full-time student, or with a lifelong disability that began before age twenty-one. |
| Settle eligibility before it is needed | The cemetery offers a pre-eligibility application. Determining eligibility in advance removes the question from the days after a death, and a Department of Veterans Assistance service officer will handle it at no charge. |
Sources
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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.