VA Announces Expansion of Benefits
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a temporary expansion of burial benefits for certain veterans and their families.
Recipients will see a temporary expansion of burial benefits thanks to the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, known as the Dole Act.
The department has been contacted via email for comment.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins pictured in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins pictured in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Why It Matters
The VA is the second-largest U.S. government department, employing about 470,000 people, a quarter of whom are veterans. Some 6.2 million veterans in the United States receive disability benefits from the VA.
Veterans who received VA healthcare were not always eligible for a VA-covered burial, resulting in families having to cover the costs after their deaths.
This benefit from the Dole Act will mean eligible veterans will have their full burial costs covered.
This temporary expansion of burial benefits comes as the department reduces its headcount as part of the Trump administration's program to downsize the federal government - although by much less than originally planned.
The VA had planned to reduce its workforce to 400,000, but after much criticism last week announced it would shed fewer than 30,000 jobs this year. Some 12,000 staff will leave their roles by the end of September, after 17,000 job cuts were made between January and June.
The department says it has "multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact veteran care or benefits."
What To Know
"The new law specifies eligible Veterans are those who are discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at their home and who pass away between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2026," said the VA in a statement.
"Previously, Veterans who died at home under VA hospice care after discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care were not always eligible for a full VA burial allowance. The Dole Act addresses that gap."
The Dole Act was signed into law in January 2025 by then-President Joe Biden.
Following its passage, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Republican Illinois Representative Mike Bost said: "The men and women who have served have earned access to a VA that puts them – not government bureaucracy – at the center of its operations. The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act will do exactly that."
The act includes several increases and changes to veterans' benefits, including changing the definition of "surviving spouse" to "someone who lived continuously with the veteran until their death and who has not remarried," and requiring the VA to create a plan for creating transitional housing grants for homeless veterans.
Trump administration changes to the VA include barring transgender veterans from getting their fertility treatment covered by the VA, and increasing the VA budget by $83 billion through the recent budget.
What People Are Saying
VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a press release: "VA is working hard to fully implement the many provisions of the Dole Act. We're excited to offer this expanded benefit, which better supports Veterans who choose to spend their final days at home, surrounded by their loved ones."
What Happens Next
Families and caregivers are encouraged to contact their local VA office to determine eligibility and to apply for the expanded burial benefits.
Additional details are available on the VA burial benefits website or by calling 800-827-1000.
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