Who is eligible for Military Funeral Honors?
- Military members who died while on active duty or in the Selected Reserve
- Former military members who served on active duty or in the Selected Reserve and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions
- Former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions
- Further clarification on eligibility is available on the DoD Policy page.
Who is NOT eligible for Military Funeral Honors?
- Any person separated from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions or whose character of service results in a bar to veteran's benefits
- Any person who was ordered to report to an induction station, but was not actually inducted into military service
- Any person discharged from the Selected Reserve prior to completing one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service for reasons other than a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty
- Any person convicted of a Federal capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the President)
- Any person who has been convicted of a State capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the Governor of a State)
- Any person who
- is found to have committed a Federal capital crime or a State capital crime, as set forth in section 2411(c) of title 38, but,
- has not been convicted of such crime by reason of such person not being available for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution
For additional information, refer to Title 38, United States Code, Section 2411 on the US Code website.
See also paragraph 4.7.4 of Department of Defense Instruction 1300.15.
How do I establish veteran eligibility?
The preferred method is to provide the member's DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. If the DD Form 214 is not available, any discharge document showing honorable service can be used. The DD Form 214 and records of service may be obtained through the National Archieves at http://www.archives.gov/veterans or 314-801-0800.
