Veterans Cemeteries

Lake Shore Funeral Home will help a veteran’s family in arranging for the full VA benefits eligible. The VA has excellent cemetery benefits; however, the VA does not offer any funeral/cremation benefits. Survivors of any person who was an active or retired member of the military at time of death, or an honorably discharged veteran, could be eligible for a number of benefits, including:

  • An American flag (which usually drapes the casket)
  • Lake Shore Funeral Home can arrange a burial in the beautiful new Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery at 11463 State Highway 195, Killeen, TX 76542, 254-616-1770. The cemetery will provide a gravesite, graveliner, headstone or marker, perpetual care of the gravesite, and will open and close the grave at no cost. The committal service, limited to 45 minutes, can be held at the cemetery. The government does not pay for transportation of the body to the cemetery. For a detailed list of regulations and more information, please talk to Brent H. Shehorn, Owner & Director of Lake Shore Funeral Home for more details (254-752-5900). At the time of arrangements are made, we will contact the cemetery and make all arrangements.
  • Lake Shore Funeral Home can arrange a burial in the beautiful Dallas – Fort Worth National Cemetery  located at 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway in Dallas. The VA will provide a gravesite, graveliner, headstone or marker, Presidential Memorial Certificate, U.S. Flag, perpetual care of the gravesite, and will open and close the grave at no cost. The committal service, limited to 30 minutes by the VA, can be held at the cemetery. The VA does not pay for transportation of the body to the cemetery. For more information, call the VA at 1-800-827-1000. For a detailed list of regulations and more information, please talk to Brent H. Shehorn, Owner & Director of Lake Shore Funeral Home for more details (254-752-5900). At the time of arrangements are made, we will contact the cemetery and make all arrangements.
  •  The government provides a variety of nice bronze or granite military markers. We can show you a special brochure describing these markers, and Lake Shore can order for you to be placed on your plot. Let us help you.
  • A lump sum payment of $300.00 is usually available to families of those veterans that were entitled to receive VA compensation or pension at time of death (such as retirees), or veterans who died while a registered patient in a VA hospital or other accredited VA facility. If one of these circumstance’s apply and a National Cemetery is not utilized, up to $150.00 could be reimbursed as a plot or interment allowance (requires proof of payment to a non-VA cemetery. Private cemeteries usually assist you by filing this benefit in your behalf). For veterans who die of a service connected disability, the VA could pay an allowance to reimburse funeral costs of $1500.00 or less (no additional VA death benefits would be available). Active duty military personnel are usually entitled to a greater amount, which can vary.
  • If not remarried, the surviving spouse is eligible for burial in the National Cemetery. Dependent children of the veteran are also eligible.
  • Claims for Veteran’s Benefits must be filed within 2 years of death by the veteran’s family, a non-family member who can prove that the veteran’s funeral services are paid, or the funeral director. We will be pleased to make application for these benefits on your behalf if you will provide us with the veteran’s Honorable Discharge papers. For VA Assistance and Information, phone 1-800-827-1000 or visit their website at www.va.gov.

 

DFW National Cemetery serves more than 460,000 Veterans and their families in North-Central Texas. It is a 638-acre cemetery site, and when fully developed, will provide 280,000 burial spaces, including gravesites, lawn crypts (single grave width, double-depth in an enclosed concrete container for two caskets), and columbaria (above-ground compartmental “niches” for cremated remains).

The Cemetery is open from daylight to dusk. Administration Office hours are 8:00am to 4:30 pm, Monday thru Friday, excluding Federal Holidays.

To arrange a burial at the National Cemetery at the time of need, a funeral director representing the family, or the next of kin should contact the National Cemetery where burial is desired. Military honors are not provided by the National Cemetery. These honors are provided by the Department of Defense, and arranged in advance by the funeral home or the family.

Funeral services are not held at national cemeteries, but a final committal service may be performed at the cemetery. For safety reasons, these services are held in committal shelters located away from the gravesite. Burial will take place following the committal service. Location:The DFW National Cemetery is located in the Southwest corner of Dallas, Texas, midway between I-30 and I-20, just off Spur 408.

From the North: From DFW International Airport, take the airport road to Hwy. 183 West to Hwy. 360 South. Proceed South to I-20. Travel East to “Mountain Creek Parkway” Exit. Proceed North approximately 4 miles to the cemetery.

From the South: From Johnson County, take I-35W from Burleson north to I-20 East. After heading east on I-20, passing through Arlington and Grand Prairie, take the Mountain Creek Parkway/DFW National Cemetery exit, and turn back north under I-20. You’ll go a few miles through a newly developed industrial area, past Dallas Baptist College, and then you’ll see the nicely landscaped Cemetery entrance on your right. You can’t miss it.

For additional information, you may refer to the web-site: http://www.cem.va.gov.

Aerial View of DFW National Cemetery
Aerial View of DFW National Cemetery    Click here for driving directions.

Entrance to Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery
Entrance to Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery   Click here for driving directions.