The Last Post Fund – Financial Assistance for Funerals and Burials

The Last Post Fund’s primary mandate is to deliver the Veteran Affairs Canada (VAC) Funeral and Burial Program that provides funeral, burial and grave marking benefits for eligible Canadian and Allied veterans.

Its mission is to ensure that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at time of death.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the Program, veterans must meet both military service and matter of right or financial criteria.

Military Service:
To meet the military service criteria, the veteran must have been:

  • a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces or any predecessor Naval, Army or Air Forces of Canada or Newfoundland; or
  • a Merchant Navy veteran of the Second World War or the Korean War; or
  • an Allied veteran who served with the Allied Forces during the Second World War or the Korean War and has also lived in Canada for at least 10 years, or lived in Canada prior to enlisting and was living in Canada at time of death.

Once the veteran has met the service-related criteria, eligibility for funeral and burial benefits can be established in one of two ways:

Matter-of-Right:
When a veteran’s death is related to military service due to a condition for which VAC provided a disability benefit, assistance may be granted as a matter-of-right (no means testing).

Means Testing:
The means test, or a financial assessment of a veteran’s estate, takes into account the following factors: marital status, number of dependents and net assets.

Assistance Provided
The current maximum rate payable toward funeral home costs such as professional services, casket and an urn is $7,376 + tax. Over and above this amount, the cost of a plot, cemetery charges such as opening and closing, and the actual cost of cremation may be covered (maximums apply). Because a veteran’s financial situation may change up until the time of death, funeral and burial benefits cannot be pre-approved.

How to Apply
It is important to note that every case is unique. Therefore, financial assistance is not automatically granted and it is recommended to contact the Last Post Fund to discuss your specific situation.

To contact the Last Post Fund please call Toll Free 1 800 465-7113 (Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) or email [email protected]

Please note there is a one-year time limit after the Veteran’s death to apply for assistance.