Canadian Veterans Burial Question Guide

hope I am posting in the right place,I am hoping some member can help me, and explain to this old fool what the proper procedure is for a person to be buried in the veterans part of a cemetery,?what proof is needed, does the cemetery have any documentation that he served,who makes the decision that he can buried in the veterans section.?would love to hear from someone who can explain this to me.many thanks B/H

 

Salute, and welcome to the Forum from:
Fred T. L. Wilson, Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 25, Vernon BC Member # 025 10129137
Barraba NSW Australia Returned Serviceman's League (RSL) Club Member http://www.rslnsw.org.au/

"At the Going Down of the Sun and in the Morning
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"

Black Hackle: there is your answer.
Contact your local branch of your Royal Canadian Legion

From: http://legion.ca/ServiceBureau/overview_e.cfm
"Our Professional Command Legion Service Officers provide these services;
free of charge, whether or not you are a member of the Legion.
Our representation role is mandated through legislation.
If you would like assistance in preparing your first application to VAC or representation with an appeal to the VRAB,
The Royal Canadian Legion Command Service Officer can assist you at any stage in the disability claim process.
We support all who have worn the uniform and those who are wearing the uniform...."

That is what we are here for.

Last Post markers for veterans

Pat Myttenar talks about the Royal Canadian Legion program that provides funding for grave markers for veterans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZo-jPDtcU

Royal Canadian Legion Last Post

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E0xWHIpJzk

 

The Ladies Auxiliary of the Canadian Legion

Chapter from the 59 minute full length feature "Fit for Duty"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k683EhRbXc

Royal Canadian Legion Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spt48oYT5_E

 

Veterans Affairs Canada
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/services/case-management

Case Management

A service for former members and Veterans of the CF and RCMP, and their families who may need case management for assistance in coping with a serious injury, career transition or the loss of a loved one.

Case management is a service offered by Veterans Affairs to assist former members, Veterans, RCMP and their families who may be finding it difficult to navigate a transition or change in their lives.
Not everyone needs case management services, however if you do the VAC Case Manager will assist you in dealing with the challenges you are facing.
Some examples when you might need case management include coping with serious illness or adjusting to a loss such as a career or a loved one.

When preparing to leave the military a VAC representative will meet with you during your Transition Interview and discuss the programs and services VAC offers, and at that time will discuss whether you and your family may need case management services.

The case management process begins as soon as you and your VAC case manager meet
- it is important for us to get to know you and for you to get to know us.
Through the process you and your case manager will discuss many aspects of your life and identify your goals and what may be a barrier to you achieving your goals.
You will develop a plan with the case manager and be an active participant throughout the process.
VAC case managers are members of interdisciplinary teams and have access to doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, mental health specialists, rehabilitation specialists, and provincial and local programs and service providers.

Throughout the course of the case management process your case manager will monitor and evaluate your progress and adjust the plan as necessary to assist you and your family reach your goals, and optimize your level of independence and well being.

Remember you may not need case management services today, but in the future if you and your family feel you need help you can contact us and we will be happy to meet with you whether to provide information and direction or to provide case management services.

 

Canadian Forces after 1918 (including Second World War) - Military - What to Search: Topics - Canadian Genealogy Centre - Library and Archives Canada

Towards the bottom of the page gives reference and links to military records from other countries.

Canadian Forces after 1918 (including Second World War)

Research at Library and Archives Canada

About the Records

Military personnel files include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dentalcharts. There is no online database for these records.

Requests for Information

We try to answer inquiries within 30 days; however, due to the large number of inquiries being received, we are currently experiencing delays in our response times. Clients who submit a written request should expect to wait six months for a response. Priority service is given to people who require documentation to prove that they qualify for pensions, allowances, claims and other benefits, therefore, these types of requests should be clearly identified.

For projects involving research in a large number of files, the request will be assessed by our staff to determine if current resources can accommodate such an extensive commitment.

How to Send an Inquiry Concerning Your Own or Another Individual's Records

• Your request must be signed.
• To identify a file, we require surname, full given name(s), date of birth, and service number or social insurance number.
• If you do not know the date of birth, service number or S.I.N. (social insurance number), secondary information (e.g., the names of next of kin, postings, dates of service, place of enlistment) can assist in identifying the correct individual.
• Consult the section below on Access Restrictions.
• Please specify what document(s) you require. If you are doing family history research, we recommend that you request a "genealogy package," which will include copies of selected documents from the file that highlight/summarize the individual's service.
• We do not accept email inquiries for these records. Inquiries must be sent by mail or fax.
• Your request can be written as a letter or you can print off a blank copy of the Application Form [PDF 108 KB], which should be filled in, signed and sent by mail or fax.
• Inquiries should be sent by mail or fax to:

ATIP and Personnel Records Division
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N4
Fax: 613-947-8456
If you are an ex-service member released less than five years:

• Please send your request to National Defence Headquarters if you are requesting your entire military personnel file, information under the Privacy Act or a complete personal information bank, such as all your medical records, all your pension information or all your performance evaluation and course reports. See the section below on Research in Other Institutions.
• Please send your request to our Personnel Records Unit if you only require a copy of a specific document(s), such as your discharge certificate or immunization records.

Access Restrictions

• Access to personal information relating to an individual who is still living requires that person's signed consent.
• If the individual has been deceased for less than 20 years, limited information may be released to immediate family. Proof of death and relationship must be provided.
• There are no restrictions on access to information relating to an individual who has been deceased for more than 20 years. Proof of death is required.

Proof of Death: A copy of a death certificate, newspaper obituary, funeral notice or photograph of the gravestone. Note that proof of death is not required if the individual died while in service.
Proof of Relationship: A document that clearly demonstrates the relationship between the individual concerned and the person requesting the record. Both names must appear on the document. A newspaper obituary, baptismal certificate or full-form birth certificate are acceptable. A wallet-sized birth certificate that does not indicate parents' names is not accepted. Please do not send original documents; photocopies are acceptable.
Immediate Family: A parent, spouse, child, sibling or grandchild of the individual.

Should you wish to submit a formal request under privacy legislation, see: Records of the Government of Canada.

Research Online

Personnel files after 1918 and the personal information contained in them are protected by the provisions of privacy legislation. For the same reason, the database and indexes that are used to identify the files cannot be made available on our Web site. Only staff may access them.

Canada Remembers: The Second World War []Veterans Affairs Canada - Anciens Combattants Canada

Information about the Second World War (Veterans Affairs Canada)
Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War

[www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/newspapers/intro_e.html]
The history of the Second World War as reported in Canadian newspapers. This free newspaper archives of more than 144,000 newspaper articles offers wonderful opportunities for research in every aspect of war.

Research in Other Institutions

Records of individuals still serving or recently released (less than one year for Regular Force service or three years for Reserve Force service) are still in the custody of National Defence. Please submit your inquiry to:
Director, Access to Information and Privacy (DAIP)
National Defence Headquarters
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K2

 

Veterans Affairs Canada
Funeral, Burial and Gravemarking Assistance
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/bereavement/gravevac

The Canadian Government has traditionally assumed responsibility for the burial of members of the Canadian Armed Forces who died during battle and, later, those who died as a result of war-related injuries. In the years following the end of the Second World War and the Korean War, benefits were expanded to Veterans who died without the financial means to provide for a dignified funeral and burial.

The Last Post Fund Corporation (LPF) has been mandated to deliver the program on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The LPF is a non-profit organization which is closely associated with VAC and will provide, insofar as possible, an honourable funeral and burial, including a military style gravemarker to eligible ex-service persons. For further information on the LPF please view their website at www.lastpostfund.ca External link, Opens in a new window.

Matter-of-Right
A Veteran who dies while on treatment strength of Veterans Affairs Canada, or a disability pensioner who is deemed to have died either from a pension condition(s) or a condition which can be related to military service may be entitled to full funeral and burial benefits up to the maximum amounts payable under current legislation as a matter-of-right (no means test is performed on the estate of the deceased). Arrangements may also be made for funeral and burial benefits when a Veteran dies without next-of-kin.

Means Tested
Under the program, the LPF may provide funeral and burial assistance to:

• a Canadian Armed Forces or Merchant Navy Veteran of the Second World War (1 September 1939 to 1 April 1947); or
• a Canadian Veteran of the Korean War who served in the theatre of operations, or has been part of the Special Forces designated to go to the Republic of Korea anytime before 31 October 1953; or
• a Veteran who served in the Canadian Forces and is receiving a disability benefit, an earnings loss benefit or a Canadian Forces income support benefit from Veterans Affairs Canada; 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

If the estate of the deceased and the financial resources of any surviving spouse are not sufficient to pay the expenses of the funeral and burial (as determined by the means test described below) then assistance may be provided to cover all or part of the cost.

The Means Test
In determining eligibility for means-tested assistance, the following assets in the deceased's estate will not be included in the calculation of financial status:

• Assets to a value of $12,015 where the deceased left a surviving spouse
• Assets to a value of $700 for each dependent child (as defined under the legislation)
• The family home (including normal household furnishings) and the family automobile
• Regular income cheques (payments under: Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, War Veterans Allowance, or disability pension payments) issued to the deceased for the month of death.

Where the deceased is not survived by a spouse or dependent children, all estate assets are examined to determine financial need.

Funeral and burial expenses of the deceased, as well as other debts, are considered when determining the value of the estate. If it is determined that the estate and, if applicable, the financial resources of any surviving spouse are sufficient to provide for the funeral and burial, assistance will not be approved. If there are sufficient assets to cover a portion of the expenses, a grant in the amount of the difference, up to the maximum amounts stipulated by legislation, may be approved.

Benefits
Assistance may be provided to a maximum amount for the services of one or, if required, two funeral directors. This includes a solid wood casket, or one of equal or lesser value that may be made of wood veneer, preparation of the body, the use of a room for public viewing for up to two days, the use of a hearse and one other automobile, and the provision of grave-side services. The Goods and Services Tax is reimbursed on amounts paid for these services. The legislation permits reimbursement of the "lowest cost earth burial" in the county, township or city of residence in: a cemetery plot designated for Veterans, a plot in a section of a cemetery designated as a "Field of Honour", or a plot that would ensure a dignified funeral. Burial costs may include the cost of the grave, the rental of a lowering device, the opening and closing of the grave and the costs of perpetual care.

Gravemarkers
A military style gravemarker (upright or flat granite, or in certain cases, flat bronze) conforming with the standards of Veterans Affairs Canada may be provided under conditions similar to those that govern funeral and burial assistance.

Application for Assistance
An application for funeral and burial assistance can be made by calling the national Last Post Fund toll free at 1-800-465-7113, within one year following the death of the Veteran. Applications that are received after the one-year time limit will not be considered.

For more detailed information about the regulations, please visit the web site below:
Veterans Burial Regulations, 2005

 

The only thing I can think of in UK...is if you are a war pensioner....You get your funeral costs up to a limit...paid. We over here do not have specific areas of graveyards.

 

Something that may also be of interest is that an important and positive rule change for the Military section of many Canadian Cemeteries is that the spouse can now be buried in the plot with the Veteran. Too many Veterans were choosing to buried elsewhere if they could not be buried with their spouse. All Veterans graves in the city I live in are honoured on Decoration Day usually the 3rd Sunday in August with Canadian flags placed on the graves - often a cross as well or symbol as appropriate, as well as there being a service of Remembrance. All Veterans who have passed in the previous year are named, and usually about 6 new trees are planted in the memory of a Veteran with a plaque with their name listing their unit and years of service.

http://www.lastpostfund.ca/EN/faq.php

Generally speaking the cemetery of choice and a funeral home is the place to contact if one is able to afford a funeral. The Last Post exists to assist those who cannot. The funeral homes in the location of the cemetery will know the cemeteries requirements. To be honest when both my Dad the Veteran and then later my Mum died, I do not recall a lot of details, but I know at the funeral home I needed to provide information on their lineage such as parents names and places of birth as well as their own. I am quite certain we provided service numbers as well. I do not recall providing documentation for Dad, but Mum may have done so, such as a copy of his pension cheque from VAC or as we had found his Soldier's Service and Pay Book the evening of his death in his bedside table, she may have produced this for the funeral director. If a Veteran were to be assisting his family to have the right information they could ensure they have ordered their own service file if they no longer have their discharge papers or other documents to prove service. At the very least, if they can leave their service number for family members it would help them to get the right documentation. A local funeral director, if there is no local Legion to assist, would have had too much experience by now in what is necessary.