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Committee reviews draft burial form, clarifies DD214 requirement and burial payment amounts
Summary
Bay County staff presented a draft standardized burial form and recommended requiring a DD214 to verify wartime service; staff said the county pays $300 per wartime veteran and $300 for a spouse for burials/markers and reported recent quarter counts of eligible and ineligible applications.
Bay County Veterans Affairs Committee members reviewed a draft standardized burial form on May 19 intended to replace several outdated and inconsistent funeral-home versions.
Staff said the draft is intended to simplify the submission process for funeral homes and families, and it makes wartime service dates explicit so eligibility can be confirmed. Staff recommended requiring a DD214 to verify wartime service for eligibility under the governing statutory framework (Public Act 214 of 1899, as cited in committee materials). "DD214 has got to be required," staff said, explaining the form change is designed to reduce downstream follow-up and denials.
Committee members were told the county pays $300 for a wartime veteran and $300 for a spouse for burials/markers; the packet shows counts from the previous quarter (26 veterans, 8 spouses and 3 markers). Staff noted some applications were ineligible because claimants did not meet the wartime-service requirement and said they would continue to assist families with obtaining DD214 records from state archives when needed.
The draft form remains marked "draft" pending review by corporate counsel; staff said counsel will review and that the clerk's office can often help veterans obtain replacement DD214s. Members moved to receive the draft form and the motion carried by voice vote.
Staff said standardizing forms should reduce back-and-forth with funeral homes and speed reimbursement to providers.
