Veteran Services

Personal Alternative Funeral Services is honored to serve our Veteran's and their families. That is why we created the 'Honoring Those Who Serve' Program. Our Program will provide a discounted burial or cremation services to all eligible Veterans. We take pride in assisting all our families in completing their Veteran Affair Death Benefit paperwork.

We take care of the interment services of veteran's and their qualifying next of kin at Tahoma National Cemetery for no charge in most circumstances. We secure a Veteran's Flag and Presidential Memorial Certificate for no charge. We coordinate Military Funeral Honors - for Veteran Only (upon request)

Our program will provide free burial or cremation services to all eligible Veterans.

Honoring Those Who Serve' is our program that provides free burial or cremation services to all eligible Veterans. How do you qualify? Several different ways actually...

• Any Veteran who passes away in a Veteran Affairs Medical facility or Care Center and chooses to have some or all of their ashes interred at the Tahoma National Cemetery
  
• Any Veteran who passes away in a Veteran Affairs Medical facility or Care Center and chooses to have their remains buried in the Tahoma National Cemetery.
  
• Any Active Duty Veteran who passes in the line of duty.
  
• Any Veteran who passes away due to a service connected disability.
  

Interment Service at Tahoma National Cemetery. Tahoma National Cemetery provides the grave space, marker, opening and closing of grave, Veteran's Marker, Military Funeral Honors, Flag Folding, Flag Presentation, Gun Salute & playing of Taps.

A United States flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased Veteran who served honorably in the United States Armed Forces. It is furnished to honor the memory of a Veteran's military service to his or her country. The Veteran's Administration will provide a burial flag for memorialization for each other than dishonorable discharged

• Veteran who served during wartime
  
• Veteran who died on active duty after May 27, 1941
  
• Veteran who served after January 31, 1955
  
• Peacetime Veteran who was discharged or released before June 27, 1950
  
• Certain persons who served in the organized military forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines while in service of the U.S. Armed Forces and who died on or after April 25, 1951
  
• Certain former members of the Selected Reserves
  

Generally, the flag is given to the next-of-kin, as a keepsake, after its use during the funeral service. When there is no next-of-kin, VA will furnish the flag to a friend making request for it. All Veteran's may donate their burial flag to our local National Cemetery and will be flown on Patriotic Holidays on Tahoma National's Walk of Heros.

A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of honorably discharged deceased veterans.

This program was initiated in March 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and has been continued by all subsequent Presidents. Statutory authority for the program is Section 112, Title 38, of the United States Code.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers the PMC program by preparing the certificates which bear the President's signature expressing the country's grateful recognition of the veteran's service in the United States Armed Forces.

Eligible recipients include the deceased veteran's next of kin and loved ones. More than one certificate may be provided.

Eligible recipients, or someone acting on their behalf, may apply for a PMC in person at any VA regional office or by U.S. mail only. Request cannot be sent via email. There is no form to use when requesting a PMC. Please be sure to include a return mailing address with your request and a copy of the veteran's discharge documents.

Please send your PMC request to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
National Cemetery Administration (403A)
810 Vermont Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20420