Q: We discovered my FIL’s cremains were unclaimed, my FIL was a veteran. Husband would like to claim his ashes.
Can we get his remains without paying thousands of dollars? The funeral home put his cremains in an underground vault with about 50 others. My husband and his little brother were 13y and 10y when their dad died and never knew what happened to his ashes. Their father was divorced from their mother. Their father is a veteran and many of the other unclaimed ashes are of veterans as well. His cremation was paid for by his employer at the time. He passed in the year 2000
A:
As the next of kin, your husband has the right to claim his father's cremains. You should not have to pay thousands of dollars to claim them, especially if the cremation was already paid for. Contact the funeral home to request the release of the cremains; they may require proof of relationship and identity. Since your father-in-law was a veteran, you might also seek assistance from the local Veterans Affairs office. They can provide guidance and sometimes assist in matters involving the remains of veterans.
Additionally, veterans are entitled to certain burial benefits, which might help if there are any costs associated with claiming the remains. It's important to act promptly and provide all necessary documentation to facilitate the process. If any complications arise, consider seeking advice from an attorney familiar with military and estate law.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
