About This Service – VA Form 40‑1330 (Government Headstone or Marker)

The Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker (VA Form 40‑1330) can feel intimidating—especially during a difficult time. Our independent, private online wizard turns complex rules into clear prompts, catches common pitfalls (like inscription limits and delivery rules), and prepares a clean application you can submit electronically (where available) or download to mail/fax yourself.

• Flat service fee: $14 for the 40‑1330 online preparation

• Optional printed packet: + $4 (ready‑to‑sign hard copy)

• Privacy: We delete your application data from our systems after you download or we submit electronically

• Important: We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the VA. VA benefits are provided by the VA at no cost. Our fee covers this private preparation service and optional printing.

Our guided experience reduces errors, avoids rework, and helps you finish confidently—even if some documents aren’t handy yet (you can save a draft and return later).

What’s Included

Guided Eligibility & Request Type
We determine whether you’re applying for a burial headstone/marker or a memorial (remains not recovered/identified, buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated & scattered) and apply the correct rules.

Smart Cemetery Look‑Up
Search national, state, tribal, local government, and private cemeteries. We highlight compatible marker types, and who needs to sign and accept delivery.

Marker Type Selection (Block 15)
Choose among flat, upright, niche, or small granite markers—filtered to what the selected cemetery allows.

Emblem of Belief (Block 17)
Pick from the official emblem list or select “None.” If a request is outside the list, we’ll flag it before submission.

Inscription Builder & Live Preview
We enforce per‑marker line/character limits and allowed characters for additional inscription lines:

• Upright (U/V): up to 4 lines, 15 characters/line

• Flat Bronze/Granite/Marble & Niche (B/F/G/Z): up to 2 lines, 27 characters/line

• Small Flat Granite (L): up to 2 lines, 22 characters/line
  The wizard also manages spousal inscription rules (available only when the Veteran’s date of death is on/after 10/01/2019) and auto‑includes “IN MEMORY OF” for memorial markers.

Auto‑Checks for Common Pitfalls

• Pre‑1990 rule for marked graves (eligibility logic)

• Branch/rank consistency and awards documentation prompts

• “No P.O. Box” delivery addresses

• Required signatures depending on cemetery type

• “No ‘NA/None’” text entries per VA guidance

Document Handling—Now or Later
Upload discharge papers (DD‑214 or equivalent), award proof, POW confirmation, or authorization letters now, later, or continue while authorizing VA records retrieval attempts where applicable.

Replacement Requests (Block 1 + Remarks)
Built‑in reasons (damaged, incorrect inscription, stolen/lost, type change, other) with a clear Remarks section.

Cemetery & Delivery Coordination (Blocks 25–33)
Collect the consignee (delivery) details when required, plus cemetery/responsible official signatures—automatically hidden for State Veterans cemeteries where those blocks aren’t required.

Ready‑to‑Use Output

• Electronic submission (where available) with your authorization

• Downloadable PDF packet for mail/fax

• Optional printed packet (+$4)—we print a ready‑to‑sign set for your own submission

Privacy by Design
Encrypted from start to finish; we delete your application data after you download or we submit electronically.

Save a Draft & Resume
Start today—even without every document. Come back anytime to finish.

Why Using This Service Matters

• Fewer delays & resubmissions
  Live validations catch issues before they lead to rejection (e.g., over‑length inscriptions, disallowed characters, or delivery/address problems).

• Faster, clearer decisions
  The wizard shows only what applies to your situation and explains why each item is needed.

• Memorial vs. Burial handled correctly
  We guide “remains not buried” scenarios and ensure memorial‑specific rules (like “IN MEMORY OF”) are in place.

• Cemetery‑aware and signature‑ready
  The process adapts to the cemetery type, so you collect the right signatures and delivery details the first time.

• Start without all documents
  Save a draft, upload later, and avoid stalling the process.

• Independent, transparent, and private
  We are not the VA. The benefit itself is free from the VA; our $14 fee is for the online preparation service—plus $4 if you add printing. We delete your data after completion.

What You’ll Need (if available)

• Veteran’s legal name (no nicknames/titles in the legal name fields)

• SSN or Service Number (at least one)

• Date of Birth and Date of Death

• Branch(es) of Service and service dates

• Cemetery name/address (or family plot details)

• Desired marker type and emblem of belief (or “None”)

• Additional inscription text (optional; our counters guide you)

• Supporting docs if you want rank, awards, or specific periods of war inscribed (you may upload later)

Don’t have something on hand? Choose Provide later and continue. You can return to upload before submission.