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Life insurance and burial benefits for Tennessee veterans

Tennessee's VA national cemeteries include Chattanooga and Mountain Home, which remain open for casket burials, and the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services runs state veterans cemeteries in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, and Parkers Crossroads. Burial in a state veterans cemetery is at no cost for eligible veterans, with no interment fee for a spouse or eligible dependent children. Veterans with a permanent and total service-connected disability may qualify for property tax relief on their home, calculated on up to $175,000 of market value, through the county trustee. Funeral home and service costs usually still fall to the family.

Facts checked against the sources listed below.

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Veterans in the state

434,600

Estimate, 2023

VA national cemeteries

6

Located in Tennessee

State veterans cemeteries

5

Built with VA grants

State agency

TN

Tennessee Department of Veterans Services

Life insurance options for Tennessee veterans

Military life insurance is federal, so the options are the same in every state: convert SGLI to VGLI after separation, apply for VALife if you have a service-connected rating, or buy private coverage. Healthy veterans often compare VGLI against private term life, since VGLI rates rise every five years.

Veterans cemeteries in Tennessee

VA national cemeteries

State veterans cemeteries

  • East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery - Gov. John Sevier Hwy — Knoxville
  • East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery - Lyons View Pike (closed to new burials) — Knoxville
  • Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery — Nashville
  • Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at Parkers Crossroads — Parkers Crossroads
  • West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery — Memphis

Burial in a VA national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, and a burial flag are available to eligible veterans at no cost; see VA burial benefits for current allowances. Source: VA National Cemetery Administration: Cemeteries in Tennessee

Compare coverage as a veteran in Tennessee

A licensed agent can check private options side by side with VGLI and VALife. Free, with no obligation.

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Tennessee state benefits for veterans

Homeowners with a service-connected permanent and total disability (or certain specific service-connected disabilities such as paraplegia, loss of use of two limbs, or legal blindness) may receive property tax relief on their primary residence, calculated on up to $175,000 of market value; apply through the county trustee. Source: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: Property Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans

Burial in a Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery is at no cost for eligible veterans, with no interment fee for a veteran's spouse or eligible dependent children, and every veteran receives a government headstone. Source: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: State Veterans Cemetery Cost

Tennessee residents who are 100% permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected cause, or 30% or more disabled by reason of wartime service, can get a sport fishing and hunting license for a one-time $10 fee. Source: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: Hunting and Fishing Licenses

For help applying, contact the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services.

Planning for final costs too? See final expense insurance in Tennessee.

Frequently asked questions

Where can veterans be buried in Tennessee?

Tennessee has 6 VA national cemeteries and 5 state veterans cemeteries, including Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga. Eligibility rules apply; the cemetery or Tennessee Department of Veterans Services can confirm.

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Can Tennessee veterans keep their military life insurance after leaving service?

SGLI can be converted to VGLI within 1 year and 120 days after separation, with no health questions if you apply within 240 days. Veterans with a service-connected rating may also qualify for VA Life Insurance (VALife). These are federal programs, so the rules are the same in every state.

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Do disabled veterans get a property tax break in Tennessee?

Homeowners with a service-connected permanent and total disability (or certain specific service-connected disabilities such as paraplegia, loss of use of two limbs, or legal blindness) may receive property tax relief on their primary residence, calculated on up to $175,000 of market value; apply through the county trustee.

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Sources

  1. VA National Cemetery Administration: Cemeteries in Tennessee
  2. VA VetPop2023 State Estimates, 2000 to 2023
  3. Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: Property Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans
  4. Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: State Veterans Cemetery Cost
  5. Tennessee Department of Veterans Services: Hunting and Fishing Licenses
  6. Tennessee Department of Veterans Services

Veterans guides for other states