Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 506 - Veterans
Section 27-118. - Funeral expenses.

(a) When any veteran or member, as defined in subsection (e) of this section, dies, not having sufficient estate to pay the necessary expenses of the veteran's or member's last sickness and funeral expenses, as determined by the commissioner after consultation with the probate court for the district in which the veteran or member resided, the state shall pay the sum of one thousand eight hundred dollars toward such funeral expenses.

(b) Burial shall be in some cemetery or plot not used exclusively for the burial of the pauper dead.
(c) No amount shall be paid for funeral expenses unless claim therefor is made within one year from the date of death, except that in cases of death occurring abroad, such claim may be made within one year after the remains of such veteran or member have been interred in this country. No provision of this section shall prevent the payment of the sum under subsection (a) of this section for funeral expenses on account of the burial of such veteran being made outside the limits of this state.
(d) Upon satisfactory proof by the person who has paid or provided for the funeral expenses to the commissioner of the identity of the deceased veteran, the time and place of the deceased's death and burial and the approval thereof by the commissioner, the sum under subsection (a) of this section shall be paid by the Comptroller to the person who has paid the funeral expenses.
(e) (1) Upon satisfactory proof by the person who has paid or provided for the funeral or burial expense to the commissioner of the identity of the deceased member, the time and place of the deceased member's death and burial and the approval thereof by the commissioner, the sum of one thousand eight hundred dollars shall be paid by the Comptroller to the person who has paid the funeral or burial expense, or upon assignment by such person, to the funeral director who has provided the funeral.
(2) The person who has paid or provided for the funeral or burial expense shall provide to the commissioner (A) an affidavit stating (i) when the deceased member served, (ii) where the deceased member served, (iii) the unit in which the deceased member served, and (iv) the capacity in which the deceased member served; (B) any available corroborating witness affidavits; (C) any available official documentation of service; and (D) any other documents supporting the affidavit.
(f) Whenever the Comptroller has lawfully paid any sum toward the funeral expenses of any deceased veteran or member and it afterwards appears that the deceased left any estate, the Comptroller may present a claim on behalf of the state against the estate of such deceased veteran or member for the sum so paid, and the claim shall be a preferred claim against such estate and shall be paid to the Treasurer of the state. The commissioner, upon the advice of the Attorney General, may make application for administration upon the estate of any such deceased veteran or member if no other person authorized by law makes such application within sixty days after such payment has been made by the Comptroller.
(g) As used in this section, (1) “veteran” has the same meaning as provided in section 27-103, (2) “member” means any person who served in the Hmong Laotian special guerilla units, which units served in the United States secret war in the Kingdom of Laos during the Vietnam War, and (3) “funeral expenses” means (A) the cash advances paid by the funeral director and the cost of funeral services and funeral merchandise, (B) the cost of burial, cremation or disposition, and (C) the cost of publication of an obituary. “Funeral merchandise” includes, but is not limited to, alternative containers, caskets, urns, vaults and outer burial containers.
(1949 Rev., S. 2940; September, 1950, 1951, 1953, S. 1641d; 1957, P.A. 163, S. 31; 1961, P.A. 309; 1963, P.A. 610; 1967, P.A. 664; P.A. 88-285, S. 14, 35; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 45; P.A. 10-32, S. 96; P.A. 18-47, S. 22; P.A. 21-51, S. 3; 21-79, S. 31; 21-112, S. 1.)
History: 1961 act changed provision that municipality pay burial expense to requirement that an allowance of $150 be paid toward funeral expenses by municipality, reimbursable by the state; 1963 act deleted provisions for municipality to pay allowance toward expenses, added provision for determination by the commission in consultation with probate court that estate is insufficient to defray expenses and provided for payment of the allowance to the person who paid the funeral expenses; 1967 act amended latter provision to include whoever provided for the funeral and for payment to funeral director where assignment made to him; P.A. 88-285 replaced veterans' home and hospital commission with commissioner; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 increased burial expense from $150 to $1,800 and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 10-32 made a technical change, effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 18-47 added definition of “veteran”; P.A. 21-51 designated existing provision re payment of necessary expenses of last sickness and burial as Subsec. (a), designated existing provision re satisfactory proof as Subsec. (b), added Subsec. (c), codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (e), re funeral or burial expense for deceased member who served in Hmong Laotian special guerilla units, designated existing provision re presentment of claim on behalf of the state as Subsec. (d), codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (f), designated definitions as Subsec. (e), codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (g), and amended same to add definition of “member”, and made technical and conforming changes; P.A. 21-79 redefined “veteran”; P.A. 21-112 designated existing provision re payment of necessary expenses of last sickness and burial as Subsec. (a) and amended same to replace “burial” with “funeral expenses”, designated existing provision re prohibition in cemetery or plot for pauper dead as Subsec. (b) and amended same to delete reference to same payment amount of cremation, designated existing provision re allowable claim period burial outside the limits of the state as Subsec. (c), designated existing provision re payment by Comptroller as Subsec. (d), designated existing provision re presentment of claim on behalf of the state as Subsec. (e), codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (f), designated definitions as Subsec. (f), codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (g) and amended same to add definitions of “funeral expenses” and “funeral merchandise”, and made technical and conforming changes.

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