I was recently watching a professional football game where they had a family down on the field honoring them for the service of their son who was serving our country in Afghanistan. As the announcer was describing this impressive young man, he appeared on the field and surprised his family who thought he was still overseas fighting for our country! The joy that they had was contagious and I found myself tearing up at this wonderful reunion.

This also made me think of all of the veterans we serve at Legacy Safeguard that believe since they are veterans that their funeral expenses are completely paid for because they served our country. In fact, many veterans believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will pay for their funeral expenses.

While the VA does provide burial allowances, they are in fact partial reimbursements of an eligible veteran’s burial and funeral costs. When the cause of death is not service related, the reimbursements are generally described as two payments: (1) a burial and funeral expense allowance, and (2) a plot or interment allowance.

According the VA website, http://www.va.gov, if you are a veteran you may be eligible for VA burial allowance if:

• you paid for a veteran’s burial or funeral, AND

• you have not been reimbursed by another government agency or some other source, such as the deceased veteran’s employer, AND

• the veteran was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

• the veteran died because of a service-related disability, OR

• the veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation at the time of death,  OR

• the veteran was entitled to receive VA pension or compensation, but decided not to reduce his/her military retirement or disability pay, OR

• the veteran died while hospitalized by VA, or while receiving care under VA contract at a non-VA facility,  OR

• the veteran died while traveling under proper authorization and at VA expense to or from a specified place for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care, OR

• the veteran had an original or reopened claim pending at the time of death and has been found entitled to compensation or pension from a date prior to the date or death,  OR

• the veteran died on or after October 9, 1996, while a patient at a VA-approved state nursing home.

Now for the big question…How Much Does VA REALLY Pay?

Service-Related Death. VA will pay up to $2,000 toward burial expenses for deaths on or after September 11, 2001. If the veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the cost of transporting the deceased may be reimbursed.

Nonservice-Related Death. VA will pay up to $300 toward burial and funeral expenses and a $300 plot-interment allowance for deaths on or after December 1, 2001. If the death happened while the veteran was in a VA hospital or under VA contracted nursing home care, some or all of the costs for transporting the veteran’s remains may be reimbursed.

While these are good benefits, they won’t usually cover the cost of a funeral. Many veterans are disappointed when they learn that the government doesn’t pay more for their funeral expenses. This false sense of security can lead to a lot of stress for families when a veteran passes away. This is why proper final expense planning is so important for all of our clients. Therefore, be sure to educate your veteran clients about the reality of the benefits that they are entitled to, so this doesn’t happen to them.

Funding a Funeral Trust and enrolling your veteran clients in Legacy Safeguard is another service you can provide not only for the veteran, but for their family. This will not only ensure their family is not left with the burden of having to pass the hat to pay for their funeral, but gives them a powerful venue through the Legacy Safeguard to detail the memories they want to pass down to their loved ones. Legacy Safeguard can also assist the family as they plan to honor their veteran when the need arises. We will be proud to stand by you and assist you as you support those who have done so much to preserve the freedom of our great nation.

Bryan W. Adams is President & CEO of Premier Planning, LLC and Founder of Legacy Safeguard. Bryan is considered one of the nations’ leading experts on final expense planning, and he frequently speaks throughout the country about the importance of assisting clients to gain peace of mind through advanced funeral funding.

Bryan’s passion for helping families prepare for their final expenses came from being raised in the funeral business. His family still owns and operates several funeral homes, and he is constantly amazed at how unprepared families are when a death occurs. Bryan has worked tirelessly to help Americans plan for the inevitable and lessen the burden on their loved ones.

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

The recent death of Steve Jobs really made me stop and think about how I will be remembered long after I’m gone. I think this is a fundamental question that we all have. We all want to be remembered well and not just be another faceless name on a family tree or a name on a headstone in some remote cemetery.

When Steve Jobs passed away, I was amazed to see the immediate shift in the news cycle on every major channel. One minute I was watching Piers Morgan on CNN, and the next minute the news that he had died changed everyone’s news coverage to Steve Jobs and his legacy. It was pretty incredible for a business leader to receive this much attention. I can understand this type of attention for a US President, a famous actor or a member of the Royal family, but this type of coverage shows the impact he has had on our society.

I was also encouraged by the impromptu memorials that popped up at Apple stores all over the world. It reminded me of what we saw when Princes Diana and Ronald Reagan died. It was a very impressive show of love and support for this great man.

Now, whether you’re a fan of Apple or not, you have to agree that Steve Jobs was a visionary man that changed the way we all live, work and communicate with others. Very few people can impact one industry in their lifetime and yet he was a pioneer in many. He revolutionized the personal computing industry with Apple and the Macintosh computer. He changed the animation world forever through Pixar. He turned the music industry upside down with iTunes. He shook up the portable music market with the iPod. He woke up the mobile phone industry with the iPhone. And, he made the mobile computing industry available and fun for millions of people with the iPad and the iPhone.

I really liken him to someone like Michelangelo, Galileo, Christopher Columbus, and others that not only impacted our lives but changed them forever with their art and discovery. I really don’t think we realize now how future generations will remember this man and all that he’s done for our society.

Now the tough question is, “How will you be remembered?” I don’t ask this to discourage you. The reality is that most of us won’t have this type of impact on our entire society, but we can on our families. I encourage you to take chances in life, be bold and most of all love your family with all that you have. You may not invent the iPhone, but to your family you are just as important. So start working now on your legacy to ensure that you are remembered well by all those that matter to you!

Bryan W. Adams is President & CEO of Premier Planning, LLC and Founder of Legacy Safeguard. Bryan is considered one of the nations’ leading experts on final expense planning, and he frequently speaks throughout the country about the importance of assisting clients to gain peace of mind through advanced funeral funding.

Bryan’s passion for helping families prepare for their final expenses came from being raised in the funeral business. His family still owns and operates several funeral homes, and he is constantly amazed at how unprepared families are when a death occurs. Bryan has worked tirelessly to help Americans plan for the inevitable and lessen the burden on their loved ones.

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

Every day we work hard to help people leave a lasting legacy at Legacy Safeguard. We’ve created some of the most comprehensive legacy planning and end-of-life planning services in the legacy planning industry and we’re proud to help people be remembered long after they’re gone.

I also travel frequently across the country speaking to groups about the importance of legacy planning and I’ve found that people always want to talk about their family when thinking about their legacy. People want to talk about their kids and grandkids, and the hope they have for the next generation of their family. Over the years, I’ve realized that legacy planning is all about your family and the generations to come. This may sound obvious to most of you, but it has really hit home for me recently.

My wife and I started trying to have a family and we have struggled with infertility issues for over two years now. At first it wasn’t that big of a deal. We kept thinking it would work the next month. However, one month turned into a year and half. The disappointment each month was really unexplainable. Then Robyn finally got pregnant and we were overjoyed! I immediately started thinking about my hopes for our children and who they would become. I even went to see my estate planning attorney, John R. Vermillion, to make sure that we had everything prepared, so that if something happened to me that my family would be protected.

That joy and excitement that we felt quickly faded when Robyn miscarried and we lost the child we had hoped and prayed for. After recovering from the grief and loss of losing the pregnancy we started trying again with the help of fertility specialists. Again, Robyn got pregnant, and again we lost the pregnancy. We were devastated. It has been the hardest thing we’ve ever had to walk through. The hope of having children, and the hope of leaving a legacy through our family has been more challenging than we ever expected, but we remain hopeful that one day we will be blessed with children of our own.

Remember as you help people plan for their legacy through proper estate planning, that it all comes back to the basic needs of family and providing for the future. Make it personal, and encourage your clients to share with you about their hope for the future of their family. Estate and legacy planning really comes down to everyone’s hope for leaving a legacy!

Bryan W. Adams is President & CEO of Premier Planning, LLC and Founder of Legacy Safeguard. Bryan is considered one of the nations’ leading experts on final expense planning, and he frequently speaks throughout the country about the importance of assisting clients to gain peace of mind through advanced funeral funding.

Bryan’s passion for helping families prepare for their final expenses came from being raised in the funeral business. His family still owns and operates several funeral homes, and he is constantly amazed at how unprepared families are when a death occurs. Bryan has worked tirelessly to help Americans plan for the inevitable and lessen the burden on their loved ones

Academy Guest Blogger
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com