H.R. 5931 — Veterans’ Cremation Certainty Act of 2025

This section establishes a direct payment program for direct cremation of eligible veterans (i.e., those eligible for VA burial benefits under chapter 23 of title 38, U.S. Code, and interment in a national cemetery under 38 U.S.C. §2402). Upon application in which the veteran elects direct cremation in lieu of benefits under §§2303 or 2307 and specifies a provider, VA pays the provider up to the amounts authorized under §2303(a)(2) (for certain veterans, in lieu of §2302 burial allowance) or §2307 (in lieu of those benefits) for basic services including transportation from place of death, cremation in a simple container without embalming or ceremony, delivery of remains, and death certificate completion. (As background, VA burial benefits under chapter 23 provide allowances for funeral, plot, and related costs based on service-connected death status, indigence, or other factors.) Directs VA to integrate the application process with pre-need eligibility determinations under §2404 and issue regulations within 120 days of enactment; applies to deaths occurring 180 days after enactment.