Why You Should Plan Your Veteran Services Ahead of Time

When our team at Horan & McConaty is asked to lay a veteran to rest, we take the responsibility seriously, diligently working to honor, respect, and pay special attention to detail. We take this time to work with their family to plan a worthy and memorable service that commemorates someone who selflessly served our country. This includes helping to secure the veterans' benefits they’re entitled to and provide guidance and care for their loved ones.

One way to ensure a veteran is properly memorialized is through preplanning. Preplanning is when a veteran and their family make final arrangements ahead of time to take care of all the details involved in planning a funeral. There are many benefits to funeral preplanning, the most important being that it takes the burden off the family. Without preplanning, they are left to plan a service, down to every detail, adding stress to an already extremely difficult time. After the passing of a loved one, a family is left to navigate how to secure the benefits their veteran is entitled to, while also making decisions regarding their final resting place, memorial service, wake or rosary, etc. If their loved one did not express their wishes beforehand, this can be especially overwhelming.

Here, we touch on a few topics to help you understand veteran benefits and how Horan & McConaty can support the military families of Denver through our funeral preplanning services.

It’s a common misconception that the VA pays for all funeral and/or cremation expenses. The VA covers some of the expenses of those who were honorably discharged and who served active duty, including the cost of the plot, marker, vault, the opening and closing of the grave, and a flag. This leaves the costs associated with a casket, embalming, cremation, the viewing, flowers, and more for the family to take care of themselves. Having these items planned for beforehand removes the guesswork from families who aren’t sure where to start. It also grants them peace of mind, knowing their veteran will be honored the way they deserve to be when the time comes.

It’s standard to plan for major events throughout a lifetime, but it’s often not thought about to plan a funeral or celebration of life in advance. When a veteran preplans with Horan & McConaty, we make sure every detail is taken care of according to their wishes, no matter how simple or detailed they would like their service to be. Preplanning also ensures a veteran is laid to rest in the place of their choosing, whether it be in a national cemetery or elsewhere, along with the military honors they’re entitled to.

There are several military honors veterans are entitled to and preplanning ensures those honors are carried out at the time they’re needed. This can include the playing of “Taps” by a bugler, having members of the honor guard present, the three-rifle volley salute, and the folding and presentation of the flag. Our team will help secure these honors at the time of death.

Prepaying for your funeral helps to take care of the costs of services that the VA won’t cover. By paying for funeral expenses, cremation or burial, and other funeral-related services, it ensures that these many details are taken care of ahead of time, lifting a weight off your loved ones as they are grieving. Preplanning also “locks in” funeral home prices at the time of the planning, protecting veterans and their loved ones from inflation and rising costs in the future.



Veterans and their families dedicate their lives to the service of our country and the protection of our freedoms. At Horan & McConaty, it is an honor to be entrusted with the care and memorialization of American veterans, and to assist families in providing them with a distinguished and meaningful goodbye. Throughout the funeral preplanning process, our advanced planning team will guide families every step of the way to ensure your funeral plans are taken care of exactly how you want and need. For any questions or more information, please call any of our locations in the Denver Metro area at 303.745.4418.