Funeral Assistance in Alaska

When money is the thing standing between you and a decent burial for someone you love, it can feel shameful to ask for help. It shouldn't. Plenty of Alaska families have been exactly where you are.

And Alaska, as it turns out, does more for people who die poor or alone than a lot of states do. There's federal help, a state burial program, and a separate route if a crime took your loved one. Knowing the options before you talk to a funeral home gives you a little breathing room.

The federal programs everyone can check

Three national sources are worth a quick look first.

Social Security pays a $255 one-time death payment to a surviving spouse who lived with the person who died, or to a qualifying child in some cases. File within two years. The number is 1-800-772-1213.

For a veteran, the VA may help. Burial allowances can run up to $2,000 for a death on or after September 11, 2001, with up to $1,002 toward a plot and up to $441 toward a headstone, provided the discharge wasn't dishonorable. Call 1-800-827-1000 and ask about VA Form 21P-530EZ.

FEMA only steps in after a presidentially declared disaster, and its COVID-19 funeral help ended September 30, 2025 — so for most deaths it won't apply. The disaster line is 1-800-621-3362 if you need it. One more note worth keeping in mind: Medicaid won't pay for a funeral.

Alaska's own burial help

The state has two clear paths, and they answer two different situations.

For families who can't afford the cost, there's a burial benefit under the General Relief rules, 7 AAC 47.130. The state pays a vendor up to $1,250 per person for basic funeral and burial services, with some extras like a cemetery plot, cremation, or grave opening handled on top of that. To qualify, the household has to have a real and immediate need with no other way to pay, and countable resources can't top $500. Alaska runs this itself, so it reaches people in the unorganized areas, not just inside organized boroughs.

The second path is for a death caused by violent crime, handled through the Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board. It can cover burial costs for survivors, within an overall award that can reach $40,000 per victim. The crime has to have been reported to law enforcement, the claim filed within two years, and the Board pays only after other sources — insurance, Medicaid, and the like — have been applied. It's a last-resort payor, not a first stop.

Steps to take, and who to call

If money is the barrier, call the state's public assistance virtual contact center at 800-478-7778 (TDD/Alaska Relay 7-1-1) and ask about burial help under General Relief. You'll apply using form GEN 50C. Do this early, because the state has 30 days to process an application and a funeral can't always wait.

For a crime-related death, contact the Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board at (907) 465-3040 or 1-800-764-3040, or start online at application.vccb.alaska.gov. Have the police report information handy when you call.

Either way, hold on to your documents. The death certificate, the funeral home's itemised price list, and any letters showing other sources won't pay. Ask each office, in plain words, what's covered, what the cap is, and which funeral homes they work with.

Ways to keep the cost down

Assistance might not cover everything, so it helps to know where the savings are.

Direct cremation is typically the cheapest route. It skips embalming and the formal service, and you can still gather later for a memorial that feels right to you.

You're also allowed to buy a casket from any seller you choose, including online, and the funeral home has to use it without charging you extra for the privilege. By law, every funeral home must hand you an itemised price list, so ask for it and shop around. In remote parts of Alaska transport adds real cost, so it's fair to ask each provider exactly what they charge and why.