LCO No. 3597 1 of 3
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6480
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3597
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E FUNERAL EXPENSES O F CERTAIN
VETERANS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 27-118 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2021): 2
(a) When any veteran dies, not having sufficient estate to pay the 3
necessary expenses of the veteran's last sickness [and burial] and funeral 4
expenses, as determined by the commissioner after consultation with 5
the probate court for the district in which the veteran resided, the state 6
shall pay the sum of one thousand eight hundred dollars toward such 7
funeral expenses. [, and the burial] 8
(b) Burial shall be in some cemetery or plot not used exclusively for 9
the burial of the pauper dead. [, and the same amount shall be paid if 10
the body is cremated, but no] 11
(c) No amount shall be paid for [the] funeral expenses [for burial or 12
cremation] unless claim therefor is made within one year from the date 13 Raised Bill No. 6480
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of death, except that in cases of death occurring abroad, such claim may 14
be made within one year after the remains of such veteran have been 15
interred in this country. No provision of this section shall prevent the 16
payment of the sum [above named for the burial of any person, 17
otherwise entitled to the same,] under subsection (a) of this section for 18
funeral expenses on account of [such] the burial of such veteran being 19
made outside the limits of this state. 20
(d) Upon satisfactory proof by the person who has paid or provided 21
for the funeral [or burial expense] expenses to the commissioner of the 22
identity of the deceased, the time and place of the deceased's death and 23
burial and the approval thereof by the commissioner, [said] the sum [of 24
one thousand eight hundred dollars] under subsection (a) of this section 25
shall be paid by the Comptroller to the person who has paid the funeral 26
[or burial expense or, upon assignment by such person, to the funeral 27
director who has provided the funeral] expenses. 28
(e) Whenever the Comptroller has lawfully paid any sum toward the 29
funeral expenses of [the burial of] any deceased veteran and it 30
afterwards appears that the deceased left any estate, the Comptroller 31
may present a claim on behalf of the state against the estate of such 32
deceased veteran for the sum so paid, and the claim shall be a preferred 33
claim against such estate and shall be paid to the Treasurer of the state. 34
The commissioner, upon the advice of the Attorney General, may make 35
application for administration upon the estate of any such deceased 36
veteran if no other person authorized by law makes such application 37
within sixty days after such payment has been made by the Comptroller. 38
(f) As used in this section, (1) "veteran" means any person [(1)] (A) 39
honorably discharged from, or released under honorable conditions 40
from active service in, the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, or 41
[(2)] (B) with a qualifying condition, as defined in said section, who has 42
received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from active 43
service in the armed forces; and (2) "funeral expenses" means the cost of 44
funeral services, the cost of burial or cremation and the cost of 45
publication of an obituary. 46 Raised Bill No. 6480
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2021 27-118
Statement of Purpose:
To specify the funeral expenses covered by the sum paid by the state for
certain veterans.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]