SF 11

Under current law, there are two programs that may provide financial assistance for burial expenses for indigent veterans. One program administered by the Wyoming Department of Family Services provides financial assistance for burial expenses to persons who were receiving assistance from the Personal Opportunities with Employment Responsibilities (POWER) Program, Supplemental Security Income, or Medicaid. The other program reimburses counties for preparing and transporting persons for burial in the veteran's cemetery. This bill would remove the eligibility requirement that indigent veterans must have served on behalf of the United States in any war or conflict, as defined by federal law, in order to qualify for county reimbursement for burial preparation and transportation. This bill would specify that indigent veterans eligible for burial expenses under the Wyoming Department of Family Services' program would also qualify under the county reimbursement program, specifies that payment for burial expenses made by the board of county commissioners is considered the payment of last resort that follows all other sources, and increases the amount paid for burial expenses under the Wyoming Department of Family Services' program from $1,000 to $1,500.