Get Marty: Veteran Gets Proper Burial Thanks To VA Memorial Benefits
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A local man reached out to Get Marty, hoping we could help with his father's funeral. Turns out, this Get Marty could help thousands of local veterans.
"I didn't know where he lived. He was only 20 minutes away from me in a personal care home. I didn't even know," says Tim Simpson.
Bill Simpson died alone at a McKeesport personal care home months ago. He told folks he had no family.
When he died, Bill was taken by the county to a local funeral home and cremated. The funeral home was preparing to bury him in a grave along with a number of other people who had passed and unclaimed.
But that's when Bill's son, Tim, found out his father died. He couldn't afford to pay the cost of the funeral and called Get Marty.
"I knew you would help me. I knew you would get to the bottom of it," said Tim.
"It's the least I can do to honor our veterans. Somebody has to do it," funeral director and veterans advocate, John Fabry, said.
Fabry used discharge papers, a birth date and a social security number to determine that Bill qualified for Veterans Death Benefits. Fabry says more than 70 percent of all veterans cannot afford to pay for a funeral. He also says thousands of veterans don't even know they qualify.
Fabry will bury Bill Simpson at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies later this month. Simpson will have a military funeral and his son will be given an American flag.
"I am so happy. My father will now rest in peace," says Tim.
If you have any questions about veterans' death benefits please go to https://explore.va.gov/memorial-benefits for all information.
If you'd like Marty to help you solve your problem, email him at GetMarty@kdka.com.
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