Understanding your plan

The VFP Protection Plan™ is trust-based preneed funding — closer to traditional preneed than life insurance, but with important differences. Like traditional preneed, funds are held in trust specifically to cover funeral expenses. Unlike traditional preneed, your plan is not tied to a specific funeral home. Your beneficiary receives the trust proceeds and uses them at the funeral home of your family's choosing.

Yes. The trust can be structured as irrevocable, which may be relevant if you or your spouse are considering Medicaid eligibility. Medicaid rules vary by state, and an irrevocable assignment is not guaranteed to affect eligibility. Always consult an elder law attorney or financial advisor familiar with your state's specific rules before making any irrevocable designation.

VFP uses a proprietary pricing methodology built from national, regional, and state funeral cost data. Your VFP specialist uses it to size your plan appropriately based on where you live and the services you've selected. Think of it as the pricing benchmark that ensures your plan is properly funded — not tied to any one funeral home's prices. Your actual funeral costs will be determined by whichever funeral home your family chooses at time of need.

If your trust is revocable, you may cancel and receive the trust value — which includes your contributions plus any growth earned. If your trust is irrevocable, cancellation terms are more restricted. Full terms are outlined in your trust agreement. Your VFP specialist will walk you through both options before you sign anything.

Not fully — and we want to be honest about that. Funeral cost inflation has historically run around 3.5% annually, while the trust grows at an estimated 2%. The gap means your trust may not fully keep pace with rising funeral costs over a long time horizon. That's why we size plans using the VFP GPL™ with a buffer built in. The primary benefit of acting now is locking in today's pricing estimate — the trust growth is a meaningful bonus that partially offsets future inflation.

You could — but a dedicated trust does three things a savings account can't: it documents your wishes formally so your family knows exactly what to do, it ensures the funds are used for funeral expenses rather than absorbed by an estate or spent in a crisis, and it pairs with your VA forms and benefits documentation so everything is in one place. For veterans specifically, the VA form preparation and VSO connection alone are worth more than the trust mechanics.