We’re proud to announce the “Veterans Burial and Survivor Benefits (VBSB) Specialist Certification Training”. It’s for anyone guiding veteran families through end-of-life planning.
The course is taught by veterans for deathcare professionals. It prepares you to serve veteran families with expertise, dignity, and heart. Help ensure no benefits go unclaimed. The course has been approved for 15 APFSP contact hours. It’s a live, instructor-led course starting June 24th and you can register for $995.
Why Get Certified
The course is designed for:
- Funeral Directors & Staff
- Cemetery Managers & Admins
- Veteran Service Officers
- Mortuary Science Students
- Anyone guiding veteran families through end-of-life planning
Veteran families often navigate complex systems during their most vulnerable moments. Your knowledge can be the difference between confusion and clarity, between missed benefits and honored service.
- Ensure accurate, up-to-date guidance on VA and state burial benefits
- Learn best practices for working with national, state, tribal, and private cemeteries
- Grow your professional impact and confidence
- Stand out as a trusted resource for veteran families
“VBSB certification is key for anyone who has contact with veterans and their families at their greatest times of need. It demonstrates the deathcare industry’s commitment to ensuring no benefits go unclaimed and that survivors understand what’s available to them due to their loved one’s service and sacrifice.”
— Michael Henshaw, U.S. Army Veteran & VBSB Instructor
About Sunbeam 369 Institute
This course is delivered by the Sunbeam 369 Institute, the training arm of Sunbeam 369—a veteran-founded company bridging military and deathcare.
We use a proven model to strengthen funeral homes and cemeteries:
- ATTRACT: Veteran clients with purposeful veteran talent
- TRAIN: Deathcare professionals through expert-led education
- RETAIN: Veteran employees with strategic support & consulting
We don’t just teach—we live it. Our instructors are veterans who understand the field and the families you serve.
About Instructor Mike Henshaw
Michael Henshaw’s distinguished career spans military service, government leadership, and private enterprise. A 25-year veteran of the US Army, his service included extensive work recovering the remains of missing service members from numerous conflicts, including WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars. This experience led to his expertise in
international mass fatality management, evident in his leadership roles following the 2004 South Asia Tsunami, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and the 2019 Hurricane Dorian. He served as the Senior Doctrine Writer and Training Developer for the US Army’s Joint Mortuary Affairs Center (JMAC) from 2001-2003. He was awarded the US Army Quartermaster Center & School’s Distinguished Instructor Award during that time. He wrote five chapters for the Joint Techniques, Tactics and Procedures (JTTP) 4-06, Mortuary Affairs in Joint Operations, and designed the current-day Mortuary Affairs Contaminated Human Remains Mitigation
System.
Following his retirement from the Army in 2009, he served as Director of several VA National Cemeteries, culminating in his role as Director of Virginia State Veterans Cemeteries, where he led his team at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery to earn the Commonwealth’s first Operational Excellence Award from the US Department of Veterans
Affairs. Currently, Mr. Henshaw is President and Founder of the Asymmetric MIA Accounting Group (AMAG), continuing his crucial work locating missing service members abroad, and the Director at the Sunbeam369 Institute, dedicated to educating others on veteran burial and survivor benefits. His numerous military decorations include two Bronze Star Medals for combat operations in Iraq, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, five Meritorious Service Medals and numerous other awards and decorations. He is an inductee of the Honorary Order of Saint Martin and the Order of the Combat Spur.
About Instructor Kenny Johnson
Kenny Johnson is a decorated Army veteran, entrepreneur, and passionate leader in veteran employment and funeral service innovation. As the Founder and Director of Veteran Recruitment at Sunbeam 369, Kenny helps funeral service providers across the country attract, train, and retain veteran talent while maximizing the use of VA-approved programs such as On-the-Job Training (OJT), SkillBridge, and the Army Career Skills Program (CSP).
A West Point graduate and Purple Heart recipient, Kenny combines deep operational experience with an MBA and MS from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. He has worked at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, supporting veteran families, and previously led teams in precision agriculture and sustainability at Fortune 500 companies, including Corteva, FMC, and Ernst & Young.
Kenny’s veteran-focused approach to marketing, recruiting, and social impact has made him a trusted advisor to both funeral service providers and national veteran organizations. He serves as an active board member of the Purple Heart Foundation and volunteers with the Green Burial Council.