ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s top veterans official said Wednesday that the state will keep helping pay for honor guards at veterans’ funeral, after word that the American Legion and other service groups would seek new sources of funding to cover the honors.

Until recently, the state had reimbursed service organizations up to $50 for each funeral and allocated $100,000 for the program annually.

Bill Christenson, who directs the Honor Guard at the Albert Lea American Legion, said his post has been reimbursed $10,000 since 2008. He said the funds paid for uniforms, mileage, rifle shells used during military salutes and musicians who played taps. He said he was surprised to learn that the grant funding would end.

News media reported Tuesday that funding was discontinued as part of budget cuts being imposed to help plug a $5 billion budget deficit, but Veterans Affairs Commissioner Larry Shellito said his agency has the funds to keep paying for the funeral honors.

“This is one thing we are not letting fall through the cracks,” Shellito said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs was one of only two state agencies to see their overall funding increase for the next two years, while most others experienced substantial cuts. He said some of the agency’s programs end up costing less than budgeted, and donations from Minnesota residents have also helped.

“We have enough funds, we project, to handle this next year,” Shellito said of the funeral honors.

Veterans groups had gotten word of the honor guard cuts as the American Legion holds its national convention in Minneapolis this week, prompting the Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other groups to pledge to find money for the practice to continue — despite financial struggles among those organizations as well.

Federal law requires funeral honors for an eligible veteran if requested by the veteran’s family. At a minimum, the honors include presenting a folded American flag to the next of kin and playing taps.

Next year, Shellito said he will work with Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature to come up with a permanent source of funding for veterans’ funeral honors. Sen. Mike Parry, R-Waseca, and chairman of the Senate State Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, pledged to do likewise.

“I look forward to working with Gov. Dayton and Commissioner Shellito to establish a permanent funding process for this important service,” Parry said.

About 72 percent of Minnesota veterans receive no regular federal benefits, but Shellito said many of them choose to be honored at their funerals.

“That’s a very, very small tribute to the sacrifices they’ve made. So that’s what we’re committed to,” he said. “I’m going to fight for it severely.”