VETERAN AFFAIRS

Burial in a VA National Cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces and Veterans who have met minimum active duty service requirements, as applicable, and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty under certain circumstances are also eligible for burial, as are service members and former service members who were eligible for retired pay at the time of their death.

A Veteran’s spouse, widow or widower, minor children, and, under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities, may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.

VA provides the gravesite, grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, government headstone or marker, U.S. burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate and perpetual care of the gravesite at no cost to the family.

VA operates 136 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers’ lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico. More than 4 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA’s national cemeteries. VA also provides funding to establish, expand, improve and maintain 110 Veterans cemeteries in 48 states and territories including tribal trust lands, Guam, and Saipan. For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. In 2017, VA honored more than 361,892 Veterans and their loved ones with memorial benefits in national, state, tribal and private cemeteries.

Information on VA burial benefits is available from local VA national cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov, or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. To make burial arrangements at any open VA national cemetery at the time of need, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,243 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,062 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program.

Click here to view the Veterans Health Administration’s website for more information.

The Center for Minority Veterans (CMV) was established by Public Law 103-446, in 1994.  Title 38, United States Code (USC), Section 317 reflects the current responsibilities of the CMV.  The Center Director serves as principal advisor to the Secretary on the adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting minority Veterans.  CMV serves as an advocate for minority Veterans by conducting outreach activities to promote the awareness and use of VA benefits and services.

The Center for Minority Veterans is the Department of Veterans Affairs model for inter-and intra-agency co-operation, to ensure all veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender.

Click here to visit the Center for Minority Veterans website to view more information.

The Office of Data Governance and Analytics serve as the authoritative clearinghouse for VA to collect, validate, analyze, and disseminate key statistics on Veteran population and VA programs to support planning, analysis, and decision-making activities. For more information on reports, surveys, or statistics regarding the Veteran population, check our website at http://www.va.gov/vetdata/.