Veterans' Cemeteries

The special benefits extended to veterans are available for burial in both national and state veterans cemeteries. There are 120 national cemeteries maintained by the National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In Addition, the states maintain many cemeteries dedicated only to veterans.

When a veteran or a veteran's family is ready to decide in which national cemetery they want a grave site, they may go online to the individual cemetery websites by first going to www.cem.va.gov. They can click on "National Cemetery Webpages" in the side bar and then click on the relevant state. Underneath the state name listing, there are website addresses for the national cemeteries.

Many state veterans cemeteries were established with federal funds dispersed through the States Cemetery Grants Program. This program was established in 1978 for the purpose of increasing the number of (and improving the existing) state veterans cemeteries in states that either do not have a national cemetery or where the national cemeteries cannot meet the burial need of local veterans.

State Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility for admissions into a state cemetery is virtually the same as for the national cemeteries, except there are often residency requirements. A listing of state veteran's cemeteries can be found at www.cem.va.gov. On the "State Cemetery Grants Program" page, which can be accessed from the sidebar, state cemeteries are listed.