National Cemetery Administration

How Do I:
1. Schedule a burial at a VA national cemetery?
To schedule a burial in all Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries, please go to the Schedule a Burial page and follow the instructions listed on the page.

2. Find out when a burial is scheduled?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Daily Burial Schedule allows the public to search for the committal service date, time, and cemetery for the scheduled burial of a Veteran, spouse, or other eligible family member.

3. Prepare to attend a burial service?
There are many things you will need to know about attending a burial service. Please see our page on Assisting Families with Burial for more information. For helpful videos for families and friends, such as what to expect when "Attending a Casket Burial Service with Military Funeral Honors", or "How to Install a Medallion on a Private Headstone", go to our video page. For information on attending a Committal Service, please see below.

Committal Service
Upon your arrival at the cemetery you will be met by a cemetery representative who will provide the deceased's burial documents. The cemetery representative will then lead your procession to the appropriate committal shelter for your service.

Viewing facilities are not available and funeral services cannot be held at VA national cemeteries, but a final committal service may be performed. For safety reasons, these services are held in committal shelters located away from the gravesite. Committal services are generally 20 minutes in length which includes the time needed for rendering of military honors. Burial will take place following the Committal Service.

Eligibility
The National Cemetery Scheduling Office has the primary responsibility for verifying eligibility for burial in VA national cemeteries. A determination of eligibility is made in response to a request for burial in a VA national cemetery. To schedule a burial fax all discharge documentation to 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.

Burial Flags
A United States flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased Veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is furnished to honor the memory of a Veteran's military service to his or her country. VA will furnish a burial flag for memorialization for an other than dishonorably discharged:

• Veteran who served during wartime
• Veteran who died on active duty after May 27, 1941
• Veteran who served after January 31, 1955
• Peacetime Veteran who was discharged or released before June 27, 1950 after serving at least one enlistment, or for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty
• Certain persons who served in the organized military forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines while in service of the U.S. Armed Forces and who died on or after April 25, 1951
• Certain former members of the Selected Reserves

Burial Allowance
VA burial allowances are flat-rate monetary benefits that are generally paid at the maximum amount authorized by law for an eligible Veteran's burial and funeral costs. A VA regulation change in 2014 simplified the program to pay eligible survivors quickly and efficiently. Eligible surviving spouses of record are paid automatically upon notification of a Veteran's death, without the need to submit a claim. VA may grant additional benefits, including the plot or interment allowanceand transportation allowance, if it receives a claim for these benefits.

Survivor Benefits
The Veterans Benefits Administration offers a variety of benefits and services to spouses, children, and parents of Servicemembers and Veterans who are deceased or totally and permanently disabled by a service-connected disability. Click here to learn more about survivor benefits.

Headstones, Markers and Medallions
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible Veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death. A Government-furnished headstone or marker may be provided for eligible Veterans who died on or after Nov. 1, 1990 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone. A Government-furnished medallion may be provided for eligible Veterans who served on or after Apr. 6, 1917 and whose grave is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker.

Presidential Memorial Certificate
A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current President, to honor the memory of deceased Veterans who are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. If you would like to learn more, go to the Presidential Memorial Certificate page.

Military Funeral Honors
The Department of Defense (DOD) is responsible for providing military funeral honors. "Honoring Those Who Served" is the title of the DOD program for providing dignified military funeral honors to Veterans who have defended our nation. Upon the family's request, Public Law 106-65 requires that every eligible Veteran receive a military funeral honors ceremony, to include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of Taps. Learn more.

Pre-Need Burial Eligibility Determination
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented the pre-need burial eligibility determination program to assist anyone who would like to know if they are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. VA is promoting pre-need eligibility determinations to encourage Veterans and their eligible family members to plan in advance to use VA burial benefits that Veterans have earned through their military service.

Planning in advance for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time. Veteran families will have increased confidence that their loved ones are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery at their time of need. Find out how to apply here.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Daily Burial Schedule allows the public to search for the committal service date, time, and cemetery for the scheduled burial of a Veteran, spouse, or other eligible family member.

Committal service information is available for all VA national cemeteries. Information is updated approximately every hour. For additional information on a burial, please contact the cemetery.

FAQs
For Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

Press Room
For media advisories, news releases, fact sheets, leadership information, fast facts and more, go to the National Cemetery Administration Press Room!

Veterans Legacy Program
The Veterans Legacy Program offers a wealth of tools for educators and the public, with a focus on honoring the sacrifices of our nation's veterans. Through this program, citizens of all ages can explore U.S. history, visit national cemeteries or experience them online, and get to know these historic places as engaging places for learning.

General History
The National Cemetery Administration has evolved slowly since the initial period of great challenge associated with the Civil War. All honorably discharged veterans became eligible for burial in 1873. Cemeteries associated with military posts on the western frontier, such as Fort McPherson, Nebraska, were added to the system in the late 19th century. Learn more about our history, our origins, and how we have gotten to where we are today, by going to the NCA General History page.

History Program
The history program is a comprehensive archive of historical resources, publications, and informational pieces about the history of the National Cemetery Administration. For more information, or to explore the documentation, publications (available for free download!) and more, go to the NCA History Program page.

About NCA
VA operates 153 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers' lots and monument sites in 42 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 118 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.

Mission
NCA honors Veterans and their eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation.

Vision
As the model of excellence for burial and memorials for our Nation's Veterans and their families, NCA ensures that No Veteran Ever Dies.

NCA Purpose

• To provide burial space for Veterans and their eligible family members.
• To maintain national cemeteries as national shrines, sacred to the honor and memory of those interred or memorialized there.
• To mark Veterans' graves with a Government-furnished headstone, marker or medallion and to provide Presidential Memorial Certificates in recognition of their service to a grateful nation.
• To administer grants for establishing or expanding state and tribal government veterans cemeteries.