NCA Resources Guide
The National Cemetery Administration provides burial and memorial benefits for Veterans and their eligible family members, and maintains national cemeteries as national shrines, sacred to the honor and memory of those interred or memorialized there. The VA provides compassionate, professional services to ease families through the loss of their loved one. Learn more about VA Memorial Benefits.
Are you looking for a cemetery? Trying to locate a grave? Have questions about burial benefits? Don't know what to expect at a committal service? Please use our quick reference guide (below).
Schedule a Burial | Find a Cemetery | Grave Locator | What to Expect | Burial Benefits
Planning in Advance | Daily Burial Schedule | Additional Resources and FAQs | Background
To schedule a burial in all Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries, please contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office by following the instructions listed on the Schedule a Burial page.
Step 1: Submit Eligibility Documentation
Fax Eligibility Documentation to 1-866-900-6417 or Scan and Email to NCA Scheduling.
It is important to have all eligibility documentation available prior to calling the Scheduling Office. Burial in a national cemetery is based on military service. A copy of an official military discharge document bearing an official seal or other supporting documentation is usually sufficient to determine eligibility for burial.
Step 2: Call 1-800-535-1117
Beginning November 7, 2022, the National Cemetery Scheduling Office is open Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. The Scheduling Office is closed on Sundays in addition to the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Interments at national cemeteries are conducted Monday thru Friday. When a federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, cemeteries will open for interments for one day over the holiday weekend as a service to Veterans and their families. The Scheduling Office will have the most current schedule of available interment times for each cemetery.
For more information on how to schedule a burial, please visit the Schedule a Burial page.
National Cemeteries
The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) National Cemetery Administration maintains 155 national cemeteries in 42 states and Puerto Rico as well as 35 soldiers' lots and monument sites.
State, Territory, and Tribal Veterans Cemeteries
Many states have established state veterans cemeteries. Eligibility is similar to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries, but may include residency requirements. Even though they may have been established or improved with Government funds through VA's Veterans Cemetery Grants Program, state veterans cemeteries are run solely by the states.
The Nationwide Gravesite Locator is a database of burial information that is updated each day.
Search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.
The Nationwide Gravesite Locator includes burial records from many sources. These sources provide varied data; some searches may contain less information than others. Information on veterans buried in private cemeteries was collected for the purpose of furnishing government grave markers, and we do not have information available for burials prior to 1997.
Erroneous information can be corrected, but we are unable to add to the information contained in the existing record. If your search returns incorrect information about a veteran or family member buried in a national cemetery, please contact the cemetery directly to discuss your findings.
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.
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 Certificates
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.
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.
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 155 national cemeteries and 35 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 122 Veterans cemeteries in 49 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.
