California State Veterans Cemeteries

CalVet operates three state veterans cemeteries. Northern California Veterans Cemetery is at 11800 Gas Point Road in Igo, near Redding, and primarily serves the eighteen northernmost counties. The Veterans Home of California at Yountville has a cemetery. California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery is at 2900 Parker Flats Road in Seaside, and opened October 11, 2016 as the second California state cemetery built with the federal Veterans Cemetery Grants Program. These are separate from the VA national cemeteries in California, which VA runs under its own rules. CalVet determines eligibility using the federal requirements for national cemeteries. In general eligibility is established when a veteran died on active duty, or served on active duty other than for training and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A character of discharge that bars eligibility can sometimes be cleared through a discharge upgrade or a character-of-service determination. An eligible veteran's spouse and eligible dependents may be interred. A non-veteran spouse or dependent can be buried in a CalVet cemetery while the veteran is still living, or when the veteran's remains are somewhere else. Burial of the eligible veteran is free. Interment of an eligible spouse or dependent carries a fee equal to the current VA plot-allowance rate, which VA resets every October 1. The same fee applies to a veteran being moved into a CalVet cemetery from a burial VA already paid for. CalVet publishes a fee waiver policy for financial hardship. Establish eligibility on form VSD-002, either ahead of time on a pre-need basis or at the time of need. Pre-need determination exists so the next of kin is not assembling paperwork during a funeral. There is no disability rating test.