Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado

The Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado sits on about 22.5 acres at 2830 Riverside Parkway in Grand Junction. The legislature authorized it in 1999 and it opened on September 5, 2002. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs runs it. There is no charge for interment. A gravesite or niche, opening and closing, an upright granite headstone or niche marker with authorized inscriptions, a concrete grave liner for most casketed remains, use of the committal shelter and visitors center, and perpetual care are all provided at no expense to the next of kin. That is a broader no-cost list than several state cemeteries elsewhere in this catalog, which charge a few hundred to a thousand dollars for a dependent interment. The geography is the thing to plan around. This is Colorado's only state veterans cemetery, and it is on the Western Slope, roughly 250 miles from Denver where most of the state's veterans live. A Front Range family will ordinarily be looking at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, which is federal, or Pikes Peak National Cemetery near Colorado Springs, rather than at the state cemetery. The state cemetery exists precisely because the National Cemetery Administration's state grants program funds cemeteries where national cemeteries do not reach, and western Colorado is that gap. Capacity is 3,337 units: 1,758 for casketed remains and 1,579 for cremated remains, of which 861 are columbarium wall niches. There are also 775 memorial garden plots for veterans whose remains were not recovered, were donated to science, or are otherwise unavailable. Eligibility follows the rules for VA national cemeteries with a Colorado residency requirement layered on top. The Army benefits library states that requirement as Colorado residency at entry on active duty or at death. Eligible groups include a member of the armed forces who dies on active duty, a veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, reservists and Guard members entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of title 10 or who would be but for being under 60, and certain commissioned officers of NOAA and the Public Health Service and World War II merchant mariners. Service length matters for later enlistments. With exceptions, service beginning after September 7, 1980 as an enlisted member, or after October 16, 1981 as an officer, has to be at least 24 months or the full period called to active duty. Spouses and dependents are covered. A spouse or surviving spouse of an eligible person is eligible even if that person is not buried there or in a national cemetery. An unmarried adult child who was physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support before turning 21 is also eligible with supporting documentation. The cemetery administrator verifies eligibility, usually when interment is requested, but early registration is available through VMC Form 1 and is worth doing rather than leaving the question to a grieving family. Interments are scheduled Monday through Friday, excluding state and federal holidays, at 970-263-8986. The grounds are open dawn to dusk seven days a week. A burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate are federal benefits the cemetery staff will help request.