Death & Survivor Benefits
Kansas State Veterans Cemeteries
Four state cemeteries at Fort Dodge, WaKeeney, Winfield and Fort Riley (Manhattan), with no residency requirement and no fee for the veteran or eligible family. The statute caps how many more Kansas may build.
Also called: 73-1232, veterans cemetery, Fort Dodge, WaKeeney, Winfield, Manhattan, Fort Riley, interment, pre-registration, KVCP Form 200.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
Where it applies
Written for the jurisdictions listed here.
- KansasState
Section 73-1232 authorises the director of the Kansas Office of Veterans Services to establish and maintain a state system of veterans cemeteries. Four operate: Fort Dodge, WaKeeney (403 South 13th Street), Winfield (1208 North College Street), and the Kansas Veterans' Cemetery at Fort Riley, 5181 Wildcat Creek Road, Manhattan.
Eligibility follows the standard VA's National Cemetery Administration uses. The Office of Veterans Services: a veteran "discharged from 'active duty' under other than dishonorable conditions", a veteran who "died while on 'active duty'", or a Guard or Reserve member "with 20 years of qualifying service, who are entitled to retired pay or would be entitled, if at least 60 years of age". A spouse or surviving spouse of an eligible veteran qualifies even if the veteran is not buried there, and so does a surviving spouse who remarried a non-veteran and died on or after January 1, 2000. Children qualify if unmarried and under 21, under 23 in full-time study, or permanently disabled and incapable of self-support before 21 (or 23 in study).
"State of Kansas residency requirement: None." That is the sharpest contrast in the Kansas catalog with the state veterans homes, which give Kansas residents preference.
There is no fee for the interment of an eligible veteran or eligible family member. Fees arise only where the family declines the state-provided double-depth grave liner or uses an oversized casket. Casket burial, a scattering garden and columbarium niches are available.
Two limits in the statute shape what Kansas can still build. Subsection (b) bars the director from contracting to establish and maintain the system unless the federal government provides funds equal to 100 percent of the construction cost. Subsection (c) allows no more than three applications to VA's state veterans cemetery grant programme after the act took effect.
Pre-register. The Office of Veterans Services recommends pre-registration on KVCP Form 200, by mail, in person at any of the cemeteries or through a state Veteran Service Representative's field office; it is free, settles eligibility before need, and does not reserve a gravesite or bind anyone to that cemetery. Cemetery Director Heidi Goff, WaKeeney (785-743-5685); central office 785-296-3976.
Thresholds
| Gate | Rule |
|---|---|
| Federal national cemetery eligibility | Kansas uses the same standard as VA national cemeteries: discharge under conditions other than dishonorable, death on active duty, or twenty or more years of reserve or Guard service qualifying for retired pay. |
| No Kansas residency requirement | The Office of Veterans Services states that no Kansas residency is required for burial. |
| Spouses and dependent children | A spouse or surviving spouse qualifies even if the veteran is buried elsewhere; children if unmarried and under twenty-one, under twenty-three in full-time study, or disabled before that age. |
| No fee, with two exceptions | There is no fee for interment of an eligible veteran or family member. Charges arise only where the family declines the state grave liner or uses an oversized casket. |
Sources
Updated
Last updated .
What changed then:
- Eligibility rule “No Kansas residency requirement” now reads: “The Office of Veterans Services states that no Kansas residency is required for burial.”
- Eligibility rule “Spouses and unmarried dependent children” renamed “Spouses and dependent children”.
- Eligibility rule “Spouses and dependent children” now reads: “A spouse or surviving spouse qualifies even if the veteran is buried elsewhere; children if unmarried and under twenty-one, under twenty-three in full-time study, or disabled before that age.”
- And 7 more changes.
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Disclaimer
VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.