Burial at one of five state veterans cemeteries. Eligibility follows National Cemetery Administration rules. Reserve and National Guard members also have to prove Maryland residence.
The Department of Veterans and Military Families runs five state veterans cemeteries. Burial eligibility follows National Cemetery Administration rules. The department also asks for an official discharge document. State Government section 9-906 adds a "qualified reserve member", a reserve component member who does not meet national cemetery rules but served other than dishonorably and completed the contractual obligation. That member qualifies on Maryland residence when entering the reserve component, at death, or for two years, which the department may waive for a compelling reason. The department's page asks only for two years of residence unless the discharge shows Maryland as the home of record, which is narrower than the statute. Interment is free for a veteran and family, but section 9-906(i)(2) makes the department collect a fee equal to the National Cemetery Administration's interment allowance for a qualified reserve member or that member's spouse or dependent. From October 1, 2026, Chapter 496 of 2026 (HB 364) requires an outer burial receptacle, rather than a grave liner, or a columbarium niche, and a marker, at no cost with each interment location. Accepted residence proof includes tax records, a Maryland driver license, voting records, school transcripts of 12 continuous years, and the other documents on the eligibility page.
The cemeteries are:
Crownsville, Anne Arundel County, 1122 Sunrise Beach Road, Crownsville, MD 21032, (410) 987-6320.
Cheltenham, Prince George's County, 11301 Crain Highway, Cheltenham, MD 20623, (301) 372-6398.
Garrison Forest, Baltimore County, 11501 Garrison Forest Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117, (410) 363-6090.
Eastern Shore, Dorchester County, 6827 East New Market Ellwood Road, Hurlock, MD 21643, (410) 943-3420.
Rocky Gap, Allegany County, 14205 Pleasant Valley Road NE, Flintstone, MD 21530, (301) 777-2185.
Interment services are on weekdays. The cemeteries are open to visitors every day. The cemetery program office is (410) 923-6981. A pre-application is on the department site. This is a state cemetery. It does not replace a national cemetery.
Thresholds
No rating or income gate is recorded. Read the detail and the official source.
▲Expands benefitsRequires the state veterans cemeteries to provide an outer burial receptacle, not only a grave liner, at no cost.
Amends State Government section 9-906 from October 1, 2026 to define an interment location as a grave plot or columbarium niche and to require the department to provide an outer burial receptacle or columbarium niche, and a marker, at no cost with each interment location. The fee for a qualified reserve member equal to the National Cemetery Administration interment allowance in section 9-906(i)(2) is unchanged. Approved May 12, 2026.
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Touches Md. Code, State Gov’t § 9-906 · Md. Code, State Gov’t § 9-901
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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.