Michigan State Veterans Cemetery

Michigan has two national cemeteries, Fort Custer near Battle Creek and Great Lakes in Holly, both run by the federal National Cemetery Administration. Until 2022 it had no state-run veterans cemetery at all, which meant no state burial option in the north of the Lower Peninsula or the Upper Peninsula, where the drive to either national cemetery is measured in hours. The veterans cemetery act, 2022 PA 267, authorises one. Section 35.1253 permits the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to acquire and purchase land, or to designate land it already holds, in a county with a population of not less than 12,500 and not greater than 13,500. That bracket is how the Legislature named a place without naming it; the site the department has pursued is in Crawford County, where Camp Grayling already sits. The federal money. Section 35.1253(2) requires the director to apply for and accept all grants available under 38 USC 2408, the State Cemetery Grants Program, which funds up to the full cost of establishing a state veterans cemetery and provides a plot allowance for each eligible burial. That is a duty rather than a discretion, and it is why the state's own contribution is comparatively small. The fund. Section 35.1255 creates the veterans cemetery fund in the state treasury, which does not lapse at the end of a fiscal year and may be spent, on appropriation, on architectural and engineering plans and environmental impact studies, on the expenses of qualifying for the federal grant, on preparing the land for operational use, and on ongoing operating expenses. Section 35.1259 says the Legislature shall appropriate sufficient money to accomplish the purpose of the act. Who will be eligible, and where to look. The act itself sets no eligibility rules. Section 35.1257 requires the director to administer the cemetery in compliance with federal laws and regulations, which means the eligibility rules will be the National Cemetery Administration's under 38 CFR part 38 rather than a Michigan standard. A veteran planning around this should read the federal rules, not the Michigan act. What this entry does not say. Because the act is an authorisation rather than an operating statute, a reader should confirm the current construction status and whether the cemetery is accepting interments with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs before making arrangements. The statute being on the books does not mean the ground is open. A related duty sits elsewhere. The Michigan Veterans' Facility Authority's appeals board under 36.106b hears requests for interment at a cemetery maintained and managed by Michigan Veteran Homes, which is a separate burial route attached to the veterans facilities rather than to this act.