Burial at no cost for the grave, opening, headstone, and outer container at one of three state veterans cemeteries, for a veteran discharged other than dishonorable and defined family.
Also called: burial, cemetery, Amelia, Suffolk, Dublin, headstone.
For: Veteran or service member, spouse, child, survivor.
DVS runs three state veterans cemeteries: the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, and the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin. None of them is in Fairfax County. A Fairfax family uses the state system, not a county cemetery.
The cemetery information page says members of the U.S. armed forces who died on active duty, and veterans who meet the service rules and were discharged other than dishonorable, are eligible. A legal spouse, an unmarried minor child under 21, and an unmarried adult child who became permanently unable to support themselves because of a disability before age 21 may be eligible. National Guard and Reserve members have a separate basic rule on that same page.
For the veteran and eligible family, the page lists these at no cost: one grave or cremation site, opening and closing, a memorial headstone or columbarium niche, and a pre-placed outer burial container. The site is not reserved in advance. The cemetery assigns the next site on the morning of the burial. Pre-certification is free, does not reserve a grave, and needs the discharge paper. Funeral directors schedule through 855-4VA-VETS.
This does not replace burial in a VA national cemetery, and it does not pay a private funeral home.
Thresholds
Thresholds for Virginia State Veterans Cemeteries
Gate
Rule
Discharge other than dishonorable
Eligibility follows the service rules on the DVS cemetery page. A dishonorable discharge is outside the basic veterans rule. Disability rating is not the test.
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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.