Washington State Veterans Cemetery

The Washington State Veterans Cemetery sits at Medical Lake, near Fairchild Air Force Base outside Spokane. It is a state cemetery run by WDVA rather than a federal VA national cemetery. Burial is open to a member of the armed forces who met a minimum active duty service requirement and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. A veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and in certain circumstances an unmarried adult child with a disability may also be buried there. There is no cost for the interment of an eligible veteran. The benefit covers the plot, the liner, and a granite marker for a casket burial, with a niche, a ground plot, or a scattering garden available for cremated remains. A $300 interment fee applies for a family member. That figure is subject to change, so confirm it with the cemetery office rather than relying on it years later. The fee is the practical difference between a state cemetery and a national one for families, and it is small. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the veteran, so a family facing a loss before the veteran's own death does not have to look elsewhere. Pre-need eligibility determination is available and is the single most useful thing a veteran can do here. Establishing eligibility in advance removes the need for the family to prove it under time pressure, and WDVA publishes an eligibility application for exactly that purpose. WDVA has also been developing a second state veterans cemetery in the Tri-Cities, so a family in eastern Washington should check the current status rather than assuming Medical Lake is the only option. Contact the WDVA cemetery office at 509-299-6280.