Memorial Affairs

VA can help you and your survivors prepare for the future. Read on to see how VA’s burial and memorial benefits can honor your legacy.

Volunteers from across the U.S. gathered in 65 VA national cemeteries for a National Day of Service Sept. 10. The cleaning efforts included thousands of volunteers cleaning tens of thousands of graves, including 47 killed Sept. 11, 2001.

In Puerto Rico, it is rare for a burial to be a lonely affair. Family ties run deep, and families of the deceased will gather from near and far for wakes and to accompany their loved one to their final resting place. So it was on July 12 at Morovis National Cemetery, when the first two of what will be tens of thousands of future Veteran interments took place under the warm Puerto Rican sun.

The re-launch of the Veterans Legacy Memorial before Memorial Day weekend saw more than 4,000 tributes, images, biographies, milestones, and documents posted to Veterans' pages.

The Vietnam War was the nation’s longest and costliest conflict of the Cold War. Over 8.7 million Americans served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era from 1964 to 1973 (1). More than 3.4 million deployed to Southeast Asia (1) and approximately 2.7 million of those served in the Republic of Vietnam (2). On this Memorial Day 2021, VA honors their service and recommits itself to supporting all Veterans of the Vietnam era, their families and their caregivers.

21 newly bereaved survivors come to TAPS each day for resources and care. The need is great and growing. In 2020 and thus far in 2021, the families of those service members and Veterans who have died by suicide or illness, as a result of exposures to toxins while serving overseas, represent the largest population of new survivors turning to TAPS for resources and care.  

Remembering the fallen means honoring the nation’s unfinished work, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia May 28.

VA's National Cemetery Administration (NCA) last week announced it would lift all restrictions on gathering sizes at committal and memorial services in VA national cemeteries starting on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

The Veterans Legacy Memorial, our nation’s first digital platform dedicated entirely to more than 3.7 million Veterans interred in VA’s national cemeteries, provides a memorial page dedicated to preserving their legacy.

For the third year in a row, Carry The Load is partnering with VA’s national cemeteries to honor and remember America’s heroes during Memorial May.

NCA has received calls from family members and funeral homes asking about the Funeral Expense Reimbursement Program. Here are the details on FEMA's program.

After the passing of a loved one who has served this country, many survivors do not know what to do or where to begin to obtain VA assistance. VA has prepared a burial benefits kit to help guide Veterans, service members and their families after the loss of a loved one.