Veteran Cemeteries

Guide

Understanding burial eligibility in a national cemetery

A plain-language overview of who may be buried in a VA national cemetery, with links to the VA’s current official guidance.

Awaiting editorial review. This guide was drafted on November 11, 2026 from the official sources listed below and has not yet been checked by an editor. Confirm anything important with the linked official source.

This is a general overview, not an eligibility decision. Only the VA can determine eligibility. The rules have exceptions and change over time; rely on the VA’s current official guidance.

Who is generally eligible

According to the VA, burial in a VA national cemetery is generally open to:

  • Veterans who did not receive a dishonorable discharge.
  • Service members who die while on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty for training.
  • The spouse or surviving spouse of an eligible veteran or service member, and minor children. In some cases, unmarried adult children with disabilities.

Additional requirements apply to some groups, including minimum periods of active duty for those who entered service after certain dates, and specific rules for members of the Reserve and National Guard. Some people are barred by law, including those convicted of certain serious crimes. The VA’s eligibility page sets out each case.

What a national cemetery burial includes

For an eligible person, the VA states that burial benefits in a VA national cemetery include the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a government headstone or marker, a burial liner, and perpetual care, at no cost to the family. Funeral home services, such as preparation of the body and transportation, are not included.

Finding out in advance

A veteran or spouse can ask the VA to decide eligibility ahead of time through a pre-need eligibility determination. A pre-need decision confirms eligibility; it does not reserve a particular gravesite or guarantee space at a particular cemetery.

At the time of need

Burials in VA national cemeteries are arranged through the National Cemetery Scheduling Office, usually with a funeral director’s help. The VA’s schedule a burial page lists the current phone number and the documents needed, the most important being the veteran’s discharge papers (DD214).

Space at a particular cemetery

Being eligible does not mean a given cemetery has room. Some national cemeteries are closed to new burials or accept cremated remains only, and that status changes. The burial-space value shown on this site’s cemetery pages is copied from a VA dataset and may be out of date; confirm with the cemetery or the scheduling office.

Arlington and state cemeteries are different

Arlington National Cemetery sets its own rules, and describes its eligibility for in-ground burial as the most stringent of all U.S. national cemeteries. State, territorial and tribal veterans cemeteries may add residency or other requirements; see national and state veterans cemeteries.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery.
  2. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration. Eligibility (detailed rules, including minimum active-duty service).
  3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. What does burial in a VA national cemetery include?.
  4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Pre-need eligibility for burial in a VA cemetery.
  5. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Schedule a burial for a Veteran or family member.
  6. Arlington National Cemetery, U.S. Army. Establishing Eligibility.

Drafted November 11, 2026; not yet reviewed. Found an error? Report a correction.