House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, September 24, 2009, the House Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, led by Chairman John Hall (D-NY), conducted an oversight hearing to examine the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), and the overseas cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).  The hearing provided a comprehensive exploration of burial benefits currently available for veterans and any additional measures needed for veterans and their survivors.     

“Although Congress authorized VA to provide veterans the option to receive burial and plot allowances and reimbursement of certain burial expenses, these benefits were created decades ago and have not kept pace with inflation,” said Chairman Hall.  “Further, VA’s current cemetery policies seem to leave large numbers of veterans un-served by a burial option.  VA’s current strategic goal of reaching 90 percent served would require an additional 31 cemeteries beyond those already in operation or planned as of 2001.”
    
Burial benefits are intended to honor veterans by providing lasting memorials as a tribute to their service and assisting their families in meeting the funeral and interment costs of a deceased veteran. VA’s burial benefits include a gravesite in one of 125 national veteran cemeteries, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a U.S. flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC). The VA also provides a headstone or marker for veterans that choose burial in a state or private cemetery or other appropriate burial location. Veterans who satisfy the eligibility requirements are also entitled to a burial allowance and reimbursement of certain burial expenses.

The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) oversees the operations, improvement, and planning for 158 cemetery properties: 125 national cemeteries and 33 other cemetery properties across the country, totaling 2.8 million gravesites. The number of gravesites is expected to increase by 1.4 million by 2030 – this represents a 50 percent increase from 2008. 

Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) is the final resting place of over 250,000 veterans and other great Americans and welcomes over 4 million visitors a year.  VA supports the ANC mission through its obligation to provide the headstones and grave markers.  Although at one time families were permitted to erect their own headstone, this practice has been discontinued by the ANC and now all headstones are the responsibility of VA.  Arlington averages 6,400 burials per year, which represents 20 funerals per day.  ANC has the second-largest number of people buried at any national cemetery in the United States. 

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) was established by Congress in 1923 with a mission to be the guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials, which honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of United States Armed Forces.  The ABMC administers, operates, and maintains 24 American cemeteries located abroad. 

Witnesses discussed a number of issues regarding veterans and cemeteries, including the difficulty of establishing new cemeteries where needed, whether cremation-only cemeteries are serving the veteran community, and ways to improve dispersing burial benefits information.  Although Congress has increased the rates of burial and plot allowance over time, the fact remains that average funeral costs have increased at a higher rate than the national average inflation rate.  Significant increases in the allowances are necessary to restore the value of these benefits to original levels. 

NCA reported that it processed more than 360,000 applications for government-furnished headstones and markers for the graves of veterans and their eligible family members, and issued over 500,000 Presidential Memorial Certificates to the families of veterans in Fiscal Year 2008. 

Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Steve Muro offered the following testimony: “NCA received $50 million in stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assist in fulfillment of our commitment to the national shrine standards.  These funds are being used for 395 cemetery projects in 39 states and Puerto Rico.  Projects include raising, realigning and cleaning headstones and markers, and repairing sunken graves.  We are also funding projects that conserve energy and water through the use of wind turbines, solar power and other measures.  We are repairing historic monuments and memorials at national shrines; repairing roads, buildings, and other cemetery infrastructure; and purchasing new equipment for cemetery operations.  These stimulus funds will be obligated by September 2010, and we have established procedures to ensure rigorous oversight of and accountability for the use of these funds.” 

Bob Filner, Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said, “It is important that America renew her commitment to providing a fitting tribute to our fallen heroes.  National cemeteries do not simply provide a final resting place, but they also tell the story of the fierce devotion and loyalty of our Nation’s veterans.” 
   
Witnesses:

Panel 1

• The Honorable Max Cleland, Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission
• John C. Metzler, Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery

Accompanied by

• Lynn Heirakuji, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Personnel Oversight, Department of the Army, U.S. Department of Defense
• Katherine Stevens, Assistant Director for Business Services, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

Panel 2

• Lieutenant Colonel John Wilson, USAF (Ret.), Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
• Raymond C. Kelley, National Legislative Director, American Veterans (AMVETS)
• Vivianne Cisneros Wersel, Chair, Legislative Committee, Gold Star Wives of America, Inc.
• Lesley Witter, Director of Political Affairs, National Funeral Directors Association
• John Nicolai, Shop Steward, Local 2241, American Federation of Government Employees (AFL-CIO)

Panel 3

• Steve L. Muro, Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Accompanied by

• Ronald Walters, Director, Budget and Planning Services, National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 

Prepared testimony for the hearing and a link to the webcast from the hearing is available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=458.