What Is the National Cemetery Administration?

When an eligible active duty service member or veteran dies, burial benefits are available from the National Cemetery Administration. The NCA is a branch of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 

National cemeteries include burial space for veterans and their eligible family members marked with a government headstone to memorialize them and their service to the country.

8 Services Provided by the National Cemetery Administration

1. Burial and Memorial Benefits
2. Daily Burial Schedule
3. Gravesite Locator
4. Cemetery Locator
5. Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM)
6. Veterans Legacy Program (VLP)
7. Veterans Cemetery Grants Program
8. Design and Construction Service

Eligible veterans may wish to be buried near their fellow soldiers at a national cemetery that memorializes service members in the Armed Forces. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) cares for these cemeteries and their plots and provides burial benefits and other resources to veterans and their families.

Currently, the cemeteries maintained by the NCA span more than 22,000 acres of land across the country, including Puerto Rico. The NCA also provides grants to states, territories, and tribal governments to begin more or expand current national cemeteries to ensure enough gravesites for all who wish to be buried in one.

What Is the National Cemetery Administration?

The National Cemetery Administration is one of three branches of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), alongside the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Veterans Health Administration. The NCA honors military veterans and their families by providing a final resting place within national cemeteries as a memorial for veteran sacrifices.

To date, the NCA maintains about 3.8 million graves in 155 national cemeteries. Close to five million military members are currently buried at a VA military cemetery, where visitors may pay respects. The NCA also provides burial space at a VA national cemetery for an eligible veteran's family member.

Some of the most well-known cemeteries maintained by the National Cemetery Administration include the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, the Congressional Cemetery Government Lots in Washington, D.C., and the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, CA. You can find a full list of NCA national cemeteries and their addresses below.

When Was the NCA Created?

The first national cemeteries of the United States were established as the Civil War began, primarily for burying Union soldiers. However, veterans of the war fought for the right to also be buried in these cemeteries next to those they fought with, thus changing the purpose of these cemeteries for future generations.

Beginning in 1873, any honorable discharged veteran was allowed to be buried in a national cemetery. However, it wasn't until 1973 that the NCA was founded when the VA assumed the responsibility of the majority of the U.S. Army's national cemeteries. Originally titled the National Cemetery System (NCS), the NCA now cares for 155 national cemeteries spread across 42 states and Puerto Rico.

8 Services Provided by the National Cemetery Administration

Services offered by the NCA are just some of the many veterans benefits offered to those who served and their families. There are eight primary NCA services.

1. Burial and Memorial Benefits

The NCA's burial benefits for veterans and their families are among its most well-known services. These benefits assist families in securing a gravesite and headstone to honor their fallen veteran. For eligible veterans wishing to be buried in any national cemetery, the NCA provides a burial flag, a burial space, care of the burial space, and a government furnished headstone.

The family of the soldier can also receive a Presidential Memorial Certificate. This certificate is signed by the current president and is designed to be a keepsake for the veteran's family.

It's important to note that the NCA's burial benefit does not cover the costs of the burial, funeral, or transportation of the casket to the cemetery. However, families can apply for burial allowances that do help pay for these costs. Generally, the VA will reimburse the family if they apply within two years of the burial or cremation.

A veteran's spouse or dependents may also be buried with their loved one in a national cemetery, although they won't receive some of the same benefits, like a burial flag. However, they may secure a plot with the veteran even if they pass before the veteran does.

The National Cemetery Administration also offers help to families looking to navigate the process of their loved one's burial in a national cemetery. You can find resources for determining a veteran's eligibility, arranging for military funeral honors, and arranging for a burial flag.

2. Daily Burial Schedule

The Daily Burial Schedule offered by the NCA allows loved ones to view and confirm burial times of veterans or their eligible dependents being buried in a national cemetery. The online tool lets you search by last name to find the veteran's burial time in a specific cemetery. Alternatively, you can search burial times by cemetery to find a list of burial times for a specific day.

The results display the time of burial service, the veteran or family member's name, and the funeral home performing the funeral ceremony. The committal service information updates regularly to give visitors accurate information for each ceremony.

3. Gravesite Locator

People who live far away from a loved one's gravesite at a VA national cemetery may choose to visit the veteran's grave while traveling to the area. Family and loved ones can use the NCA's Gravesite Locator tool to help them locate the grave of their soldier.

To use the tool, simply include the veteran's last name in your search. If you know where they are buried, you can search that specific cemetery. Otherwise, opt to search all national cemeteries.

The tool gives precise locations of the soldier's grave if the information is available. If the location isn't indicated for your loved one, you can call the listed number to contact the cemetery for more information.

Loved ones can also use the tool to check that their loved one's information is accurate. You may contact the National Cemetery Administration to report an inaccurate listing.

4. Cemetery Locator

Like the gravesite locator, the NCA’s Cemetery Locator allows anyone to locate a national cemetery maintained by the National Cemetery Administration. It also includes listings for all state veterans cemeteries that states maintain themselves.

To browse cemeteries by state, you can click on the state you'd like to search, either using the text link or by clicking the state on the map. The tool then lists each national or state veterans cemetery located in that state, their contact information, and whether there is open burial space available.

5. Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM)

The Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) is an online home for profiles of veterans who are buried in any of the NCA's national cemeteries. The website serves as a place to memorialize our veterans for both family and non-family to visit and pay their respects.

The VLM offers each veteran a space on the website for their veteran profile. Family members and loved ones can contribute to their profile by adding photos, historical documents, a biography, historical information, and awards and achievements. Visitors can also leave tributes on a profile to share memories or condolences to the family.

The NCA also adds information to each profile, including information about the national cemetery they're buried in, the grave location, and the veteran's interment date.

6. Veterans Legacy Program (VLP)

The Veterans Legacy Program honors veterans who have been buried in national cemeteries across the country. The VLP provides resources and programs for organizations and schools to use to commemorate these veterans by sharing their stories and experiences with people of all ages.

The VLP website includes videos, resources, documents, and photos for use in classrooms and events. Specific resources for teachers include grade-level veteran biographies, lesson plans, and other learning materials focused on K-12 students.

Colleges and universities also partner with the VLP for outreach in their facilities. Students can use VLP resources to research biographies and learn more about National Cemetery Administration cemeteries nearby. Some K-12 schools, colleges, and universities also take students to visit nearby national cemeteries for first-hand experiences.

7. Veterans Cemetery Grants Program

The VA provides grants to states, territories, and tribal governments to create, expand, or improve grave sites for veterans through this program. The Veterans Cemetery Grants Program was established in 1978 to fulfill a need for more space for veterans wishing to be buried at one of the National Cemetery Administration's burial spaces.

The Veterans Cemetery Grants Program can provide up to 100% of the full cost to establish, expand, or improve a national cemetery. However, any state or government receiving the grant must abide by a set of VA standards for the project to be eligible for grant funds. In most cases, a grant cannot cover the land itself, but it may cover some equipment necessary to clear and prepare the land.

As of 2020, these VA grants helped to add 37,268 interments for veterans and active duty service members in cemeteries maintained by the NCA.

8. Design and Construction Service

Because the National Cemetery Administration has several guidelines and expectations for each of its national cemeteries, it provides its Design and Construction Service to meet those demands. These services help ensure that each cemetery follows specific planning, designing, and maintaining procedures to offer somewhat of a uniform approach to national memorials.

The Design and Construction Service oversees several aspects of a national cemetery's planning, construction, and maintenance. Some of the service's duties include:

• Conducting studies and analyses to determine future expansion needs
• Overseeing expansion efforts
• Advising on construction-related issues
• Overseeing cemetery planning and design
• Contracting with architectural and construction teams
• Overseeing and maintaining project budgets
• Renovating gravesites, sidewalks, and parking lots of national cemeteries
• Improving and maintaining structures located on national cemetery grounds

Volunteer Opportunities With the National Cemetery Administration

Honoring our nation's veterans is more than visiting national shrines, celebrating Memorial Day, or visiting a grave at a national cemetery. While honorable actions, there are many more opportunities to give back to those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice.

The National Cemetery Administration offers several volunteer opportunities for people who want to get more involved in honoring veterans. Through its many available resources, volunteers can help research biographies and cemetery histories to learn more about the significance of each. Those with a desire to learn can become tour guides or assist with cataloging monuments at national cemeteries.

Other volunteer opportunities with the NCA include pruning trees and bushes, painting or resurfacing benches, planning Memorial Day ceremonies, and greeting visitors at information centers. Those with musical talent can even become a part of a veteran's memorial service by playing "Taps."

If you're interested in learning more about ways to volunteer with the NCA, here is the contact information of a national cemetery near you.

National Cemetery Locations