Strategic Goal: Honor and serve veterans in life and memorialize them in death for their sacrifices on behalf of the Nation. Veterans will have dignity in their lives, especially in time of need, through the provision of health care, pension programs and life insurance, and the Nation will memorialize them in death for the sacrifices they have made for their country.

Objective: Ensure that the burial needs of veterans and eligible family members are met.

Performance Goal: Increase the percentage of veterans served by a burial option in a national or state veterans cemetery within a reasonable distance (75 miles) of their residence to 76.2 percent. (Note: Performance data have been adjusted to reflect changes recommended in a recent audit conducted by the IG).

The mission of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is to "honor veterans with a final resting place and lasting memorials that commemorate their service to our Nation." NCA data from recent years show that about 80 percent of persons interred in national cemeteries resided within 75 miles of the cemetery at time of death. As annual interments and total gravesites used increase, cemeteries deplete their inventory of space and are no longer able to accept full-casketed or cremated remains of first family members for interment. This reduces the burial options available to veterans. At the end of FY 2000, of the 119 existing national cemeteries, only 61 will contain available, unassigned gravesites for the burial of both casketed and cremated remains; 28 will only accept cremated remains and remains of family members for interment in the same gravesite as a previously deceased family member; and 30 will only perform interments of family members in the same gravesite as a previously deceased family member. By the year 2005, the Little Rock, Culpeper, and Woodlawn National Cemeteries will exhaust their current supply of available, unassigned, full casket gravesites. However, there is a state veterans cemetery planned for Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Culpeper and Woodlawn National Cemeteries are within 40 miles of other open national cemeteries.

In order to meet the burial needs of veterans, NCA needs to increase access by developing additional national cemeteries in unserved areas; expanding existing national cemeteries to continue to provide service to meet projected demand, including the development of columbaria and the acquisition of additional land; and developing alternative burial options consistent with veterans’ expectations.

Advance Planning Funds will be available for the development of new national cemeteries to serve veterans in the areas of Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; Miami, Florida; and Sacramento, California. These locations were identified in the 1994 report to Congress. When open, these cemeteries will provide a burial option to about 1.5 million veterans that are not currently served.

NCA will expand existing national cemeteries by completing phased development projects in order to make additional gravesites or columbaria available for interments. Phased development in ten-year increments is a part of the routine operation of an open national cemetery. NCA’s practice is to lay out and subdivide a cemetery by sections or areas so that it may be developed sequentially as the need approaches. NCA plans to begin a cemetery expansion project at the Ft. Logan, Colorado, National Cemetery to expand the cemetery’s ability to accommodate full-casket and cremated interments.

National cemeteries that will close due to depletion of grave space are identified to determine the feasibility of extending the service period of the cemetery by the acquisition of adjacent or contiguous land.

NCA has established a partnership with the states to provide veterans and their eligible family members with burial options. For example, NCA administers the State Cemetery Grants Program, which provides grants to states of up to 100 percent of the cost of establishing, expanding, or improving state veterans cemeteries including the acquisition of initial operating equipment. NCA also plans to develop and distribute a planning model to encourage and help individual states in establishing state veterans cemeteries through the State Cemetery Grants Program.

There are no major management challenges that will affect achievement of this performance goal.

NCA determines the percentage of veterans served by a burial option within a reasonable distance of their residence by analyzing census data, projected openings of new national or state veterans cemeteries, and changes in the service delivery status of existing cemeteries.

The IG completed its audit assessing the accuracy of data used to measure the percent of the veteran population served by the existence of a burial option within a reasonable distance of place of residence. Audit results showed NCA personnel generally made sound decisions and accurate calculations in determining the percent of veterans served by a burial option. Although inconsistencies in NCA’s estimate of the percent of the veteran population served by a burial option were identified, they did not have a material impact and no formal recommendations were made. NCA has addressed these inconsistencies and the adjustments are included in this performance plan.

(For additional information on this performance goal, refer to General Operating Expenses, Volume 4, Chapter 4.)