Perpetual Honor For America's Veterans

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

with iake Reig! & om tht oe “ade amch| oe sale next ey wach nd ar e‘haboy vnducd af el nois Sle and t avenogl nal! sa an bono} I ey5S "A.ae ‘A es seni 7\< tb BN i a sale ts af ueol ole forr Sy anne Dee nad! OF VETERANS Final Rest, Perpetual Honor for America’s Verans (NAPSA)—The Department of Verans Affairs (VA) provides a variety of memorial benefits to verans, including burial space, Presidential Memorial Certifi- cas, a burial flag and a headstone or marker. VA’s National Cemery Sysm (NCS) is building new national cemeries where the need for burial space for verans is greast and expanding other cemeries when possible. NCS recently opened two new national cemeries near Pittsburgh and Detroit. Currently, nine other new national cemeries are planned or under construction in Atlanta; Philadelphia; Miami; Jacksonville, Florida; Sacramento, Calif.; Sarasota, Fla.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Columbia, S.C. Today, approximaly 80 percent of all U.S. verans live within 75 miles of a national cemery. These new cemeries will increase that to 89 percent. The growing demand for national cemeries is due to the aging population of World War II verans. Nearly 1,800 verans die each day, 1,100 of whom are World WarII verans. VA also furnishes upon request, at no charge, a government headstone or marker for the grave of an eligible deceased veran at any cemery in the world. These headstones are shipped free of charge. Priva cemeries may charge a fee for setting the headstone or marker. National cemeries do not. VA provides Presidential Memorial Certificas to the next-of-kin of and loved ones of deceased verans. The gold embossed certificas honor the memory of honorably discharged verans. They are inscribed with the veran’s name The Department of Verans Affairs operas a sysm of 122 national cemeries. and bearthe President’s signature. VA provides a U.S. flag to drape the casket of deceased verans that is presend to the next-ofkin. For burials in national cemeries, NCS provides the burial flag. If burial is in a priva cemery, a burial flag can be obtained at any VA Regional Office or U.S. Post Office. Funeral home directors can help submit necessary application forms to request burial in a national cemery, a burial flag, a headstone or marker and the memorialcertifica. VA offers grants to stas to build and equip sta verans cemeries. The sta then operas and maintains the cemery. Sta verans cemeries have eligibility requirements and provide benefits similar to VA national cemeries. Any deceased veran discharged from the U.S. armed forces under other than dishonorable conditions may beeligible for VA burial benefits. Find out more about VA memorial benefits on the NCS Websi at www.cem.va.gov or call toll-free 1-800-827-1000.

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