According to this recent article in Newsweek “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded more than $77 million in new grants aimed at expanding and improving state-operated Veterans cemeteries.  The funding, announced by the VA in December, supports projects at 20 existing state Veterans cemeteries and includes an establishment grant for Alaska’s first-ever state Veterans cemetery.”

The state, territorial, and tribal operated system of veterans cemeteries bolster the National Cemetery Administration in reaching a rate where 94% of all veterans living in the United States have access to a veterans cemetery within 75 miles of their home.

This round of annual grants helps in doing that by granting over $16 million “for the establishment of the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks. The cemetery will serve more than 12,000 Veterans and their eligible family members. This is Alaska’s first state Veterans cemetery.”

Three other established cemeteries received over $7 million each for expansion.  Those cemeteries include the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery ($12.8 million), The Albert G. Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Virginia ($8.3 Million), and the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at Governor John Sevier Highway ($7.3 million).  For a complete listing of the cemeteries that recieved grants click here to see the Veteran Affair’s press release.

According to that same press release VA National Cemeteries and VA-grant operated cemeteries served veterans and eligible famiy members with over 175,000 interments in 2025.  The grant-funded cemeteries served 43,705, or approximetely 25%, of those.

Related Article —  Madison County site selected for Alabama’s second state veteran’s cemetery.  Video news story and print article.  News 19- WHNT – Huntsville (AL)  (Editors note:  For whatever reason, this cemetery is not listed in the VA Press Release of the 2025 grants linked above.  It could be as simple as it is another round of funding grants that was announced earlier or will be announced later.)

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Why some Pennsylvanians are foregoing embalming or cremation in favor of natural wooden caskets.  Next Pittsburgh (PA)
• 18% of burials in Taichung eco-friendly last year.  Taiwan News (Taiwan)
• Over 100 human skulls found at home of Pennsylvania man accused of desecrating cemeteries.  NBC  News
• Experience:  I’m Britain’s “Best Gravedigger”.  The Guardian (Great Britain)

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