Can the unmarried son of a Veteran be buried with the Veteran and Spouse in one of the 131 National Cemeteries?
Under certain conditions the VA allows for the interment of the unmarried son of a Veteran to be buried with their parents at one of the 131 National Cemeteries. There are three requirements that must be met for the interment to occur. The first requirement is that there is available space at the Veteran’s gravesite. The second requirement is that the family member is eligible to be buried with the Veteran. Individual family members are eligible if one of the following criteria applies:
- Spouse, conditional upon a valid marriage under state law. Refer to 38 U.S.C. 103 (c)
- a minor child becomes eligible for burial with the Veteran, if the child is under the age of 21, or under the age of 23, if attending an approved educational institution full-time. Refer to: 38 C.F.R. 38.620 (e) (2014), or
- an unmarried dependent adult child becomes eligible for burial with the Veteran is approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The VA limits the burial to the remains of an adult child under certain circumstances. The child must have become permanently physically or mentally incapable of self-support before reaching the age of 21, or before reaching age 23, if attending an approved school full-time. Refer to: 38 C.F.R. 38.620 (e) (2014), or
- certain eligible parents.
The third requirement is that the burial must be approved by the Secretary of the Veterans Administration. Burial arrangements are made with the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at #800-535-1117. The National Cemetery Administration services and resources can be accessed at website: http://www.cem.va.gov/funeraldirector.asp