Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) announced the introduction of the Loved Ones Internment Act (H.R. 9804) to ensure that veterans can be laid to rest alongside their loved ones in national or veterans cemeteries. Specifically, this bill would amend current law that prevents veterans’ cremated remains from being interred with loved ones, if the deceased veteran received a burial benefit such as an urn or commemorative plaque from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“The men and women who have served our country in uniform deserve to be buried with the utmost respect and dignity,” said Congresswoman Julia Brownley. “Many families decide that an individual will be cremated, so at a later time that individual can be buried with their spouse or dependent. If a veteran passes away and their family receives an urn or plaque from VA, VA’s current interpretation of the law prevents that veteran from being buried with their family member. This is heartbreaking and completely unacceptable.
“My bill, the Loved Ones Internment Act, will rectify this unintended consequence of current law and allow the cremated remains of veterans to be interred with their spouse or child, regardless of whether they received an urn or plaque from VA. Our nation’s veterans and their families have sacrificed so much in service to our country, and ensuring that veterans are laid to rest with their loved ones is not only the right thing to do but it also upholds our promise to serve our veterans – in life and death – as well as they have served our country.”
Background on the Loved Ones Internment Act
As part of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, Congress authorized VA to provide eligible veterans with an urn or commemorative plaque. According to the law, if the “Secretary [of the Department of Veterans Affairs] furnishes an urn [or commemorative plaque]…for an individual, the Secretary may not provide for such individual any burial benefit under section 2402 of this title.” VA interprets this to mean that if a veteran received a burial benefit of an urn or commemorative plaque, the veteran cannot receive a secondary burial benefit of being interred with a spouse or dependent.
The Loved Ones Internment Act would allow cremated veterans to be laid to rest in the same burial space as a spouse or dependent and provide a family headstone that contains details about the cremated veteran.
This bill is endorsed by American Veterans (AMVETS) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
Read the full text of the bill here.
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Issues: 118th Congress, Veterans' Affairs