National Cemetery Administration

Leadership

Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs

Ronald E. Walters was named the Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, effective May 24, 2024. As the Acting USMA, Mr. Walters oversees the maintenance and operation of 156 VA national cemeteries in providing dignified burial services for military Veterans and eligible family members.

His responsibilities include overseeing design and construction activities related to the establishment of new VA national cemeteries; managing memorial programs including the provision of headstones, markers, medallions and Presidential Memorial Certificates; and administering federal grants to states and territories including tribal trust lands, Guam, and Saipan. There are currently 122 grant-funded Veterans cemeteries.

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Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs

Matthew T. Sullivan was named the Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, effective September 25, 2024. As the Acting PDUSMA, Mr. Sullivan helps oversee the maintenance and operation of 156 VA national cemeteries in providing dignified burial services for military Veterans and eligible family members.

Mr. Sullivan was named the Deputy Under Secretary for Finance and Planning and Chief Financial Officer for the National Cemetery Administration, effective Feb. 8, 2015. Mr. Sullivan previously served as the Director, Office of Enterprise Risk Management (OERM) in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Office of Management from October 2012. As the Director of OERM, he provided leadership in maintaining a department-wide risk-aware culture and management infrastructure that enables early warning and robust management of top risks that threaten agency priorities and goals.

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About NCA

Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces and Veterans who have met minimum active duty service requirements, as applicable, and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty under certain circumstances are also eligible for burial, as are service members and former service members who were eligible for retired pay at the time of their death.

A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor children, and, under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities, may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.

VA provides the gravesite, grave liner, opening and closing of the grave, government headstone or marker, U.S. burial flag, Presidential Memorial Certificate and perpetual care of the gravesite at no cost to the family.

VA operates 156 national cemeteries and 35 soldiers' lots and monument sites in 42 states and Puerto Rico. More than 4 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA's national cemeteries. VA also provides funding to establish, expand, improve and maintain 122 Veterans cemeteries in 49 states and territories including tribal trust lands, Guam, and Saipan. For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. In 2017, VA honored more than 361,892 Veterans and their loved ones with memorial benefits in national, state, tribal and private cemeteries.

Information on VA burial benefits is available from local VA national cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov, or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. To make burial arrangements at any open VA national cemetery at the time of need, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

Mission, Vision & Purpose

Mission: NCA honors eligible Veterans, active-duty Service Members and eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our Nation.

Vision: To be the model of excellence for burial and memorials for our Nation's Veterans and their families.

NCA Purpose
- To provide burial space for Veterans and their eligible family members.
- To maintain national cemeteries as national shrines, sacred to the honor and memory of those interred or memorialized there.
- To mark Veterans' graves with a Government-furnished headstone, marker or medallion and to provide Presidential Memorial Certificates in recognition of their service to a grateful nation.
- To administer grants for establishing or expanding state and tribal government veterans cemeteries.

Customer Service Standards: Our Commitment to You

We will strive to provide service that meets or exceeds the following standards:

Courtesy
We will treat you with respect, dignity and compassion every time you interact with any National Cemetery Administration employee.

Access
We will provide gravesite locator assistance that is accessible, current and accurate at each national cemetery.
We will provide a toll-free telephone line for you to make inquiries about headstone and marker orders. Your call will be answered by a Customer Service Representative within three minutes.

Prompt Delivery of Service and Benefits
We will confirm eligibility and schedule your committal service within two hours of the request.
We will set headstones and markers at national cemeteries within 60 days of interment.
We will deliver headstones and markers to recipients other than national cemeteries within 60 days of receipt of your application.
We will mail Presidential Memorial Certificates to families of eligible Veterans within 45 days of the Veterans' death information being reported to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Accuracy - Doing it Right
We will provide a headstone or marker that is correctly inscribed.
We will replace a headstone or marker that is damaged or incorrectly inscribed within 30 days of notification.
We will replace a Presidential Memorial Certificate that is incorrectly inscribed within 20 days of notification.

Appearance
We will maintain the appearance of VA's national cemeteries in a manner befitting a national shrine.

Effective Outreach
We will seek every opportunity to provide you with accurate and timely information about burial benefits and services.