National Cemetery Administration
Illinois Receives Grant to Expand Sunset Veterans Cemetery
August 31, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration announced today that the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP), which it oversees, has awarded the state of Illinois a grant of $1,330,192 to expand Sunset Veterans Cemetery.
"The Veterans Cemetery Grant Program is a model for how federal and state governments can work together towards a mutual goal," said Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn. "By working with states like Illinois, we've increased access so that nearly 94% of all Veterans living in the U.S. have a national, state, tribal or territorial Veterans cemetery located within 75 miles of home."
Sunset Veterans Cemetery is a state Veterans cemetery in Quincy, Illinois, which currently serves more than 14,000 Veterans and their eligible family members. The planned expansion includes a new columbarium with 140 niches, a new committal service shelter, a material storage area, landscaping, and supporting infrastructure on 0.6 acres of land.
VCGP complements the VA national cemetery system by funding state, territorial and tribal Veterans cemeteries, increasing access to burial benefits for Veterans and their eligible family members. Since its inception in 1978, the program has provided more than $910 million to establish, expand, improve, operate and maintain 119 cemeteries in which Veterans are currently interred. In fiscal year 2020, these cemeteries conducted more than 37,000 burials.
For more information about the Sunset Veterans Cemetery, contact Gwen Diehl, State Home Coordinator, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs at (217) 785-4575 or email gwen.diehl@illinois.gov.
