National Cemetery Administration
Missouri Receives Grant to Expand Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery
August 5, 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 a grant of up to $1,958,684 to the State of Missouri for the expansion of Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery.
"By working with states like Missouri, VA ensures that nearly 94% of all Veterans living in the United States have access to a burial option within 75 miles of their home," said Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn. "Funding the states allows us to essentially double the number of options Veterans have when exercising their right to a burial benefit they've earned through their service to our nation."
Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery serves more than 45,000 Veterans and their eligible family members. The funding will provide the cemetery with 960 new columbarium niches, improvements to the columbarium wall and an associated plaza. It will also fund roadway and sidewalk improvements, building energy efficiency, irrigation enhancements and other improvements to the cemetery's supporting infrastructure.
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 which are currently interring Veterans. In fiscal year 2020, these cemeteries conducted more than 37,000 burials.
For more information about the grant to expand the Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery, contact Jim Nugent, Director at 660-295-4237 or Jim.Nugent@mvc.dps.mo.gov.
