National Cemetery Administration
Wisconsin Receives Grant to Expand Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery
September 16, 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 $5,153,887 to the state of Wisconsin for the expansion of Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove.
"Without Wisconsin's three state Veterans cemeteries, Veterans in the state would have very limited access to the burial benefits they have earned with their military service" said Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn. "Providing this funding ensures the cemetery in Union Grove will remain open for years to come, fulfilling our commitment to our Veterans."
Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery currently serves more than 156,000 Veterans and their eligible family members living within 75 miles of the cemetery. The grant will fund 2,929 pre-placed crypts, 4,166 in-ground cremains gravesites, roadways, irrigation, landscaping and supporting infrastructure on approximately 12 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 Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, contact Lee Kelley, Cemetery Director, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs at (262) 878-5660 or email Lee.Kelley@dva.wisconsin.gov.
