What are other differences between a green burial section in a VA national cemetery and its other sections?
A green burial section will differ from other sections in the cemetery in a few important ways:
Appearance:
- NCA will maintain green burial sections to have a natural appearance and may use native grasses and plants to differentiate them from other sections in the cemetery.
- Grounds maintenance activities in these sections will minimize the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation.
- Following interment, to be consistent with green burial practices, VA will close the gravesite by mounding the soil. This will cause the appearance of a barrel-shaped mound of soil on top of the gravesite until it compacts and settles naturally.
Marker Type:
- NCA has designed a unique marker to complement the natural appearance of the green burial section and commemorate the individual with an appropriate inscription. While the gravesite marker NCA uses in a green burial section will have a distinct appearance, the area for inscription will be similar in size and accommodate inscription options available for existing flat markers used in national cemeteries.
Gravesite Assignment and Use:
- NCA will accommodate only one decedent in each gravesite in a green burial section and will set aside an adjacent gravesite to accommodate each additional eligible family member (e.g., a spouse or adult dependent child) identified at the time of the initial decedent's interment.
- For any future interment in an adjacent gravesite in a green burial section, the remains of that decedent will also need to be prepared and presented for burial according to the requirements established in law: (1) the remains must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids; and (2) the remains must be in a natural manner or in a completely biodegradable burial receptacle, such as a biodegradable casket or urn (38 U.S.C. § 2404(i)).
How can I (or my loved one) be buried in a green burial section at a VA national cemetery?
The process to determine eligibility and schedule an interment for a Veteran and/or their family member in a green burial section is the same as scheduling a burial in any other section of a VA national cemetery.
Find out how to schedule a burial or call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (NCSO) toll-free at 800-535-1117 for more information about scheduling a burial. When calling the NCSO, you should indicate your intent for your loved one to be interred in a green burial section.
However, it is important to remember that the preparation and presentation of a decedent's remains for interment in a green burial section must meet the following criteria, which are established in law: (1) the remains must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids; and (2) the remains must be interred in a natural manner or in a completely biodegradable burial receptacle, such as a biodegradable casket or urn (38 U.S.C. § 2404(i)).
What is a biodegradable casket or urn?
For interment in a green burial section, caskets or urns must be made from plant-derived, recycled plant-derived, natural, animal, or unfired earthen materials that are not coated with paint, varnish, or any other synthetic material, including the shell, liner, and adornments. Fasteners and/or handles are excluded from this requirement.
What does being buried in a "natural manner" in a green burial section mean if I (or my loved one) choose not to use a biodegradable casket or urn?
NCA expects anyone presenting intact remains for burial in a VA national cemetery that are not casketed to comply with these requirements:
- The remains should be entirely and securely wrapped in a natural fiber material. No portion of the remains should be visible.
- The remains should be presented on an air tray with a lid and with handles to allow for dignified handling and transport within the cemetery. According to the family's wishes, the lid may be removed for the duration of their loved one's committal service and again prior to the placement of remains in their assigned gravesite.
For decedents being buried in a green burial section whose cremated remains are not placed in a biodegradable urn, being buried in a "natural manner" can include remains that are presented in a biodegradable shroud or bag, or the cremated remains may be poured directly into the decedent's assigned gravesite.
Will NCA inter cremated remains prepared by alkaline hydrolysis (also known as "aquamation")?
Alkaline hydrolysis (or "aquamation") is a water-based cremation process that is more environmentally friendly than the traditional fire-based method. Aquamation yields two distinct materials: solid bone fragments, which is the same material that results from traditional fire-based cremation and are referred to as "cremated remains"; and a neutral liquid called "effluent." NCA will inter cremated remains prepared by aquamation in a VA national cemetery, to include in a green burial section. NCA will not inter the effluent.
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
Will NCA inter remains that are transformed by natural organic reduction (also known as "human composting")?
Natural organic reduction is a process of accelerated decomposition for human remains that yields an organic material akin to soil. NCA will permit the placement of a portion of remains transformed by natural organic reduction in in-ground burial sections (including green burial sections) and designated scatter gardens at VA national cemeteries that have these options. NCA will not inter this material in an above-ground columbarium.
The maximum portion of remains transformed by natural organic reduction that NCA will inter would be commensurate with the volume of cremated remains contained in a standard-size urn.
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section, to include remains transformed by natural organic reduction, must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
If your loved one's remains are transformed by natural organic reduction and the resulting material is spread or distributed at some other location, your loved one may be eligible for a memorial marker at a VA national cemetery.
Will NCA mark my (or my loved one's) green burial gravesite with a tree, boulder, or other natural object?
No. NCA will not use trees, rocks/boulders, or any other natural objects or elements to mark gravesites in green burial sections in its national cemeteries. NCA will use a permanent-type marker. (See Q5/A5).
Additionally, NCA will not allow individuals or organizations to plant trees, flowers, or other greenery within green burial sections.
I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is already buried in a non-green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I want to be buried in a green burial section, can my loved one's remains be relocated to the green burial section?
Federal regulation prescribes the requirements for requesting a disinterment of remains (38 C.F.R. § 38.620). For more information about submitting a disinterment request for the purposes of relocating the remains of a loved one from their current gravesite for placement in a green burial section, please contact the national cemetery directly.
» Visit VA's online national cemetery locator for cemetery contact and location information
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is already buried in a non-green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I want to be buried in a green burial section, can my loved one remain interred where they are now?
Yes. Your loved one can remain in the non-green burial section where they are already interred, regardless of whether you choose interment in a green burial section.
I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is buried in a green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I do not want to be buried in a green burial section with my loved one, can I be interred in a non-green burial section in the same national cemetery?
Yes. NCA will accommodate requests for a decedent to be interred in a non-green burial section in a VA national cemetery where their loved one is already interred in a green burial section. It is important to note that, at the time of your loved one's interment in a green burial section, NCA will set aside an adjacent gravesite for you in case you decide at some point in the future you would prefer to be buried with your loved one in the green burial section.
Does a Veteran interred in a green burial section receive military funeral honors?
Yes. The Department of Defense is responsible for providing military funeral honors for all Veterans, regardless of what type of burial section they choose. Additional honors providers may be available locally. Please contact the national cemetery for a list of military funeral honors providers.
Does the personal representative of a Veteran interred in a green burial section still receive a United States burial flag?
Yes. A United States burial flag is presented to the personal representative of a Veteran. This typically occurs at the time military funeral honors are rendered. For Veterans who are interred at a VA national cemetery without a committal service, you may submit an application for a burial flag using VA Form 27-2008.
Does a Veteran interred in a green burial section receive a Presidential Memorial Certificate (or "PMC")?
Yes. A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is presented to the personal representative of a Veteran by NCA personnel at the committal service. For Veterans who are interred at a VA national cemetery without a committal service, you may submit an application for a PMC using VA Form 40-0247.
» Find out if you're eligible for a Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC)
Does a Veteran interred in a green burial section receive an online Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) page?
Yes. An online VLM page is created for every Veteran interred in a VA national cemetery. VLM is an online memorial that honors nearly 10 million Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries, VA grant-funded cemeteries, DoD-managed cemeteries (including Arlington National Cemetery), U.S. Park Service National Cemeteries, and thousands of private cemeteries where Veterans have received a VA-provided headstone or marker since 1996.
Can family members and friends be present at the gravesite for their loved one's interment?
At VA national cemeteries the standard practice is for mourners to gather at a committal shelter for a brief period, typically between 25-30 minutes, to offer any final remarks and, for Veteran decedents, to receive military funeral honors. Committal shelters are located at various locations within the national cemetery.
Prior to the date of interment, families may request a gravesite service or to witness their loved one's interment. In some cases, this request may be an accommodation to observe their religious or cultural burial practices. VA national cemetery directors will honor these requests to the greatest extent practicable, subject to resource availability and NCA's safety rules and regulations. Families that wish to request an accommodation for religious or cultural customs should do so as soon as possible when scheduling their loved one's interment.
Can NCA accommodate next-day burial requests for remains that are not embalmed?
Although it cannot be guaranteed, NCA makes every effort to accommodate any next-day burial requests that it receives.
Will NCA allow memorial markers to be placed in a green burial section?
Gravesite markers in burial sections (including green burial sections) may include an "In Memory Of" inscription only in cases where one decedent is interred in the gravesite with the marker. The "In Memory Of" inscription would be for the decedent's remains that are not available for interment (e.g., remains were scattered). Memorial markers that do not mark graves are placed at VA national cemeteries in areas designated for memorialization, such as a memorial section or wall.
Are there any other differences that I (or my loved one) should be aware of between choosing interment in a green burial section versus in another section?
It is important to understand that, due to the requirements for how a decedent's remains must be prepared and presented for interment in a green burial section, the process of decomposition is expected to occur more rapidly. Additionally, without a vault or liner in the gravesite to stabilize positioning, remains in a green burial section are likely to shift sooner as subterranean layers of earth move over time.
