Veteran Burial Plot Selection: Can You Choose or Reserve a Gravesite?

You cannot reserve a specific gravesite in a VA national cemetery. The VA assigns the grave when the burial is scheduled. What you can do ahead of time is apply for a pre-need eligibility determination, which confirms that the veteran qualifies, so your family is not hunting for paperwork in the first days after a death. State veterans cemeteries and private cemeteries have their own rules, and some do let you pick or buy a plot in advance.

Can you reserve or choose a plot in a VA national cemetery?

No. The VA's pre-need page says it cannot guarantee burial in your preferred cemetery, and its burial planning page says the decision letter does not identify a specific gravesite because reserving one in advance is not possible.

You still make real choices. When the burial is scheduled, the family can ask for:

• A cemetery. You name the national cemetery you want, and the VA schedules it if there is space.
• Casket or cremation. Both are available. Cremated remains are buried or inurned in the same manner and with the same honors as a casketed burial.
• The marker style. Upright headstone, flat marker or, for a columbarium niche, a bronze niche marker, plus an emblem of belief and an inscription. Which styles are available depends on the cemetery.
• The service details. The VA sets the time and location of the committal service. Under the VA's regulations (38 CFR 38.619), the family can also ask to witness the interment without additional services, choose a funeral honors provider, and have religious or other symbols displayed, within limits set by the cemetery director.

The cemetery, not the family, decides which grave is used.

What are your cemetery options?

There are three main kinds of cemetery for a veteran. The right one depends on eligibility, distance and what you want to pay.

The cemetery counts come from the National Cemetery Administration, which lists 158 VA-managed and 125 VA grant-funded cemeteries. Our guide to state veterans cemeteries covers those in detail, and choosing a cemetery and municipal vs private cemeteries cover the rest.

Arlington National Cemetery is run by the Army and has its own, stricter rules. It says eligibility is verified at the time of death and cannot be confirmed in advance. See Arlington eligibility.

How do you apply for pre-need eligibility?

A pre-need determination is free and can be requested by the veteran, a family member or someone with authorization to act for them.

1. Gather discharge papers. The DD214 or other separation documents are recommended and speed the review.
2. Apply. Apply online at VA.gov, or mail VA Form 40-10007 to the NCA Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 5237, Janesville, WI 53547.
3. Add proof of authority if you apply for someone else. That can be a power of attorney, a representative appointment or caregiver status.
4. Keep the decision letter. Put a copy with the will and the DD214, and tell your family where it is.

The VA page does not give a processing time, so apply well before you expect to need it.

How do you find a cemetery with space?

Use the VA's cemetery locator to find national, state and tribal cemeteries near you. The VA lists each national cemetery as one of three statuses:

• Open, accepting new casket and cremation burials
• Cremation only, for cremated remains in in-ground gravesites or a columbarium
• Closed, with no new burials, though burials of family members of someone already interred there may still be possible

The VA says most cemeteries can schedule a burial within 3 business days of the request, though specific days and times can take longer. National cemeteries are open for burials Monday through Friday.

What happens at the time of death?

The veteran's next of kin or the funeral director calls the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY 711), open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern. You can also fax discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email NCA.Scheduling@va.gov, then call to confirm. Have the veteran's Social Security or service number, birth and death dates, and your contact details ready.

At that point you pick the cemetery, burial type, marker style and any emblem. If the cemetery you asked for cannot take the burial, the scheduling office can offer another.

What if you choose a private cemetery?

A private cemetery or a private section of a cemetery for veterans is a valid choice, especially for families who want a plot close to home or next to relatives already buried there. You buy the plot and pay for opening and closing, and the cemetery's own rules apply.

The VA still helps in two ways:

• A free government headstone, marker or medallion. It is shipped at no charge, but you pay the cemetery to set it. See VA headstones and markers before you buy a private stone.
• A plot allowance. For a veteran who was eligible for national cemetery burial but is buried elsewhere, the VA pays up to $1,002 toward the plot for deaths from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and up to $1,032 for deaths on or after October 1, 2026, when the veteran also meets the burial allowance requirements. The VA counts a grave, mausoleum vault or columbarium niche as a plot. The rate is adjusted each October 1. Details are in our VA burial allowance guide.

What should you gather before you need it?

• The DD214 or other discharge papers. If they are missing, next of kin can request them from the National Archives online through eVetRecs, and requests are free if the veteran was discharged less than 62 years ago, and the Archives asks for proof of death. It says standard requests typically take about 90 days, but it lists a burial and emergency request option.
• The veteran's Social Security or service number and dates of birth and death.
• For a spouse, the marriage and, if relevant, death and divorce records. The VA may ask for these to confirm eligibility.
• The pre-need decision letter, if you have one.

Mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the VA will hold a plot. A pre-need letter does not. If you want a specific location, a private or state cemetery that sells plots ahead may fit better.
• Buying a headstone before checking. The government marker is free. Private stones run into the thousands.
• Mixing up honors and cemetery. Military funeral honors, the flag and the gravesite are separate requests. See military honors at a funeral.
• Waiting to find the DD214. It is the paper most likely to delay scheduling.

What to do next

1. Find the DD214, or request it from the National Archives now.
2. Apply for pre-need eligibility with VA Form 40-10007 and keep the letter with your will.
3. Decide which cemetery you would ask for first and which you would choose if it cannot take the burial. Read national cemetery eligibility if you are unsure who qualifies.
4. If your spouse will be buried with you, read our guide to veteran spouse joint burial.