Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you.

Veterans Affairs committee  We're not going to know if there's a funeral home out there that is not providing that information. It's probably not ever going to come to our attention. I just say that because I expect a business that has integrity would let people know. I don't have any specific instances.

Veterans Affairs committee  I can't speak too broadly about what the other administrations do, but I can speak about it a little bit. We certainly have a very robust Internet site that I invite you all to visit if you have the opportunity. Just type in “Department of Veterans Affairs” and it will take you t

Veterans Affairs committee  I just want to say thank you very much for asking the questions and for being interested in our programs. Those of us within the National Cemetery Administration are really passionate about our work. We're proud of it. Every single person who works for the National Cemetery Admin

Veterans Affairs committee  No. I'm a Vietnam era veteran. I served for two years during the Vietnam era. I served in what used to be the Women's Army Corp. It doesn't exist any longer. But I worked for the Department of the Army as a civilian for ten years. I worked for the Department of Labour for 12 year

Veterans Affairs committee  No. Our national cemeteries are open during daylight. They're not secured at night. The hours are posted, and we don't want people on the cemetery grounds at night. And the only security we have is that normally we will have an agreement with a local law enforcement agency, depen

Veterans Affairs committee  We don't assist in that. If they elect burial at sea and they do that, then they would be eligible for a memorial headstone or marker to be placed in one of our national cemeteries. It would say “in memory of” whoever that person is. We still recognize them with a marker in one o

Veterans Affairs committee  I do not have an answer to that question. They're still on active duty, so the military may be picking up those expenses. I suspect it is, but I can't tell you that for sure. I can certainly get that answer for you, if you'd like.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have contractors across the United States who work in marble, granite, and in bronze. My office manages those contracts. Wherever the contractors are, they will manufacture it and ship it. In some instances when it's a national cemetery, we have specialized contracts where we

Veterans Affairs committee  We rely very heavily on the funeral homes, because they are the ones who are meeting with the families. One of the standard questions is whether the person is a veteran. If they have integrity, then they will advise the family of what benefits are available to them through the VA

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm going to say the first cemetery was either in 1862 or 1863--it was the Civil War. President Lincoln started the cemetery system, and those cemeteries are all still around.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think the older veterans, the World War II veterans in particular, are very, very proud of their service and very patriotic, but not ones to talk about it at all. We do see that. They're not going to step forward and ask for anything--for benefits, for services. It's just not p

Veterans Affairs committee  You mean the burial benefits?

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, absolutely. As long as they're an eligible veteran and fit the criteria, we'll ship a headstone to Canada and it can be placed at a cemetery up there, or they can come back to the States and be buried in a national cemetery.

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, as far as we're concerned, our cemeteries are just as prestigious as Arlington and any of the rest of them. We are constantly looking for ways to make sure we have space available forever. Just as a side comment, Arlington is expanding. They are taking some additional lan