Headstones
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible Veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death.
Eligibility
Any deceased Veteran who was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable or any servicemember of the Armed Forces of the United States who dies on active duty may be eligible. Service after September 7, 1980, must be for a minimum of 24 months continuous active duty or be completed under special circumstances, e.g., death on active duty. Persons who have only limited active duty service for training while in the National Guard or Reserves are not eligible unless there are special circumstances, e.g., death while on active duty, or as a result of training.
Spouses and dependents are not eligible for a Government-furnished headstone or marker unless they are buried in a national cemetery, state veteran’s cemetery, or military post/base cemetery.
There is no charge for the headstone or marker itself, however arrangements for placing it in a private cemetery are the applicant’s responsibility and all setting fees are at private expense. There is a $100 reimbursement from Butler County for the setting of the headstone for all war time era veterans. Please contact our office for further details on how to apply.
*Please note that a veteran can only get either the headstone OR the medallion. They cannot receive both.
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