Burial Marker

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements for Headstone, Grave Marker, or Niche Marker

Veterans and active-duty service members

• A Veteran who didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge or a service member who died while on active duty may be eligible for a headstone, marker, or niche marker if they meet the requirements listed below specific to when they served.

Enlisted personnel who served before September 7, 1980, and officers who served before October 16, 1981

• At least one of these must be true. The Veteran or service member:
  • Died on or after November 1, 1990, and their grave is currently marked with a privately purchased headstone, or
  • Was buried in an unmarked grave, anywhere in the world.

Note: If the Veteran or service member served before World War I, the VA requires detailed documents, like muster rolls, extracts from state files, or the military or state organization where they served.

Enlisted personnel who served after September 7, 1980, and officers who served after October 16, 1981

• At least one of these must be true. The Veteran or service member:
  • Died on or after November 1, 1990, and their grave is currently marked with a privately purchased headstone, or
  • Was buried in an unmarked grave, anywhere in the world.
• And at least one of these must also be true. The Veteran or service member:
  • Served for a minimum of 24 months of continuous active duty, or
  • Died while serving on active duty.

Note: Hmong individuals who were living in the U.S. when they died are eligible if they were naturalized under the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act of 2000 and died on or after March 23, 2018.

National Guard members and Reservists

• A National Guard member or Reservist may be eligible for a headstone, marker, or niche marker if they meet any of the requirements listed below specific to their type of service.

National Guard members Eligibility 

• At least one of these must be true. The National Guard member:
  • Was entitled to retirement pay at their time of death (or would have been entitled if they were over 60 years old), or
  • Served in a federal status and for the period of time they were called to serve.

Reservists Eligibility 

• At least one of these must be true. The Reservist:
  • Was entitled to retirement pay at their time of death (or would have been entitled if they were over 60 years old), or
  • Was called to active duty for purposes other than training.

Note: National Guard members or Reservists who have only limited active-duty service for training aren’t eligible in most cases. They may be eligible in certain situations, such as if they died during or as the result of the training.

 Spouses and other family members

• Spouses and family members buried in a private cemetery aren’t eligible for these memorial items.