Rep. Correa's Veterans' Cemetery Bill Passes House

Press Release

Today, Congressman Lou Correa's (D-CA) bill, H.R. 4335 -Servicemember Family Burial Act, passed the House. The bill ends an intrusive and emotionally demanding bureaucratic process that prevented active duty servicemember from burying a spouse or child in a veterans cemetery.

Rep. Correa said, "Veterans represent the best of America. In return for their sacrifices, this country promises all soldiers that we'll have their back. Their mission was protecting us. Now that they're home, it is our mission to honor and respect them.

"When a soldier serving our nation has the unimaginable loss of a spouse or child, they need swift action, not bureaucracy. My bill will provide options during their time of grief."

Servicemember Family Burial Act

This bill will allow the Department of Veterans' Affairs to bury an active-duty servicemember's immediate family if they pass away before the servicemember. Currently, immediate family members of veterans who die before the servicemember can only be buried in a Veterans' cemetery following an intrusive and emotionally demanding bureaucratic process. The Veteran Family Burial Benefits Act ends the case-by-case process and allows veterans to lay their loved ones to rest. The Veterans Administration requested this solution in their FY2018 budget submission. The bill is supported by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion.

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