[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76712-76713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29971]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Allowance for Private Purchase of an Outer Burial Receptacle in 
Lieu of a Government-Furnished Graveliner for a Grave in a VA National 
Cemetery

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Public Law 104-275 was enacted on October 9, 1996. It allows 
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide a monetary allowance 
towards the private purchase of an outer burial receptacle for use in a 
VA national cemetery. Under VA regulation (38 CFR 38.629), the 
allowance is equal to the average cost of Government-furnished 
graveliners less any administrative costs to VA. The law provides a 
veteran's survivors with the option of selecting a Government-furnished 
graveliner for use in a VA national cemetery where such use is 
authorized.
    The purpose of this Notice is to notify interested parties of the 
average cost of Government-furnished graveliners, administrative costs 
that relate to processing and paying the allowance and the amount of 
the allowance payable for qualifying interments that occur during 
calendar year 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamula Jones, Budget Operations and 
Field Support Division, National Cemetery Administration, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420; or 
(202) 461-6688. (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) 
2306(e)(3) and (4) and Public Law 104-275, Section 213, VA may provide 
a monetary allowance for the private purchase of an outer burial 
receptacle for use in a VA national cemetery where its use is 
authorized. The allowance for qualified interments that occur during 
calendar year 2014 is the average cost of Government-furnished 
graveliners in fiscal year 2013, less the administrative costs incurred 
by VA in processing and paying the allowance in lieu of the Government-
furnished graveliner.
    The average cost of Government-furnished graveliners is determined 
by taking VA's total cost during a fiscal year for single-depth 
graveliners that were procured for placement at the time of interment 
and dividing it by the total number of such graveliners procured by VA 
during that fiscal year. The calculation excludes both graveliners 
procured and pre-placed in gravesites as part of cemetery gravesite 
development projects and all double-depth graveliners. Using this 
method of computation, the average cost was determined to be $311.00 
for fiscal year 2013.
    The administrative costs incurred by VA consist of those costs that 
relate to processing and paying an allowance in lieu of the Government-
furnished graveliner. These costs have been determined to be $9.00 for 
calendar year 2014.
    The allowance payable for qualifying interments occurring during 
calendar year 2014, therefore, is $302.00.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication

[[Page 76713]]

electronically as an official document of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. Jose D. Riojas, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans, 
approved this document on December 9, 2013, for publication.

    Dated: December 12, 2013.
Robert C. McFetridge,
Director, Regulation Policy and Management, Office the General Counsel, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013-29971 Filed 12-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P