[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88330-88331]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29273]


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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: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is updating the 
monetary allowance payable for qualifying interments that occur during 
calendar year 2017, which applies toward the private purchase of an 
outer burial receptacle (or ``graveliner'') for use in a VA national 
cemetery. The allowance is equal to the average cost of Government-
furnished graveliners less any administrative costs to VA. The purpose 
of this Notice is to notify interested

[[Page 88331]]

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 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Carter, Budget Operations and 
Field Support Division, National Cemetery Administration, Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420. 
Telephone: (202) 461-9764 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2306(e)(3) and (4) of title 38, 
United States Code (U.S.C.) authorizes VA to 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 2017 
is the average cost of Government-furnished graveliners in fiscal year 
2016, 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 $351.00 
for fiscal year 2016.
    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 2017.
    The allowance payable for qualifying interments occurring during 
calendar year 2017, therefore, is $342.00.

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 electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gina S. 
Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on December 1, 2016, for publication.

    Dated: December 1, 2016.
Michael Shores,
Acting Director, Regulation Policy & Management, Office of the 
Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2016-29273 Filed 12-6-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P