[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 249 (Monday, December 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67813-67814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-28401]


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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 2019, 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 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 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Carter, Chief of Budget 
Execution Division, National Cemetery Administration, Department of 
Veterans

[[Page 67814]]

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 2019 
is the average cost of Government-furnished graveliners in fiscal year 
2018, 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 $353.00 
for fiscal year 2018.
    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 2019.
    The allowance payable for qualifying interments occurring during 
calendar year 2019, therefore, is $344.00.

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. Robert L. 
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on December 20, 2018, for publication.

    Dated: December 20, 2018.
Luvenia Potts,
Program Specialist, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-28401 Filed 12-28-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P