[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 70626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27616]


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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 (CY) 2020, 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 CY 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Carter, Chief of Budget 
Execution 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 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 CY 2020 is the average cost of 
Government-furnished graveliners in fiscal year 2019, 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 FY. 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 $342.00 for FY 2019.
    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 
CY 2020.
    The allowance payable for qualifying interments occurring during CY 
2020, therefore, is $333.00.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 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. Pamela Powers, 
Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this document 
on December 16, 2019, for publication.

Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy & 
Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-27616 Filed 12-20-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P