[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 83206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26140]


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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 Department 
of Veterans Affairs 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 privately purchased outer burial 
receptacles for qualifying interments in a VA national cemetery that 
occur during calendar year (CY) 2024. The allowance is equal to the 
average cost of Government-furnished graveliners less any 
administrative costs associated with processing and paying the 
allowance. The purpose of this notice is to notify interested parties 
of the average cost of Government-furnished graveliners, associated 
administrative costs and the allowance amount payable for qualifying 
interments that occur in CY 2024.

DATES: This allowance amount is effective on January 1, 2024.

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: Title 38 U.S.C. 2306(e)(3), (4) authorizes 
VA to provide a monetary allowance for the private purchase of an outer 
burial receptacle for casketed burials in a VA national cemetery. VA 
administers the outer burial receptacle allowance in accordance with 38 
CFR 38.629, which specifies how the allowance amount is determined each 
year and requires VA to post the amount of the allowance in the Notices 
section of the Federal Register.
    The allowance for qualified interments that occur during CY 2024 is 
equal to the average cost of Government-furnished graveliners in fiscal 
year (FY) 2023, less the administrative cost 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 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 $420.00 for FY 2023.
    The administrative cost is based on the costs incurred by VA during 
CY 2023 that relate to processing and paying an allowance in lieu of 
the Government-furnished graveliner. This cost has been determined to 
be $9.00.
    The allowance payable for qualifying interments occurring during CY 
2024, therefore, is $411.00.

Signing Authority

    Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed 
this document on November 21, 2023, 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.

Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy & 
Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-26140 Filed 11-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P