United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-04-29 monographic deposited born digital 12 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-98-157 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157 P0b002ee18039c3d6 f:he98157t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157 T-HEHS-98-157 Veterans Veterans benefits Agency missions Strategic planning Cost control Grants to states Cost sharing (finance) VA National Cemetery System State Cemetery Grant Testimony HEHS GAO discussed the National Cemetery System's (NCS) plans to accommodate the increasing demand for burial benefits and what it can do to extend the service period of existing cemeteries.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) NCS has adopted a 5-year strategic plan for fiscal years 1998 through 2003 with the goal of ensuring that burial in a national or state veterans' cemetery is an available option for all veterans and their eligible family members; (2) strategies outlined in NCS' plan include: (a) building new national cemeteries; (b) expanding existing cemeteries; and (c) encouraging states to provide additional burial sites through participation in the State Cemetery Grants Program; (3) however, it is unclear how NCS will address the veterans' burial demand during the peak years, when pressure on it will be greatest, since NCS' strategic plan does not indicate how it will begin to position itself to handle the increasing demand for burial benefits; (4) NCS officials stated that beyond 2003, NCS will continue using the basic strategies contained in its current 5-year plan; (5) for example, NCS plans to encourage states to establish veterans' cemeteries in areas where it does not plan to operate national cemeteries; (6) however, since the grant program's inception in 1978, fewer than half of the states have established veterans' cemeteries; (7) states have also shown limited interest in a legislative proposal designed to increase state participation by increasing the share of federal funding; (8) given the magnitude of the projected increase in demand for burial benefits, GAO continues to believe that it is important for NCS to articulate to Congress and other stakeholders how it plans to address the increasing demand; (9) as annual interments increase, cemeteries reach their burial capacity, thus increasing the importance of making the most efficient use of available cemetery space; (10) to identify feasible approaches to extending the service period of existing cemeteries, GAO analyzed the impact of adding burial sites to an acre of land in an existing cemetery; (11) GAO's analysis of three interment options showed that columbaria offered the most efficient option because they would involve the lowest average interment cost and would significantly extend a cemetery's service period; and (12) morever, while the majority of veterans and eligible family members prefer a casket burial, cremation is an acceptable interment option for many, and the demand for cremation, which varies by region, continues to increase. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-98-157 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-157 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-98-157; National Cemetery System: Plans for Addressing Projected Increases in Veterans' Burials; Veterans Veterans benefits Agency missions Strategic planning Cost control Grants to states Cost sharing (finance) VA National Cemetery System State Cemetery Grant Public Law 93-43