KGBT - U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, local veterans push for cemeteries closer to home

News Article

By Tiffany Huertas

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs wants to offer all veterans a burial plot within 75 miles of home.

About 8 percent of veterans, though, live farther away.

To solve the problem, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, recently added language to the 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, encouraging the VA to research the possibility of accepting private land donations.

"Our veterans have made the ultimate sacrifice by fighting for their country, so we should make sure that they are well taken care of after they return home," Cuellar said, according to a news release. "Making it easier to choose to be buried close to home and close to their loved ones is the least we can do for our area's veterans."

Under the current process, the Texas General Land Office must receive permission from the local government where the proposed cemetery is located and apply for permission from the VA, according to a news release from Cuellar's Office.

Cuellar added language to the bill that would allow donated land to be designated as a satellite cemetery, bypassing the process.

Additional language added to the bill will require the VA to report progress on reducing the number of veterans without access to a nearby cemetery

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