Daines Secures VA Commitment to Fix Headstone Policy

Press Release

Congressman Steve Daines today secured a commitment from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to fix a National Cemetery policy that has resulted in numerous veterans being laid to rest without VA issued headstones.

Under Daines' questioning at a House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing, VA official Glenn Powers pledged that the VA would "fix" this policy by early next year.

"I am here today because of these very troubling stories that have come my way and come to my attention from the veterans in my home state of Montana," Daines stated. "At the Yellowstone County Veterans Cemetery in Laurel, Montana, just this year alone there are eight veterans who've been buried that have no grave marker."

"We're going to get this fixed," stated Glenn Powers, the VA National Cemetery Administration Deputy Under Secretary for Field Programs. "We have also talked about the specific incidents in Yellowstone, and we're going to question if there is an ability to remedy that before we fully implement the regulation. The intent is clear."

Earlier this year, the VA began requiring all veteran headstone applications to come from authorized family or the deceased veteran only, halting efforts from veterans groups to provide headstones to homeless veterans or veterans lacking next of kin. Under current policy, the VA has stopped accepting veteran headstone applications from anyone except authorized family members or the veteran themselves.

"We have veterans groups back home, like Missing in America and Patriot Guard Riders, they stand ready to honor these veterans and have done so in the past, but because of this revised policy they can no longer provide a headstone to help honor the service and sacrifices of our veterans," Daines added."I am the son of a U.S. Marine and I was taught very early on the importance of service and sacrifice, but also the importance of honoring these veterans who have served our country honorably."

Daines also submitted to the record a letter from George Blackard, Commander of the Yellowstone County United Veterans Council and American Legion of Montana District 11, sharing the ongoing challenges Montana veterans groups have encountered when working to secure grave markers for deceased veterans.

"The enforcement of this policy has resulted in qualified veterans being laid to rest without the government issued grave markers they were promised, and have earned, through their honorable service to our country in the armed forces," Blackard wrote. "A veteran may die with no next of kin but a veteran will NEVER die without a family. Every veteran belongs to one family and our family is over twenty-three million strong. We answered the call when our country needed us and we answer the call for each other to provide those last honors during each other's final moments above ground. The least our government could do is mark with a stone, the final resting place of those who served honorably, the spot where those final honors were held, as promised."

Blackard noted that at the Yellowstone County Veteran's Cemetery in Laurel, Montana alone there are eight veterans who were buried this year who have no grave marker, due to being homeless or having no next of kin.

Daines is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2018, the Honor Those Who Serve Act, which would amend current policy to allow such groups, military researchers, local historians, and other civic organizations to request headstones on behalf of fallen veterans to ensure a proper military burial.

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