Step 1: Fax Eligibility Documentation to 1-866-900-6417

It is important to fax all eligibility documentation to the Scheduling Office prior to calling. Burial in a national cemetery is based on military service. A copy of an official military discharge document bearing an official seal or other supporting documentation is usually sufficient to determine eligibility for burial. The document must show release from service was under conditions other than dishonorable. Discharge documentation is not usually needed for scheduling when a Veteran or eligible dependent is already interred in a national cemetery.

If you have no eligibility documentation...
Scheduling Office agents will assist you with the verification process. Requests for eligibility determination when no military discharge documents are available may require 48 hours or more for verification. Scheduling Office personnel will contact you within 48 hours of the initial process with verification results or an explanation of the delay.

Step 2: Call 1-800-535-1117

To assist you, please have the following information readily available:

• Cemetery of choice
• First or subsequent burial (Veteran or dependent already buried)
• If subsequent interment, who is already interred, section and site number (if known)
• Decedent's full name, gender, SSN, date of death, date of birth and relationship (Veteran or dependent)
• Contact Info (funeral director's name as well as the name, address, and E-mail address of the funeral home)
• Next of kin information (name, relationship to deceased, SSN, phone number, address)
• Type of religious emblem for headstone (if known)
• Did the decedent reside within 75 miles of requested cemetery?
• ZIP code of decedent at time of death
• County of decedent at time of death
• Type of burial (casket or cremation)
• Marital status of deceased (if Veteran is buried in a private cemetery, must provide documentation of marital status of spouse at time of death)
• Casket size/liner size/urn size/urn vault size
• Is surviving spouse a Veteran?
• Any disabled children for future interment (must provide name and date of birth). If requesting immediate interment (must provide marital status, doctor's statement stating type of illness, date of onset of illness and capability of self-support).
• Military Honors requested

Scheduling Office Hours:
The National Cemetery Scheduling Office provides interment scheduling service 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Central Time. The Scheduling Office is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. As a service to all Veterans and their families, a national cemetery will never go more than two days without offering interment times and we will be able to advise you which days are open for interments when there is a three-day federal holiday.

When do I contact the National Cemetery directly?
There are instances when you should contact a national cemetery directly for scheduling support. They are:

• To request burial in Puerto Rico
• Active duty interment scheduling
• Interment cancellation or rescheduling
• Change to information initially provided to Scheduling Office
• Request for disinterment and/or relocation to another national cemetery
• Information pertaining to headstones, floral policy, hours of operation or other items unique to that cemetery.

Information gathered will only be used to determine eligibility and the National Cemetery Administration will, as needed, only disclose Personal Identifying Information to Department of Defense entities to determine eligibility for the coordination and conducting of interment honor ceremonies. The National Cemetery Administration will not give, sell or transfer any personal information outside the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.