State Cemetery Grants

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this final rule to amend regulations governing grants to States for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of State veterans cemeteries (Establishment, Expansion, and Improvement Projects). We are implementing through regulation new statutory authority to provide grants for the operation and maintenance of State veterans cemeteries (Operation and Maintenance Projects), as authorized by the Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007 (the Act), enacted on December 26, 2007. The Act expands VA authority to provide grants to States for operating and maintaining State veterans cemeteries and limits to $5 million the aggregate amount of such grants VA may award in any fiscal year. VA is amending its regulations to outline the process, the criteria, and the priorities relating to the award of these Operation and Maintenance Project grants. This final rule will also amend our regulations by changing the arrangement and numbering of the current regulatory sections, incorporating some non-substantive changes to the regulations, and removing specific forms from this part that are available at http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/scg_grants.asp.