Please call our call center at 877-907-8585 for current wait times.
How do you arrange a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery?
To request or coordinate funeral services, please call 1-877-907-8585. For funeral attendees, up to ten family members are allowed inside the Administration Building for coordination on the day of the funeral.
How do you get buried at Arlington National Cemetery?
The persons specified below are eligible for ground burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
Any former member of the Armed Forces who has been awarded one of the following decorations:
- Medal of Honor.
- Distinguished Service Cross.
- Navy Cross.
- Air Force Cross.
- Distinguished Service Medal.
- Silver Star.
- Purple Heart.
How much does a burial at Arlington cost?
Arlington National Cemetery does not charge fees for an interment or inurnment at the cemetery. The only potential costs to the estate of the deceased are for vaults.
What are the requirements for burial at Arlington?
Who Is Eligible For Interment At Arlington National Cemetery?
- Members who died on active duty and their immediate family.
- Retirees and their immediate family.
- Recipients of the Purple Heart, or Silver Star and above.
- Any honorably discharged POW who died after Nov. 30, 1993.
How long is the wait for burial at Arlington?
between six and 49 weeks
A lengthy waitlist. Before the pandemic, military families could expect to wait between six and 49 weeks for burials of loved ones at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a Pentagon Inspector General report.
How long is the waiting list for Arlington National Cemetery?
Military families can wait up to 49 weeks for burials of loved ones at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) because of the high demand for graveside ceremonies and the increasing mortality rates of older veterans, according to a Pentagon Inspector General’s report.
How is a spouse buried at Arlington National Cemetery?
”(c) SPOUSES. —For purposes of subsection (b)(1), a surviving spouse of a person whose remains are buried in Arlington National Cemetery by reason of eligibility under subsection (a), who has remarried is eligible for burial in the same gravesite of that person.
How long do cemeteries keep bodies?
This is usually after several decades and depends on the cemetery. Think of it like a lease – the lease on the plot may run out in 20 years, in which case they may offer the opportunity to renew the lease.
Do all veterans get a military funeral?
Almost all veterans can receive military funeral honors at no cost. They are also usually eligible for free memorial items including: Headstones, markers, and medallions.
Do you have to pay to go to Arlington cemetery?
The site is open to the public 365 days a year with free admission for those who wish to tour the site and pay their respects.
How long does a funeral at Arlington last?
The service (generally 20-30 minutes):
Committal service is conducted. Military funeral honors are rendered. Family departs gravesite to exit the cemetery.
How many graves are left at Arlington?
400,000 veterans
Today, approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
What does the VA pay for when a Veteran dies?
VA will pay up to $796 toward burial and funeral expenses for deaths on or after October 1, 2019 (if hospitalized by VA at time of death), or $300 toward burial and funeral expenses (if not hospitalized by VA at time of death), and a $796 plot-interment allowance (if not buried in a national cemetery).
Do spouses of veterans get burial benefits?
Who is eligible for Partial Reimbursement of Burial Expenses? VA automatically pays a burial benefit to the eligible surviving spouse of record when a Veteran’s death is reported.
Can you spread ashes at Arlington?
Arlington National Cemetery rules regarding cremation ashes
Therefore, keepsake urns with ashes that a family can bring home or the scattering of ashes are not permitted. If this is important to the family, it’s advised to consider other national cemetery options.
What do you wear to a funeral at Arlington?
If you’re attending a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, business casual dress is the minimum standard for both men and women. This is true for any ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery, such as a wreath ceremony.
Which side of the man is the wife buried on?
Most cemeteries bury husbands on the south side of a burial plot, with their wives on the north. The other key factor, Delp notes, is that headstones can face east or west. The direction they face makes a big difference. “That determines whether the man is on the right or left,” he explains.
Who is the most famous person buried in Arlington National Cemetery?
Kennedy. After his assassination in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington. Each year millions of people visit the gravesite of the 35th President marked by an eternal flame.
How long do coffins last underground?
Eventually these too will disintegrate, and after 80 years in that coffin, your bones will crack as the soft collagen inside them deteriorates, leaving nothing but the brittle mineral frame behind. But even that shell won’t last forever.
Are graves dug up after 100 years?
Unfortunately, there may be no way to guarantee a gravesite will remain undisturbed forever. You can look up local ordinances and find cemeteries that allow graves to be held in perpetuity. But over decades and centuries, the world around us changes. And so do laws and finances.