March 7, 2002 |
2002-R-0268 (Revised) | |
BURIAL IN THE STATE VETERANS' CEMETERY | ||
By: Veronica Rose, Principal Analyst | ||
You asked (1) how many state veterans' cemeteries are in Connecticut and whether they are full or almost full, (2) who can be buried in them, and (3) whether every qualified veteran who requests is guaranteed burial in one of them.
Connecticut has three state veterans' cemeteries-in Darien, Middletown, and Rocky Hill. According to Bob Norman, the veterans' affairs' legislative liaison, the Darien cemetery is full. But approximately 13,000 available gravesites are in Middletown, and approximately 10,000 are in Rocky Hill. The Rocky Hill cemetery is reserved for decedents from the Veterans' Home and Hospital. Based on the rate of aging of the veteran population, Norman believes that the Rocky Hill and Middletown cemeteries will be full in another 12 years.
To be eligible for burial in one of the cemeteries, a veteran must have served in the U. S armed forces or the armed forces of a government associated with the United States during any of the following wars or military operations:
War or Operation* |
Dates |
Spanish-American War |
April 21, 1898 to August 13, 1898 |
Philippine Insurrection |
August 13, 1898 to July 4, 1902; up to July 15, 1903 for to engagements in the Moro Province |
Boxer Rebellion |
June 20, 1900 to May 12, 1901 |
Cuban Pacification |
September 12, 1906 to April 1, 1909 |
Nicaraguan Campaign |
August 28, 1912 to November 2, 1913 |
Table 1 (Continued)
War or Operation |
Dates |
Haitian Campaign |
July 9, 1915 to December 6, 1915 |
Punitive Expedition into Mexico |
March 10, 1916 to April 6, 1917 |
World War 1 |
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918; up to April 1, 1920 for service in Russia |
World War II |
December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946 |
Korean Hostilities |
June 27, 1950 to October 27, 1953 |
Vietnam Era |
February 28, 1961 to July 1, 1975 |
Grenada Invasion |
October 25, 1983 to December 15, 1983 |
Lebanon Peace-Keeping Mission |
August 1982 to March 1984 |
*CGS § 27-122b
Eligibility is also contingent upon the veteran having been honorably discharged from service. (The statute contains a residency requirement. But the attorney general has concluded that this requirement is unconstitutional (Op. Atty. Gen. to Commissioner Joseph Barber, Veterans' Affairs commissioner, April 11, 1990). In addition to the qualified veteran, the law allows one of his spouses to be buried in the cemetery.
A qualified veteran who wants to be buried in a state veterans' cemetery must submit a request (in writing or other form) to the veterans' affairs' commissioner. (The veteran's spouse or next of kin may also submit the request on the veteran's behalf. ) By law, the commissioner must grant the request (CGS § 27-122b). Thus, in theory, every eligible veteran who submits a request is guaranteed burial in one of the cemeteries. But, in practice, the guarantee is good only as long as space is available. There is no law requiring the commissioner to expand or build new cemeteries.
According to Norman, the department is planning to ask the federal government for funds to increase cemetery capacity in Connecticut. (We were unable to ascertain whether this would involve building new cemeteries or expanding existing ones. ) Subject to available appropriations, the federal government may approve grants to help states establish, expand, or improve state veterans' cemeteries. Federal contribution is limited to 50 percent of the combined value of the land to be acquired or dedicated for cemetery purposes and the dollar value of the improvements to be made (38 CFR § 39. 1 and 39. 2).
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