I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2720 

To clarify the role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in providing a 

benefit or service related to the interment or funeral of a veteran, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 1, 2011 

Mr. CULBERSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To clarify the role of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

in providing a benefit or service related to the interment 

or funeral of a veteran, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. PROVISION OF FUNERAL SERVICES BY DE4 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

5 (a) ROLE OF VA IN VETERANS FUNERALS.—In pro6 viding a deceased veteran with any benefit or service re7 lated to the interment or funeral, memorial service, or 

8 ceremony of the deceased veteran, the authority and reVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:28 Aug 02, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2720.IH H2720

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1 sponsibility of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is limited 

2 to providing— 

3 (1) the deceased veteran with the benefits that 

4 the veteran earned by serving the United States, in5 cluding the provision of funeral expenses, 

6 headstones, markers, burial receptacles, plot allow7 ances, and interment in national cemeteries, as pro8 vided by law, including chapters 23 and 24 of title 

9 38, United States Code; 

10 (2) any necessary maintenance of national 

11 cemeteries and other facilities under the control of 

12 the National Cemetery Administration; and 

13 (3) any necessary security or traffic control 

14 with respect to the funeral, memorial service, or 

15 ceremony of the veteran at a national cemetery 

16 under the control of the National Cemetery Adminis17 tration. 

18 (b) ACCESS TO SUITABLE CHAPEL.—In carrying out 

19 chapters 23 and 24 of title 38, United States Code, or 

20 in otherwise providing any benefit or service related to the 

21 interment or funeral, memorial service, or ceremony of a 

22 deceased veteran at a national cemetery under the control 

23 of the National Cemetery Administration, the Secretary 

24 of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that— 


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1 (1) a chapel is provided to the family of the de2 ceased at such national cemetery; and 

3 (2) such chapel— 

4 (A) is suitable for the use of the family 

5 and visitors as a place for recollection and 

6 mourning; and 

7 (B) displays the appropriate religious sym8 bols chosen by the family for the purpose of 

9 such funeral, memorial service, or ceremony. 

10 (c) ACCESS TO VA FACILITIES.—The Secretary of 

11 Veterans Affairs shall provide to any honor guard or other 

12 non-governmental group that provides services to veterans 

13 access to— 

14 (1) national cemeteries and other facilities 

15 under the control of the National Cemetery Adminis16 tration if such access is requested by the family or 

17 agent of a deceased veteran whose funeral, memorial 

18 service, or ceremony is being held in such cemetery 

19 or facility; and 

20 (2) health care facilities of the Department of 

21 Veterans Affairs if such access is requested by a vet22 eran receiving care in such facility or the family or 

23 agent of such veteran. 

24 (d) REQUIRED QUALIFICATION OF VA CEMETERY

25 DIRECTOR.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 


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1 each cemetery director of the Department of Veterans Af2 fairs shall be an individual who is a veteran. 

3 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON INTERFERENCE OF FUNERALS BY 

4 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

5 The Congress reaffirms the inviolable individual zone 

6 of privacy that each American possesses, including the 

7 deeply private act of choosing the content and creed of 

8 an individual’s funeral, memorial service, or ceremony, as 

9 protected by the Constitution. In light of such inviolable 

10 individual zone of privacy, no official of the Federal Gov11 ernment, including the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, may 

12 interfere with the content and creed of the funeral, memo13 rial service, or ceremony of a deceased individual, as ex14 pressed by the last will and testament of the individual 

15 or as determined by the family or agent of the individual, 

16 as provided under State law. 

Æ 


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