FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
GREEN BURIAL SECTION PILOT
Q1. What is “green burial”?
A1. Generally, “green burial” refers to more environmentally friendly methods of burial that refrain from the use of chemicals, concrete vaults, and other non-biodegradable materials. These methods are also referred to as “natural burial.” For more information about green burial you may wish to visit the Green Burial Council’s website at https://www.greenburialcouncil.org.
Q2. What is a “green burial section” in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemetery?
A2. A “green burial section” in a VA national cemetery is a burial section in which the remains of individuals interred there have been: (1) prepared for interment in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids; and (2) are interred in a natural manner or in a completely biodegradable burial receptacle, such as a biodegradable casket or urn (38 U.S.C. § 2404(i)).
Q3. Which VA national cemeteries currently have a green burial section?
A3. There are currently three VA national cemeteries with a green burial section available: (1) The National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix, AZ; (2) Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO; and (3) Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. The VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is conducting a pilot of green burial sections at these cemeteries and will develop a plan to extend the green burial section option at additional VA national cemeteries in the future.
Q4. Are green burials allowed in other VA national cemeteries?
A4. Yes. There are some aspects of a green burial that are allowed in non-green burial sections of any VA national cemetery. For example, casketed or cremated remains presented in a biodegradable receptacle can be buried in non-green burial sections. Additionally, VA national cemeteries have always buried intact remains that have not been embalmed. Although these may be considered green burial, the way VA maintains these gravesites and sections is consistent with the non-green burial sections in the cemetery.
The three VA national cemeteries in the pilot, however, will have distinct green-burial sections that are different than the other sectio
Q5. What are other differences between a green burial section in a VA national cemetery and its other sections?
A5. A green burial section will differ from other sections in the cemetery in a few important ways:
- Appearance:
- NCA will maintain green burial sections to have a natural appearance and may use native grasses and plants to differentiate them from other sections in the cemetery.
- Grounds maintenance activities in these sections will minimize the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation.
- Following interment, to be consistent with green burial practices, VA will close the gravesite by mounding the soil. This will cause the appearance of a barrel-shaped mound of soil on top of the gravesite until it compacts and settles naturally.
- Marker Type: NCA has designed a unique marker to complement the natural appearance of the green burial section and commemorate the individual with an appropriate inscription. While the gravesite marker NCA uses in a green burial section will have a distinct appearance, the area for inscription will be similar in size and accommodate inscription options available for existing flat markers used in national cemeteries.
- Gravesite Assignment and Use:
- NCA will accommodate only one decedent in each gravesite in a green burial section and will set aside an adjacent gravesite to accommodate each additional eligible family member (e.g., a spouse or adult dependent child) identified at the time of the initial decedent’s interment.
- For any future interment in an adjacent gravesite in a green burial section, the remains of that decedent will also need to be prepared and presented for burial according to the requirements established in law: (1) the remains must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids; and (2) the remains must be in a natural manner or in a completely biodegradable burial receptacle, such as a biodegradable casket or urn (38 U.S.C. § 2404(i)).
Q6. How can I (or my loved one) be buried in a green burial section at a VA national cemetery?
A6. The process to determine eligibility and schedule an interment for a Veteran and/or their family member in a green burial section is the same as scheduling a burial in any other section of a VA national cemetery.
Visit https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/schedule-a-burial/ or call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office (NCSO) toll-free at (800) 535-1117 for more information about scheduling a burial. When calling the NCSO, you should indicate your intent for your loved one to be interred in a green burial section.
However, it is important to remember that the preparation and presentation of a decedent’s remains for interment in a green burial section must meet the following criteria, which are established in law: (1) the remains must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids; and (2) the remains must be interred in a natural manner or in a completely biodegradable burial receptacle, such as a biodegradable casket or urn (38 U.S.C. § 2404(i)).
Q7. What is a biodegradable casket or urn?
A7. For interment in a green burial section, caskets or urns must be made from plant-derived, recycled plant-derived, natural, animal, or unfired earthen materials that are not coated with paint, varnish, or any other synthetic material, including the shell, liner, and adornments. Fasteners and/or handles are excluded from this requirement.
Q8. What does being buried in a “natural manner” in a green burial section mean if I (or my loved one) choose not to use a biodegradable casket or urn?
A8. NCA expects anyone presenting intact remains for burial in a VA national cemetery that are not casketed to comply with these requirements:
- The remains should be entirely and securely wrapped in a natural fiber material. No portion of the remains should be visible.
- The remains should be presented on an air tray with a lid and with handles to allow for dignified handling and transport within the cemetery. According to the family’s wishes, the lid may be removed for the duration of their loved one’s committal service and again prior to the placement of remains in their assigned gravesite.
For decedents being buried in a green burial section whose cremated remains are not placed in a biodegradable urn, being buried in a “natural manner” can include remains that are presented in a biodegradable shroud or bag, or the cremated remains may be poured directly into the decedent’s assigned gravesite.
Q9. Will NCA inter cremated remains prepared by alkaline hydrolysis (also known as “aquamation”)?
A9. Alkaline hydrolysis (or “aquamation”) is a water-based cremation process that is more environmentally friendly than the traditional fire-based method. Aquamation yields two distinct materials: solid bone fragments, which is the same material that results from traditional fire-based cremation and are referred to as “cremated remains”; and a neutral liquid called “effluent.” NCA will inter cremated remains prepared by aquamation in a VA national cemetery, to include in a green burial section. NCA will not inter the effluent.
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
Q10. Will NCA inter remains that are transformed by natural organic reduction (also known as “human composting”)?
A10. Natural organic reduction is a process of accelerated decomposition for human remains that yields an organic material akin to soil. NCA will permit the placement of a portion of remains transformed by natural organic reduction in in-ground burial sections (including green burial sections) and designated scatter gardens at VA national cemeteries that have these options. NCA will not inter this material in an above-ground columbarium.
The maximum portion of remains transformed by natural organic reduction that NCA will inter would be commensurate with the volume of cremated remains contained in a standard-size urn.
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section, to include remains transformed by natural organic reduction, must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
If your loved one’s remains are transformed by natural organic reduction and the resulting material is spread or distributed at some other location, your loved one may be eligible for a memorial marker at a VA national cemetery.
Q11. Will NCA mark my (or my loved one’s) green burial gravesite with a tree, boulder, or other natural object?
A11. No. NCA will not use trees, rocks/boulders, or any other natural objects or elements to mark gravesites in green burial sections in its national cemeteries. NCA will use a permanent-type marker. (See Q5/A5).
Additionally, NCA will not allow individuals or organizations to plant trees, flowers, or other greenery within green burial sections.
Q12. I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is already buried in a non-green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I want to be buried in a green burial section, can my loved one’s remains be relocated to the green burial section?
A12. Federal regulation prescribes the requirements for requesting a disinterment of remains (38 C.F.R. § 38.620). For more information about submitting a disinterment request for the purposes of relocating the remains of a loved one from their current gravesite for placement in a green burial section, please contact the national cemetery directly. Visit VA’s online national cemetery locator for cemetery contact and location information at https://www.cem.va.gov/find-cemetery.
As a reminder, any remains that are interred in a green burial section must meet the criteria for preparation and presentation that were discussed in Q2/A2.
Q13. I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is already buried in a non-green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I want to be buried in a green burial section, can my loved one remain interred where they are now?
A13. Yes. Your loved one can remain in the non-green burial section where they are already interred, regardless of whether you choose interment in a green burial section.
Q14. I am a Veteran or a dependent with a loved one who is buried in a green burial section at a VA national cemetery. If I do not want to be buried in a green burial section with my loved one, can I be interred in a non-green burial section in the same national cemetery?
A14. Yes. NCA will accommodate requests for a decedent to be interred in a non-green burial section in a VA national cemetery where their loved one is already interred in a green burial section. It is important to note that, at the time of your loved one’s interment in a green burial section, NCA will set aside an adjacent gravesite for you in case you decide at some point in the future you would prefer to be buried with your loved one in the green burial section.
Q15. Does a Veteran interred in a green burial section receive military funeral honors?
A15. Yes. The Department of Defense is responsible for providing military funeral honors for all Veterans, regardless of what type of burial section they choose. Additional honors providers may be available locally. Please contact the national cemetery for a list of military funeral honors providers.
Q16. Does the personal representative of a Veteran interred in a green burial section still receive a United States burial flag?
A16. Yes. A United States burial flag is presented to the personal representative of a Veteran. This typically occurs at the time military funeral honors are rendered. For Veterans who are interred at a VA national cemetery without a committal service, you may submit an application for a burial flag using VA Form 27-2008. The form is available online at https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-27-2008-are.pdf.
