WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded a $3 million grant to cover 100 percent of the costs associated with the expansion of the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
The grant will fund the construction of 1,300 preplaced crypts, 564 in-ground cremated remain sites, 1,360 columbarium niches, roadways, landscaping, and supporting infrastructure. The project will develop approximately 4 acres, and provide continued services for approximately 124,000 veterans and their eligible family members.
“The VA Veterans Cemetery Grants Program is vital for VA national cemeteries to operate and allow military families to have an opportunity to visit family members who passed away,” said Senator Tillis. “I want to thank the VA for this grant to cover the expansion costs of the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery and provide services for nearly 124,00 veterans and eligible family members in the area.”
“Not only will this grant expand the Western North Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, it will also help provide vital services for 124,000 local veterans and their family members,” said Senator Burr. “I appreciate the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to ensure that these resources are available to men and women in North Carolina who have honorably served our country.”
Background Information
In its 40th anniversary since inception, the VA’s Veterans Cemetery Grants Program is designed to complement the 136 VA national cemeteries across the country, with the strategic goal of providing 95 percent of the veteran population with convenient access to a burial option within 75 miles of their home. The closest national cemetery is the VA’s Mountain Home National Cemetery in Mountain Home, Tennessee, which is approximately 75 miles away. The closest grant funded cemetery is M.J. Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson, South Carolina, which is approximately 104 miles away.
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