S. 2089/ H.R. 3944, “Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021,” is a bipartisan bill that will ensure grants provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for State veterans cemeteries do not restrict States from authorizing the internment of National Guard and Reserve members. National Guard and Reserve service members can be buried in state cemeteries. Still, once again, because they do not always get a DD Form 214, they have difficulty proving they qualify for this benefit. This bill would allow them to use a discharge order as proof that they have an honorable discharge. It would also align state cemeteries’ eligibility for a spouse, minor child, and unmarried adult child currently allowed at a Veteran Affairs cemetery.
IMPACT
This legislation would ensure all Reserve Components and the National Guard members are eligible to be buried in state veterans’ cemeteries, so long as their service was terminated under conditions other than dishonorable.ย Under current law, only guardsmen and reservists who have been called to active duty are allowed to be buried in state veterans’ cemeteries that receive federal funding through the Department of Veterans Affairs (V.A.) Veterans Cemetery Grants Program. Our offices have heard directly from constituents who served in the National Guard and Reserve Components and believed that existing restrictions on the Department’s grant program fail to acknowledge their contributions to our nation’s service. Over the past two years, we have witnessed thousands of Guardsmen and Reservists serve their country while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and other domestic emergencies, including natural disasters and civil unrest. This is in addition to the services these individuals are prepared to provide should they be called upon for Active Duty.ย
HOW TO HELP
We need your help! Simply click the button below, select “EANGUS Call-To-Action; Equity for Guards and Reserve Act” and fill out the form with your address.ย This will determine who your elected officials and send them a pre-filled out note encourage them to support passage of this bill.
