VA Annouces Funding for Cemetery

Secretary Shinseki Announces $8.8 Million for Washington Cemetery

Facility Would Be First of its Kind in State

WASHINGTON (Aug. 20, 2009) - Ensuring that military Veterans living in
eastern Washington have a final resting place that honors their service
to the nation, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced
the award of $8.8 million to establish the Washington State Veterans
Cemetery in Medical Lake.

"This is our first opportunity to partner with the state's Department of
Veterans Affairs to establish a state Veterans cemetery," Secretary
Shinseki said. "We are proud to work with them to commemorate the
service and sacrifice of Washington's Veterans."

The project will provide construction of the main entrance, a committal
shelter, pre-placed crypts, standard burial areas, columbarium,
in-ground cremains burial areas, roads, a maintenance facility, an
assembly area and supporting infrastructure. Interment areas and
facilities will include 1,280 standard burial plots; 2,000 pre-placed
crypts; 1,370 in-ground cremain sites and 2,240 columbarium niches.

The cemetery will serve approximately 90,000 Washington Veterans and
their families. The nearest national cemetery is VA's Tahoma National
Cemetery in Kent, Wash., approximately 250 miles away.

The 80-acre site is located northwest of Medical Lake just off West
Espanola Road and about 15 miles southwest of Spokane. The first phase
of the project will develop approximately 15-20 acres.

VA's State Cemetery Grants Program is designed to complement VA's 130
national cemeteries across the country. Since 1980, the program has
awarded grants totaling more than $349 million to establish, expand or
improve 74 Veterans cemeteries in 38 states or territories including
Guam and Saipan. These state cemeteries provided nearly 25,000 burials
in 2008.

Residents of Washington who are Veterans with a discharge issued under
conditions other than dishonorable, their spouses and eligible dependent
children can be buried in the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in
Medical Lake.

For more information about the Washington state Veterans cemetery at
Medical Lake, visit the Web site at
www.dva.wa.gov/eastern_wa_vet_cemetery.html or call (509) 496-0796.

Information about VA burial benefits can be obtained from national
cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov
<http://www.cem.va.gov/> or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at
800-827-1000.

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