U.S. Military (Ret.): Many qualifications guide eligibility for Arlington - Military Retirement - Army Times

U.S. Military (Ret.): Many qualifications guide eligibility for Arlington

Q. I am a retired Air Force chief master sergeant who served for 30 years during the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War eras. Am I eligible for burial in Arlington National Cemetery?

A. Absolutely.

Any military retiree who is carried on an official retired list, and is entitled to receive retired pay stemming from service in the armed forces, is eligible to be buried in any national cemetery, including Arlington.

Reserve component retirees also are eligible once they reach age 60, when they generally begin drawing military retirement pay.

A long list of circumstances make a service member eligible for burial in Arlington. In addition to retirees, the broadest categories also include service members who die on active duty, certain former prisoners of war, and any service members who received one of these medals: the Medal of Honor; Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Air Force Cross; Distinguished Service Medal; Silver Star; or Purple Heart.

Separate eligibility rules govern ground burial and placement of cremated remains in burial urns.

The rules are even broader for burial in one of the 131 national cemeteries operated by the Veterans Affairs Department.

Essentially, any active-duty members who served for at least 24 continuous months, and reservists who served the full period to which they were called to active duty, are eligible.

The eligibility rules for ground burials are tighter for Arlington National Cemetery, a unique entity operated by the Army, than for VA national cemeteries, partly because of Arlington’s special status and partly because of space limitations.

More than 6,000 burials a year take place at Arlington. At that pace, the cemetery is expected to run out of space around 2030.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have contributed comparatively little to that pace; rather, it’s being fueled by the passing of veterans of the World War II and Korean War generations, and will continue as the Vietnam generation ages.

A variety of benefits and allowances may come into play for the families of veterans being buried in Arlington or a VA national cemetery.

For more information on burial at Arlington National Cemetery, visit www.arlingtoncemetery.mil. For eligibility details, click on “Funeral Information” on the bar near the top of the page.

For information on burials in VA national cemeteries, go to www.cem.va.gov. For eligibility details, look on the left for “Burial and Memorial Benefits,” and click the “Eligibility for Benefits” link.

Both websites also have information on what burial benefits and allowances may be available.

Retired Command Master Chief Alex Keenan served 28 years in the Coast Guard. Email him at retired@militarytimes.com.