Notice2022-28229
Reimbursement for Caskets and Urns for Burial of Unclaimed Remains in a National Cemetery or a VA-Funded State or Tribal Veterans' Cemetery
Primary source
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Published
December 28, 2022
Effective
January 1, 2023
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is updating the monetary reimbursement rates for caskets and urns purchased for interment in a VA national cemetery or a VA-funded State or Tribal Veterans' cemetery of Veterans who die with no known next of kin and where there are insufficient resources for furnishing a burial container. The purpose of this notice is to notify interested parties of the rates that will apply to reimbursement claims that occur during calendar year 2023.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 79939]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-28229]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Reimbursement for Caskets and Urns for Burial of Unclaimed
Remains in a National Cemetery or a VA-Funded State or Tribal Veterans'
Cemetery
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is updating the
monetary reimbursement rates for caskets and urns purchased for
interment in a VA national cemetery or a VA-funded State or Tribal
Veterans' cemetery of Veterans who die with no known next of kin and
where there are insufficient resources for furnishing a burial
container. The purpose of this notice is to notify interested parties
of the rates that will apply to reimbursement claims that occur during
calendar year 2023.
DATES: This reimbursement is effective January 1, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Sowders, National Cemetery
Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 4850 Lemay Ferry Road,
Saint Louis, MO 63129. The telephone number is 314-416-6369. This is
not a toll-free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2306(f) of title 38, United States
Code, authorizes VA's National Cemetery Administration to furnish a
casket or urn for interment in a VA national cemetery or a VA-funded
State or Tribal Veterans' cemetery of the unclaimed remains of Veterans
for whom VA cannot identify a next of kin, and determines that
sufficient financial resources for the furnishing of a casket or urn
for burial are not available. VA established regulations to administer
this authority as a reimbursement benefit in 38 CFR 38.628.
In accordance with the regulation, reimbursement for a claim
received in any calendar year will not exceed the average cost of a 20-
gauge metal casket or a durable plastic urn during the fiscal year
preceding the calendar year of the claim, as determined by VA.
Average costs are based on market price analysis for 20-gauge metal
caskets, designed to contain human remains, with a gasketed seal, and
external rails or handles. The same analysis is completed for durable
plastic urns, designed to contain human remains, which include a secure
closure to contain the cremated remains.
Using this approach, in fiscal year 2022, the average costs were
determined to be $1,115.00 for caskets and $106.00 for urns.
Accordingly, the maximum reimbursement rates payable for qualifying
interments occurring during calendar year 2023 are $1,115.00 for
caskets and $106.00 for urns.
Signing Authority
Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on December 19, 2022, and authorized the undersigned to sign
and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication electronically as an official document of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
Jeffrey M. Martin,
Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of
General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-28229 Filed 12-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 28, 2022.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.