Eligibility & Operations

Section I – Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility for interment in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery (NHSVC) or receipt of a memorial marker is based on laws passed by Congress and incorporated into Title 38 of the United States Code (Veteran’s Benefits). Interment at NHSVC or the provision of a memorial marker will be permitted only after eligibility has been conclusively determined in accordance with the requirements and procedures reflected in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) directive 3210.

For interment at NHSVC, the veterans character of discharge or separation from active military, naval or air service must be honorable or under honorable conditions. As a general rule, an honorably discharged veteran must have active duty other than “active duty for training”. Members of the National Guard and Reserves are also eligible if they qualify for National Guard or Reserve Retired pay upon reaching the age of 60, or were placed on Federal Active Duty (other than Active Duty for Training) during their membership. Members of the National Guard and Reserves may also be eligible for interment under other conditions as stipulated in the most current NCA directive.

Veterans may pre-apply through an application process to the NHSVC. Determination of eligibility is based on the most current NCA directives. As NCA directives are subject to change, the NHSVC will adopt the most current rules and guidelines as stipulated in the most current directive.

The cemetery director will develop and publish an application form to be used for establishing eligibility of the veteran and dependent(s). The cemetery director is responsible for eligibility determinations.

It is the responsibility of the veteran, the veteran's next-of-kin, or a designated agent to furnish the documentary evidence necessary to establish the eligibility of the veteran before interment can be made of the deceased veteran or eligible dependent(s).

Eligibility for interment of dependents is authorized under the eligibility of the veteran. The following dependents may be eligible:

(1)	Non-veteran spouse of an eligible veteran
(2)	Unmarried minor child of an eligible veteran (including adopted children or step-children who are members of the veteran’s household). A minor child is a person who is unmarried and under 21 years of age, or under 23 years of age if pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an approved educational institution.
(3)	An unmarried adult child of an eligible veteran. An unmarried adult child is a person who became permanently physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support before reaching 21 years of age or before reaching 23 years of age if pursuing a full-time course of instruction at an approved educational institution.

Section II - Operations

Cemetery Location
110 Daniel Webster Highway Route. 3
Boscawen, New Hampshire 03303-2413

Hours of Operation
(1) Office: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday (except state holidays).
(2) Cemetery Grounds: Open from Sunrise to Sunset - 7 days a week.

Committal Services

(1)	Committal services may be conducted in either the chapel or at the gravesite, but not both. When using the chapel, the casket will be removed from that location by the funeral director and brought to the gravesite for interment. Cremated remains will be removed by either the funeral director, a family member, military honor guard or cemetery staff and brought to the gravesite or columbarium for interment.
(2)	Committal services are held Monday - Friday (closed weekends and state holidays). The cemetery director may authorize weekend or holiday services under extenuating circumstances (such as an active duty service member KIA).
(3)	Committal services are limited to 20 minutes to allow for timely interments and preparation for succeeding services. Interments are made immediately after the committal service.
(3)	Families/visitors are requested to leave the chapel/gravesite area immediately upon completion of the committal service.
(4)	Services are scheduled on a first come, first-served basis. Services will be scheduled as needed between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The last scheduled time for a full-casket burial is 2:30 PM. From December 1st - March 31st, first full-casket burials will not scheduled before 10:00 AM. We typically require 1.5 hours between full-casket burials.
(5)	Additions/changes to this schedule are at the discretion of the cemetery director.
(6)	The NHSVC does not charge fees for use of the chapel or gravesite services. However, there charge fees associated with various services provided by external vendors.
(7)	Request for casket burials without professional burial services will be accepted if the request meets the requirements under New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated Title 26 Cemeteries; Dead Bodies, Chapter 290 Burials and Disinterment, Custody of Remains of Deceased Persons Section 290:16.

Gravesite
Military rank or civilian stature are not given consideration in location of individual graves. All graves will be equal in size. Selection of gravesite will be made in the order burial requests are scheduled. Eligible dependent(s) will share the gravesite with the veteran. Gravesites cannot be reserved in advance.

Columbarium
Military rank or civilian stature are not given consideration in the location of individual niches. Selection of niche will be made in the order burial requests are scheduled. Eligible dependent(s) will share the niche with the veteran. Columbarium niches cannot be reserved in advance.

Funeral Services/Memorial Services
Funeral or memorial services shall not be permitted at the NH State Veterans Cemetery. Open caskets are not allowed on NH State Veterans Cemetery property.

Winter Burials
The NH State Veterans Cemetery conducts burials year round. Full-casket burials will not be scheduled before 10:00 AM or after 2:30 PM during the winter monhts. In certain circumstances, when severe frost conditions are encountered, the cemetery director may require an additional day to schedule a burial. This will occur only during the worst circumstances.

Cemetery Brochure and Guidelines
The cemetery director is authorized to develop and publish a veterans cemetery brochure and guidelines concerning floral tributes, decorations of gravesites, gravesite flags and guidelines concerning cemetery grounds.

Section III – Grave Markers

A.	Headstone/Markers Government issued upright granite headstones will be used throughout the cemetery. Columbarium niche covers will be granite. Niche markers are bronze in accordance with NCA guidlines. Private headstones or memorial monuments at gravesites are not be allowed.
B.	Memorial Markers Memorial markers are provided for eligible veterans whose remains are not recovered or identified, are buried at sea, donated to science, or cremeated and scattered. Veterans are authorized one government-furnished marker (this does not apply to replacement markers). Veterans that have a government-furnished memorial marker in another location are not eligible for a memorial marker.
C.	Inscription and inscription layout of headstone or markers will be formatted in accordance to the Veterans Administration policies as directed by the VA Office of Memorial Programs Service.

Section IV - Vaults/Grave Liners

A.	Outer Burial Containers are required for full-casket services. Vaults are NOT required for burial of in-ground cremains.
B.	Vault material is determined by accepted industry practices.
C.	Certain sections of the cemetery are equipped with pre-placed Outer Burial Containers (OBC). For full-casket sections not equipped with OBCs, installation will be accomplished by the company delivering the vault or grave liner to the cemetery.

Section V - Fees

A.	Spouses/Eligible Dependents On the day of interment, the dependent’s survivor, legal representative or administrator of the estate will provide the interment fee as listed on the fee schedule. Prepayment of interment fees are not accepted.
B.	Eligible Veteran The cemetery director is responsible applying for the plot allowance from the Veteran's Administration. The plot allowance reimburses the state for expenses incurred in the burial of eligible veterans. If the plot allowance has already been paid, then the estate must forward payment equal to the plot allowance to the cemetery director within ten (10) days of written notice.
C.	Other Fees As determined by the cemetery director, disinterment or re-interment may be subject to fees outlined in the fee schedule.

Section VI - General Information

A.	Overall supervision of the cemetery is vested in the cemetery director. The director is responsible for publishing, interpreting and enforcing all rules and regulations with regards to the NHSVC.
B.	It is recommended that veterans prepare applications in advance. The cemetery director will issue a Certificate of Eligibility that assures a final resting place at the NHSVC. Pre-application eliminates next-of-kin trying to find military records, which can take several days and may cause a delay in scheduling an interment. Interments will NOT be scheduled until eligibility is certified.
C.	Decedent burial records are considered permanent files and will be stored on the cemetery grounds
D.	Next-of-kin is defined under New Hampshire Revised Statute Annotated 290:16. Designated agent is defined under RSA 290:17.
E.	With the concurrence of the governor and executive council in accordance with the provisions of RSA 4:8, the Adjutant General may accept, on behalf of the state, conditional and unconditional gifts including grants of money, material equipment, services, and facilities from any source, public or private, for the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the cemetery.
F.	Memorials and/or monuments will be placed on a memorial walkway. Memorials and monuments will not be placed in areas of the cemetery grounds that have been designated as interment areas. Organizations interested in installing a memorial must submit a sketch detailing material, size and wording to be inscribed. These will be submitted to the cemetery director for pre-approval prior to fabrication of such memorials. Location of the monument will be determined by the cemetery director. The sponsor of a memorial is responsible for all costs associated with the installation of the memorial. Recognition for donors will be done on the memorial walkway. Items donated will not contain donor names. The placement of naming opportunities will be determined by the cemetery director. The Adjutant General has the final approval for determining the acceptance of memorials.

Section VII - Military Funeral Honors

A.	The Department of Defense is mandated to provide military funeral honors for eligible veterans.
B.	The Department of Defense provides military honors at no cost to the family.
C.	Military Honors are normally requested by funeral directors and require a mimimum 48 hours advance notice. Cemetery staff can also assist with requesting military honors if the family is planning the service.
D.	The Government, through the funeral director, provides burial flags.

Section VIII - Political Activities
Prohibited Political Activities:

(1)	New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery grounds or property will not be used for endorsement of any political candidate or party.
(2)	No political activities such as campaign speeches, rallies, or meetings will take place on cemetery grounds.
(3)	Cemetery employees acting in their official capacity will not endorse any political candidate.
(4)	At no time will political banners, posters, literature, bumper stickers, decals, or similar items be displayed or distributed on cemetery grounds.
(5)	No political solicitation will take place on the grounds of the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery.

Section IX - New Hampshire Revised Statutes Chapter 110B
The foregoing regulations of the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery are made in accordance with Chapter 110-B of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. Eligibility requirements are governed by the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemeteries Directives. These regulations are not all-inclusive, but are intended as a general statement of the official policy of the Adjutant General. Authority for administration of these rules and implementation of the general policy is hereby delegated to the cemetery director or authorized representative.