(a) General. (1) The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs (USMA) is the appropriate Federal official who may reconsider a prior decision to inter the remains or honor the memory of a person in a national cemetery.

(2) This section sets out the evaluative criteria and procedures for VA to reconsider prior interment and memorialization decisions for decedents who are subsequently found to have committed or to have been convicted of certain criminal acts that would prohibit them from receiving benefits to which they are otherwise entitled.

(b) Capital crime or sex offense conviction. (1) Upon written notification from the United States Attorney General or an appropriate State official that a person interred or memorialized in a national cemetery after December 20, 2013, was convicted of a Federal or State capital crime and whose conviction meets the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(1) or (2), respectively, or was convicted of a Federal or State crime causing the person to be a tier III sex offender and meets the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(4), the USMA may, upon reconsideration, decide to disinter the remains or remove the memorial headstone or marker of such person from the cemetery.

(2) If VA has not initially received notification referred to in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, but a cemetery director has reason to believe that a person interred or memorialized in a national cemetery after December 20, 2013, may have been convicted of a Federal or State capital crime meeting the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(1) or (2), respectively, or may have been convicted of a Federal or State crime causing the person to be a tier III sex offender and meets the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(4), the cemetery director will initiate an inquiry to the United States Attorney General or appropriate State official for confirmation and provide the results of such inquiry to the USMA in cases where a conviction is confirmed, which will initiate a reconsideration. The USMA will render a decision on disinterment or memorial headstone or marker removal after reviewing the results of the inquiry submitted by the cemetery director.

(c) Avoidance of conviction due to death or flight. (1) If a cemetery director has reason to believe that a person interred or memorialized in a national cemetery after December 20, 2013, may have committed a Federal or State capital crime or may have committed a Federal or State crime that would cause the person to be a tier III sex offender under 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(5), but avoided conviction of such crime by reason of unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution, the cemetery director will initiate an official inquiry seeking information from Federal, State, or local law enforcement officials, or other sources of potentially relevant information.

(2) If, after conducting the inquiry, the cemetery director determines that there appears to be clear and convincing evidence that the decedent committed a Federal or State capital crime or committed a Federal or State crime that would cause the person to be a tier III sex offender under 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(5), for which the decedent was not convicted because the decedent was unavailable for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution, the cemetery director will provide this information to the USMA who will decide whether to reconsider the prior decision to inter or memorialize the decedent. If the USMA decides to reconsider the prior interment or memorialization decision, the USMA will provide notice of procedural options and follow the procedures in paragraph (d)(2).

(d) VA notice of decision. (1) For cases involving a conviction of a Federal or State capital crime or conviction of a Federal or State crime that would cause the person to be a tier III sex offender under 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(5), where the USMA decides to disinter or remove a memorial headstone or marker, NCA will provide written notice of that decision to the decedent's next of kin or personal representative. The written notice of decision will be in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 5104 and will include a notice of appellate rights in accordance with 38 CFR 20.200.

(2) In cases in which a cemetery director has reason to believe that a person interred or memorialized in a national cemetery after December 20, 2013, may have committed a Federal or State capital crime, as described in 38 U.S.C. 2411(f)(1) and (2), or may have committed a Federal or State crime that would cause the person to be a tier III sex offender under U.S.C. 2411(b)(5), but avoided conviction of such crime by reason of unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution, should the USMA decide to reconsider the prior interment or memorialization, prior to rendering written notice of final decision, VA will follow the following process:

(i) NCA will provide a notice of procedural options, which will inform the decedent's next of kin or personal representative that VA is reconsidering the prior interment or memorialization of the decedent and that they may, within 15 days of receipt of notice: request a hearing on the matter; submit a written statement, with or without supporting documentation, for inclusion in the record; or waive a hearing and submission of a written statement.

(ii) If a hearing is requested, the District Executive Director will conduct the hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to permit the personal representative of the deceased to present evidence concerning whether the deceased committed a crime that would render the deceased ineligible for interment or memorialization in a national cemetery. Testimony at the hearing will be presented under oath, and the personal representative will have the right to representation by counsel and the right to call witnesses. The VA official conducting the hearing will have the authority to administer oaths. The hearing will be conducted in an informal manner and court rules of evidence will not apply. The hearing will be recorded on audiotape and, unless the personal representative waives transcription, a transcript of the hearing will be produced and included in the record.

(iii) Following a hearing or the timely submission of a written statement, or in the event a hearing is waived or no hearing is requested and no written statement is submitted within the time specified, the USMA will decide whether there is clear and convincing evidence that the decedent committed a Federal or State capital crime or a Federal or State crime that would cause the person to be a tier III sex offender under 38 U.S.C. 2411(b)(5), for which the decedent was not convicted due to the decedent's unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution. If the USMA decides that clear and convincing evidence does not exist, the USMA will notify the next of kin or personal representative that the decedent may remain interred or that the decedent's memorial headstone or marker may remain in the national cemetery. If the USMA decides that clear and convincing evidence exists, the USMA will provide written notice of the decision to disinter the decedent or remove the decedent's memorial headstone or marker. The written notice of decision will be in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 5104 and will include a notice of appellate rights in accordance with 38 CFR 20.200.

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a notice of disagreement with the decision of the USMA must be filed within 60 days from the date of the notice of decision, and the only method of appeal from a notice of decision issued under this section is through review by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Action following receipt of a notice of disagreement with reversal of an interment or memorialization decision under this section will be in accordance with 38 CFR part 20.

(e) Disinterment or removal of memorialization. A decision to disinter the remains or remove a memorial headstone or marker becomes final either by failure of the next of kin or personal representative to appeal the decision or by final disposition of the appeal. In such cases, the cemetery director shall take the following actions:

(1) In the case of disinterment, the cemetery director will contact the next of kin or personal representative to coordinate the transfer of remains from the national cemetery to another location. The next of kin or personal representative will have 30 days to respond to the cemetery director.

(i) If the next of kin or personal representative responds to the notice within the 30-day period, the cemetery director will coordinate a date and time for the disinterment and release of the decedent's remains to the next of kin or personal representative for transport from the national cemetery to a place determined by the next of kin or personal representative. The cemetery director will perform the disinterment. The next of kin or personal representative will bear responsibility and cost for transportation of the remains from the cemetery, including compliance with applicable state laws concerning the disinterment and transport of remains from the national cemetery, and any costs associated with the subsequent disposition of remains.

(ii) If the next of kin or personal representative does not respond to the notice within the 30-day period, indicates refusal to accept the decedent's remains, or fails to appear, the cemetery director will determine a suitable cemetery for the disposition of the decedent's remains and, at government expense, will make all necessary arrangements to disinter, transport, reinter, and mark the grave of the decedent with a non-government headstone or marker within a reasonable time frame. The non-government headstone or marker will include the decedent's name, date of birth, and date of death. The cemetery director will then notify the next of kin or personal representative of the date and time on which the disinterment was performed and the new location of the decedent's remains.

(2) In the case of a memorial headstone or marker, the cemetery director will remove the headstone or marker from the cemetery and notify the next of kin or personal representative of the date on which this action was taken.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 512, 2411) [89 FR 58069, July 17, 2024]