burialstate

Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado — Burial at No Charge

The state runs its own veterans cemetery at Grand Junction. Gravesite or niche, opening and closing, an upright granite headstone or niche marker, a grave liner and perpetual care are provided at no expense to the next of kin. Eligibility tracks the national cemeteries with a residency requirement added.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: No charge for interment — gravesite or niche, opening and closing, granite marker, grave liner and perpetual care

The cemetery sits on about 22.5 acres at 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction, and has capacity for 3,337 units — 1,758 for casketed remains and 1,579 for cremated remains, of which 861 are columbarium niches.
There are also 775 memorial garden plots for veterans whose remains were never recovered, were donated to science, or are otherwise unavailable.
Cremated remains are interred or inurned with the same honours as casketed remains.
The discharge test is service under conditions other than dishonorable, not an honorable discharge. Service beginning after 7 September 1980 as an enlisted person, or after 16 October 1981 as an officer, generally has to run 24 months or the full period called to active duty, with exceptions.
Reservists and Guard members entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of title 10 — or who would be but for being under 60 — are eligible.
Spouses, surviving spouses (including one who has remarried, where death occurred on or after 1 January 2000) and minor or disabled adult children are eligible, whether or not the veteran is interred there.
The cemetery was authorised by the legislature in 1999 and opened on 5 September 2002.

Who is entitled to it

The cemetery is for members and veterans of the armed forces, and for certain reserve, commissioned and merchant marine service.
Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

1Register early rather than at the time of need. A location cannot be reserved, but an eligibility determination can be made in advance and held on file — take the discharge paperwork to the administration office in person, as it is required.
2Read the discharge test carefully before ruling yourself out. It is service under conditions other than dishonorable, which is wider than an honorable discharge; other-than-honorable, bad conduct and undesirable discharges are referred to a federal regional office for adjudication rather than refused outright.
3If you are a spouse or surviving spouse, note that your eligibility does not depend on the veteran being interred there, or in a national cemetery at all.
4Interments are scheduled Monday to Friday on 970-263-8986, excluding state and federal holidays.
5Ask cemetery staff about the burial flag and the presidential memorial certificate. Both are federal, both are free, and the staff will help with the applications.
6Funeral honours may be provided by the branch of service or by the state Army National Guard and the local combined honour guard. Cemetery staff will help arrange them.
7Read the floral and decoration rules before the service. Plantings, glass, permanent containers, balloons, statues and solar lights are not permitted, and items left on graves are removed.

Form: Cemetery interment forms, or the early registration file
File with: The cemetery administration office at Grand Junction
Documents you will need: dd214
No renewal: Once granted it does not need renewing.

CorrectionThe state does run a veterans cemetery of its own, and it is at Grand Junction. It is easy to assume the only options here are the three national cemeteries, or to place the state cemetery at the veterans home in the south of the state — a separate burial ground that a different programme names.

Worth knowingEligibility is the national-cemetery test plus a residency requirement, and every class on the page is written as a state one. A veteran who has moved away should ask the cemetery directly rather than assuming national-cemetery eligibility carries them in.

Known gapThe page states no charge for interment and lists what is included, but does not say whether a fee is charged for the interment of a spouse or dependant — many state cemeteries charge one. The residency requirement is asserted without a duration or a definition anywhere on the page.

Known gapThe authorising 1999 legislation was not read. It is named on the cemetery page but not cited there, and the host that carries the session laws refused both fetching and the browser this session.

Sources

authority · published policyDepartment of Military and Veterans Affairs — Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado (eligibility classes, costs, early registration)
operating · published policyDivision of Veterans Affairs — Services and Benefits, burial section listing the state cemetery alongside the three national cemeteries in the state

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.