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State Veterans Cemetery — No Charge, Marker Included

The department operates the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown and the Colonel Raymond F. Gates Cemetery in Rocky Hill. There is no charge to an eligible veteran and the government grave marker is provided free.

Verified August 22, 2026

What this benefit is

The department operates the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown and the Colonel Raymond F. Gates Cemetery in Rocky Hill. There is no charge to an eligible veteran and the government grave marker is provided free.

What it's worth: No charge for burial of an eligible veteran; government grave marker at no charge

  • The department states it directly: Connecticut Veterans Affairs does not charge eligible Veterans for burial, and government grave markers are provided at no charge.
  • Three cemeteries appear on the department’s page. The State Veterans Cemetery at 317 Bow Lane, Middletown is the largest and holds over 16,000 veterans and family members; the Colonel Raymond F. Gates Cemetery is on the Rocky Hill campus; Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery in Darien is maintained but closed to new burials.
  • Middletown supports full casket burial, buried cremains and columbarium inurnment.
  • The spouse and minor children (under age 18) of an eligible veteran are generally eligible for burial. Whether a fee attaches to a family interment is not stated on the pages read here.

Who is entitled to it

  • Both characterisations are inside what the department certifies for burial.
  • 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

  1. 1Pre-certify eligibility before it is needed. The department offers pre-certification, which spares a family the search for discharge papers in the days after a death.
  2. 2Provide a legible copy of the discharge papers showing an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions.
  3. 3At need, work through a licensed funeral director; they contact Cemetery and Memorial Services on the family’s behalf. The office is on 860-616-3688 or oaa-cms.dva@ct.gov.
  4. 4Ask which of the two open cemeteries has capacity for the burial type you want — Middletown and the Gates Cemetery are not interchangeable.
File with
Cemetery and Memorial Services, Rocky Hill
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingThe department states the discharge floor two ways on two of its own pages: the eligibility article describes discharge or separation under conditions other than dishonorable, while the cemetery pages say a bad conduct or other than honorable discharge is not eligible. Both wordings are recorded here rather than reconciled; a borderline characterisation should be put to the office directly.
Worth knowingLength of service is gated by date of entry. A veteran who enlisted before 7 September 1980 (or was commissioned before 16 October 1981) needs a single day of active duty; after those dates the department looks for 24 continuous months, or the full period called to duty.
Known gapNo residency requirement is published on the pages read here — neither stated nor ruled out. Several states gate their cemeteries on residency and this department’s pages do not, so confirm before assuming either way.
Known gapWhat a spouse or minor child’s interment costs is unread. The department publishes the veteran’s cost as nothing and is silent on family interments.

Sources

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