NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Veterans and their families will now have the opportunity to be pre-approved for burial in any of the four state veterans cemeteries because of a new online pre-registration form announced July 22 by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder.

Veterans and family members can request which of the cemeteries they prefer while completing the online form. They will then need to mail in their discharge papers, which will complete the registration process. Cemetery personnel will mail a formal response to the veteran or dependent within four to six weeks.

Specific plots are not reserved through the online process, but the eligibility process is completed before time of death and archived digitally, ensuring that cemetery staff can locate discharge papers quickly after an individual passes away. This is an improvement on the current process in which funeral directors contact the nearest state veterans cemetery when they receive a request to bury the remains of a veteran or dependent, requiring family members to then find discharge papers and wait several days or weeks for approval.

“Our goal is to do all we can to assist and support veterans and their families,” Haslam said. “This online resource is a proactive and efficient way to offer them assistance before they face a crisis situation when delays can add to the trauma of loss.”

“Through our experience in serving and listening to veterans, survivors and dependents, we determined a pre-registration process for our state veterans cemeteries would enhance our mission to serve our stakeholders efficiently with compassion and dignity,” Grinder said. “The peace of mind this process will offer to Tennessee veterans and their families is an exciting component of ongoing innovative solutions.”

The Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs manages and maintains four state veterans cemeteries to include two in Knoxville, one in Nashville and one in Memphis. The department is in the planning process for two new state veterans cemeteries to include one in south west Tennessee and in the upper Cumberland region to ensure there is a cemetery within in a 75 mile radius of Tennessee’s veterans.

For more information regarding pre-registration for burial at the State Veterans Cemeteries visit http://www.tn.gov/veteran/burial_elg.shtml.