Hoeven announces million dollar grant to expand ND Veterans Cemetery

WASHINGTON (Valley News Live) - Senator John Hoeven made an announcement today of a federal grant being awarded to help fund an expansion project for the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery located in Mandan, North Dakota.

The grand total of the grant is $1,860,775. This funding will go towards providing 1,440 columbarium niches which are an above ground resting place usually built along a wall including individual compartments to hold an urn or personal belongings. More plans include landscaping and infrastructure on approximately one acre of land, supporting additional burial options for the state’s veterans and eligible family members.

John Hoeven is a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee which aided his efforts in Introducing and successfully passing the Burial Equity for Guard and Reserves Act, which ensured cemeteries like the NDVC remained eligible for VA grants. He also repeatedly advanced this priority in conversations with VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs (USMA) Matthew Quinn.

“The North Dakota Veterans Cemetery is a beautiful resting place for the brave North Dakotans who have served in the military,” said Hoeven, a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee. “This funding will help ensure NDVC is able to continue providing the honors and recognition active duty, Guard and Reserve veterans have earned.”

The grant is made available through the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP), overseen by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA).