HF3532

Purpose

This bill makes changes to who can be buried in Minnesota state veterans cemeteries and how burial costs are handled. It aims to clarify eligibility and set up a fee system that covers interment costs while providing waivers for certain indigent eligible people.

Main Provisions

• Eligibility for burial in state veterans cemeteries
  • Cemeteries must be operated for the burial of:
  • Service members who die on active duty
  • Eligible veterans and their spouses and dependent children (as defined in United States Code title 38, section 2402, paragraph a, subparagraphs 1–5 and 7)
  • Honorably discharged members of the National Guard or another reserve component and the members’ spouses and dependent children
• Burial fees and interment costs
  • The commissioner of veterans affairs must establish a fee schedule for the interment of honorably discharged National Guard or reserve members and eligible spouses and dependent children.
  • Fee amounts should cover, as nearly as practicable, the actual costs of interment, excluding the value of the burial plot.
• Waivers and reductions for indigent eligible applicants
  • The commissioner may waive or reduce the burial fee for indigent eligible persons.
  • The commissioner must maintain a policy, eligibility standards, and an application form for requests to waive or reduce burial fees for indigent eligible applicants.
• No fees for certain burials
  • No plot or interment fees may be charged for the burial of service members who die on active duty or eligible veterans (as defined above).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands who can be buried in Minnesota state veterans cemeteries to include:
  • Active-duty service members who die
  • Eligible veterans and their spouses and dependent children
  • Honorably discharged National Guard or other reserve component members and their spouses and dependent children
• Introduces a formal fee schedule for interment costs and clarifies that these fees do not include the plot cost
• Creates a mechanism to waive or reduce burial fees for indigent eligible individuals
• Establishes ongoing administration requirements (policies and forms) for eligibility and fee waiver processes

How It Would Work in Practice

• Families of eligible individuals could apply for interment with the new fee rules and potential waivers.
• The state would charge interment fees only for certain groups (e.g., some National Guard or reserve members and their families) and waive fees completely for service members who die on active duty or for eligible veterans.
• The costs covered by the fees would be tied to actual interment costs, not the value of the burial plots.

Potential Impacts

• More people connected to veterans may be eligible for burial in state cemeteries.
• Financial relief for eligible families who are indigent.
• Clearer, potentially more costly interment fee structure for some beneficiaries, with protections for those who cannot afford fees.

Relevant Terms - state veterans cemeteries - burial eligibility - service members who die on active duty - eligible veterans - spouses - dependent children - United States Code title 38 section 2402 (a) - National Guard - reserve component - honorably discharged - interment costs - burial fees - fee schedule - indigent - waiver - reduce - plot value - no plot or interment fees - Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement section 197.236 subdivisions 8 and 9