National Cemetery Administration
VA Acquires Land to Expand Black Hills National Cemetery
April 11, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration announced today that it has acquired 181.32 acres of land near Sturgis, S.D., for the purposes of expanding Black Hills National Cemetery.
"Expanding Black Hills National Cemetery will ensure access to dignified Veteran burial options to Veterans, and their families well into the future," said Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves. "We will continue to establish new national cemeteries while maintaining existing national cemeteries, with the goal of providing 95% of Veterans with access to a burial option in a VA national, state or tribal Veterans cemetery within 75 miles of their home."
The Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the Department of the Interior, transferred the land to the VA in accordance with Public Law 115-175, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act. The law was signed by President Trump on May 25, 2018.
Prior to the expansion, Black Hills National Cemetery consisted of 105.90 acres of land, 96% of which had already been developed. More than 29,000 Veterans, spouses and eligible family members are interred there. The additional land will serve the projected interment needs of Veterans in western South Dakota for the next 100 years after the current Black Hills National Cemetery space is depleted.
VA operates 136 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico. For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. Information on VA burial benefits is available from local VA national cemetery offices, online at https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/ or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. To make burial arrangements at any open VA national cemetery at the time of need, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.
For more information about the Black Hills National Cemetery, contact Terry Corkins at 605-347-3830 or visit https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/cems/nchp/blackhills.asp.
