U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton urged the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday to pass legislation that would offer federal burial assistance to indigent veterans laid to rest in state or tribal veterans cemeteries.
Currently, the government only pays funeral costs for poor veterans if they are buried in national cemeteries.
The maximum reimbursement for a casket is currently $2,421; for an urn, it's $244.
During his testimony, Cotton called his proposal "a simple straightforward change," adding that it would cost the federal government about $2 million over the next decade.
"I would suggest the cost is minimal, when you consider the sacrifices our veterans have made and the solace this could provide their loved ones," he said.
Cotton introduced S. 3076, known as the Charles Duncan Buried with Honor Act of 2016, on June 20. It has been endorsed by the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other groups.
The bill is named for a former sailor, Charles Cleveland Duncan. The Little Rock man, who died on July 25, 2015, at age 66, didn't have the money to pay for his own funeral. Because the national cemetery in that city is full, Duncan was buried in Fort Smith, 150 miles west.
There was space available at the state veterans cemetery in North Little Rock, but federal law prevented the government from paying for the burial there.
Duncan's wife and daughter lacked the resources to travel to western Arkansas, Cotton said. Neither was on hand when their loved one was laid to rest.
During his short presentation, Cotton showed senators a map, indicating the location of Arkansas' three federal cemeteries (Fort Smith, Little Rock and Fayetteville) and two state-run veterans' cemeteries (in North Little Rock and Birdeye in Cross County in east Arkansas.)
At Wednesday's hearing, the Department of Veterans Affairs indicated its support for Cotton's legislation.
Cotton's legislation "would support VA's efforts to ensure the unclaimed remains of Veterans receive a dignified burial," Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance David McLenachen said in a written statement.
State veterans cemeteries "provide the same services and benefits to veterans and their eligible family members and are required to comply with the same national shrine appearance standards as national cemeteries," he added.
Afterward, Cotton said he is "cautiously optimistic" that his legislation will gain congressional approval this year.
Senate colleagues are supportive, he said. "They recognize that it's not good for the families to have their loved ones buried so far away and it's not good for the taxpayer who ends up reimbursing the cost of, say, transporting the remains from Little Rock to Fort Smith when [they] could have stayed in Little Rock."
Metro on 06/30/2016