From: NAVAHCS/PublicAffairs "PRE Public Affairs Corporate Mailbox" [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2019 8:04 AM
To: Dillinger, Mary E. <[email protected]>; Durocher, Rebekah <[email protected]>
Subject: Inurnments Scheduled to Resume on Dec. 26 at Prescott VA National Cemetery
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News Release |
| Pacific District
1301 Clay Street, Suite 1230N Oakland, CA 94612 For Further Information Contact: Srey Austin, Director National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona and Prescott National Cemetery 480-513-3600 |
Inurnments scheduled to resume on Dec. 26 at Prescott National Cemetery
OAKLAND, CA – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) today announced that it will open a portion of the newly-constructed columbaria at Prescott National Cemetery and begin inurnments starting Dec. 26, 2019.
“We are pleased to open a portion of the columbaria at Prescott National Cemetery,” said Cemetery Director Srey Austin. “We’ve started contacting families that have been waiting to schedule their loved ones’ placement.”
Prescott National Cemetery temporarily ran out of new niche spaces for cremains in Dec. 2018, while construction was underway to build new columbaria. The project has been delayed due to site challenges and severe weather. The cemetery expects to complete the project in late Spring 2020. Once complete, it will add an additional 3,536 columbarium niche spaces. There may be limitations to visitation in the open columbaria area while construction continues, including parking restrictions.
“We regret any inconvenience this may cause families. We are committed to do our best to accommodate Veterans and their loved ones’ while we expand our future burial availability to ensure our Veterans have access to the benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Austin.
To schedule an interment at Prescott or any other VA National Cemetery, please contact the National Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. The National Scheduling Office will be the initial point of contact to establish cases and verify eligibility – local cemetery staff will continue to work directly with families to schedule services.
For more information, please contact the Cemetery Director Srey Austin, Cemetery Assistant Director Rachel Charles, or the Cemetery Foreman Charles Reed at 480-513-3600.
About NCA
VA operates 141 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers’ lots and monument sites in 41 states and Puerto Rico. More than 4 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA’s national cemeteries. 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.
