VA Revises Form for Requesting Grave Disinterment in Cemeteries
Published Date: 4/16/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Veterans Affairs is updating the form used to request moving a loved one’s remains from a national cemetery to another place. Families must all agree in writing before this can happen, or a court order can be used instead. If you want to comment on these changes, you have until May 18, 2026, and about 1,400 people use this form each year, spending around 10 minutes each time.
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Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Family Consent Required for Disinterment
If you want to move a loved one’s remains from a national cemetery, all immediate family members must give written consent before the Department of Veterans Affairs will allow disinterment. VA will accept a court order from local jurisdiction instead of the written consent. About 1,400 people use VA Form 40-4970 each year and respondents spend about 10 minutes to complete it; public comments on the form revisions are due by May 18, 2026.
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