Training Center to Open for National Cemetery Staff

August 24, 2004

As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) constructs 11 new national cemeteries in the next four years, it is establishing its first formal training program for the employees who manage and operate its cemeteries.

VA's National Cemetery Administration Training Center will open in St. Louis during a formal ceremony on Monday, Aug. 30.

Initially focused on training cemetery directors and assistant directors, the new facility eventually will expand its classes to train foremen, equipment operators, grounds keepers, cemetery representatives (who arrange burial services) and other employees.

"It is important that our employees manage and perform these services to the highest possible standards," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "Having a formal training program will enhance our high-quality service to veterans' families."

Previously, cemetery employees relied on informal on-the-job training at national cemeteries. Fourteen new employees began classes in June in a program that orients them to VA's national cemetery program and covers managerial topics such as supervision and labor relations. The participants were selected from more than 160 applicants and will be placed as cemetery directors or assistant directors next spring.

"The new center will also ensure that we have the best-prepared staff for key positions in the future, in spite of an aging work force," Principi added.

The training center is located in 3,000 square feet of leased space in a new building. St. Louis was selected because of its central location near Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, where the trainees can receive practical experience. In addition, the center will have access to an employee education administrative office and TV studio at the VA Medical Center in St. Louis.

In the midst of the largest expansion since the Civil War, VA operates 120 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico.

Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.

Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from a VA Web site on the Internet at http://www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA's regional offices toll-free at 1-800-827-1000.

Source: Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration

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