WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today dedicated a new 247-acre national cemetery in Morovis, Puerto Rico.
This is the sixth VA national cemetery to be dedicated in 2020, and the 153rd VA National Cemetery overall.
VA Secretary Robert Wilkie along with Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves unveiled the dedication plaque for Morovis National Cemetery.
“The Veterans of Puerto Rico are second to none in their record of service, sacrifice and heroism,” said Wilkie. “It is most fitting we should end the year dedicating the newest shrine to our Veterans here on the Island of Enchantment.”
Construction of the initial phase of the cemetery is ongoing, with the first interments expected to occur in the first half of 2021. In the decades to come, it will provide burial options for more than 150,000 Veterans and their eligible family members living in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Region, as well as Central and South America.
Morovis National Cemetery has been constructed as a replacement cemetery for Puerto Rico National Cemetery in Bayamon. Puerto Rico National Cemetery, which was dedicated in 1949 is expected to deplete new burial options in 2022. Subsequent interments of spouses and other dependents in existing gravesites will continue after that date.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dedication ceremony was closed to the public and attendance was limited in accordance with federal, CDC and territorial guidelines and mandates. Photos and video of the dedication can be found on the National Cemetery Administration’s Facebook site.
For more information, contact Puerto Rico and Morovis National Cemeteries Director Juan Nieves at 787-798-8400. Visit VA’s National Cemetery Administration or call 800-535-1117 for information on VA burial benefits or to apply for burial benefits in advance of need.
###
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in VA outpatient care has increased to 91.8% — up from 85.6% in 2018 (the first year since VA began conducting this survey).Veteran trust has increased during each of the past six years.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs will launch the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, May 31 — to help more than 40,000 Veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs has enrolled 401,006 Veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.
