Title 32

SECTION 553.42

553.42 General rules governing eligibility for interment or inurnment in Army Post Cemeteries.

§ 553.42 General rules governing eligibility for interment or inurnment in Army Post Cemeteries.

(a) Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.43 or are granted an exception to policy pursuant to § 553.49 may be interred in the twenty-five Army Post Cemeteries. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.44 or are granted an exception to policy pursuant to § 553.49 may be interred or inurned in the West Point Cemetery. Only those persons who meet the criteria of § 553.45 may be interred in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Cemetery.

(b) Derivative eligibility for interment or inurnment may be established only through a decedent's connection to a primarily eligible person and not to another derivatively eligible person.

(c) No veteran is eligible for interment, inurnment, or memorialization in an Army Post Cemetery (except for the U.S. Disciplinary Cemetery) unless the veteran's last period of active duty ended with an honorable discharge. A general discharge under honorable conditions is not sufficient for interment, inurnment or memorialization in an Army Post Cemetery.

(d) For purposes of determining whether a service member has received an honorable discharge, final determinations regarding discharges made in accordance with procedures established by chapter 79 of title 10, United States Code, will be considered authoritative.

(e) The Executive Director has the authority to act on requests for exceptions to the provisions of the interment, inurnment, and memorialization eligibility policies contained in this subpart. The Executive Director may delegate this authority on such terms deemed appropriate.

(f) Individuals who do not qualify as a primarily eligible person or a derivatively eligible person, but who are granted an exception to policy to be interred or inurned pursuant to § 553.49 in a new gravesite or niche, will be treated as a primarily eligible person for purposes of this subpart.

(g) Notwithstanding any other section in this subpart, memorialization with an individual memorial marker, interment, or inurnment in an Army Post Cemetery is prohibited if there is a gravesite, niche, or individual memorial marker for the decedent in any other Government-operated cemetery or the Government has provided an individual grave marker, individual memorial marker or niche cover for placement in a private cemetery.