VA awards $18 million for North Alabama US Veterans Cemetery
The $18 million award advanced a Huntsville cemetery expected to serve North Alabama veterans and families for more than 200 years.
Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, on Tuesday highlighted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ award of more than $18 million through the Veterans Cemetery Grant Program to establish a new veterans cemetery in north Alabama.
In fiscal year 2026, the VA awarded a record $106.5 million in grants to 21 cemeteries across U.S. states, territories and tribal nations. This represents the highest level of annual funding since the program was established in 1980.
These grants help ensure that more than 94 percent of veterans living in the United States have access to a veterans cemetery within 75 miles of their homes, according to Aderholt’s press release.
As part of the fiscal 2026 awards, the VA granted $18,094,445 to establish the Alabama Veterans Memorial Cemetery-North in Huntsville. The VA will also reimburse up to $875,706 for the fabrication and delivery of preplaced crypts.
Currently, more than 42,000 veterans in north Alabama live outside the 75-mile service radius of an existing state or national veterans cemetery. The new facility will help close this gap and is expected to serve veterans and their families in north Alabama for more than 200 years.
“Veterans have given and sacrificed immensely to protect the fundamental liberties of our great country. Their unwavering service has sustained democracy and defended freedom around the world,” Aderholt said. “We owe our veterans and their families a great debt of gratitude, and this investment is an important step toward ensuring they receive the recognition, respect, and lasting honor they deserve.”
The Alabama Veterans Memorial Cemetery-North will be the state’s second state veterans cemetery. Alabama’s existing state veterans cemetery is in Spanish Fort, a six-hour drive from parts of north Alabama.
“This investment will help ensure that North Alabama’s veterans and their families have access to a dignified final resting place that reflects our deep gratitude for their service and sacrifice,” Aderholt’s press release concluded.
