The veterans cemetery in Missoula will see a number of upgrades after the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the state a new grant.
The VA's National Cemetery Administration this week said the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery was awarded a $1.5 million grant to fund a number of improvements.
The cemetery serves more than 17,000 veterans and their eligible family members in the region. The grant will fund 300 pre-placed crypts, 820 columbarium niches, roadway, landscaping, and irrigation, according to the VA.
“Veterans cemeteries like Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Missoula keep the memories of America’s heroes alive,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement. “Under President Trump, the VA is committed to ensuring facilities like it have the resources they need to provide excellent benefits and services to Veterans and their families, and this grant underscores that fact.”
The VA will also reimburse the state $274,000 for the cost of fabrication and delivery of outer burial receptacles used for the project.
In 2024, VA grant-funded cemeteries interred more than 42,720 Veterans and eligible family members, which is approximately 24% of the 176,965 total annual interments in all national and VA grant-funded Veterans cemeteries, according to the VA.
