Currently the veteran population of Tennessee is 9% of their total residents, and every single one of them are allowed for free military burials for themselves and their spouses. This is high because from a 2018 census, only 7% of the nation are veterans.
The concerns for Tennessee veterans are that these National Cemeteries are running out of room. Many of the sites stopped accepting casket remains, and some of them are only accepting the remains of a veteran that has been cremated or who’s spouse is already deceased and buried. One site is already closed, and the Tennessee is in the preliminary stages of designing a new one. https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2022/02/24/veterans-have-potential-crisis-if-burial-benefits-arent-renewed/6915706001/?fbclid=IwAR0SfcHu51YA2lCF5GQwJp-UZQq3n6QYQfydOijG2KOwt1tIqKORlUCpHpY
This isn’t the first state to have issues, California, the state with the most veterans, experienced these same issues. The Los Angeles National Cemetery has been closed to new burials since 1978, but in 2019 it opened up for cremated remains. Even former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie confirmed the concerns and stated, “Space is running out, there’s a premium on everything.” https://www.kpbs.org/news/midday-edition/2019/11/04/veterans-cemeteries-run-out-space-va-providing-alt
Just last November, an article stated that “Arlington National Cemetery could run out of space for burials in 20 years, so federal administrators are considering tightening eligibility standards.” https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/new-national-cemeteries-proposed-as-arlington-running-out-of-space/2874758/
Now how to fix this? How to advocate for yourself and other veterans?
First, find your house representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Second, contact them by phone or email. Snail mail is not recommended because it can take a long time to process, emails are the second slowest. The quickest and most effective way is by phone.
Third, tell them that you are concerned about the national cemetery situation in Tennessee, and you want them to expedite the process to open up new cemeteries.
Fourth, tell your friends, your family, and fellow servicemembers or veterans to do the same.