U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH-12) has announced that his Missing in America measure included in S. 3202, the Dignified Burial of Veterans’ Act that passed the House late Sunday by a vote of 393-0. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 19, 2012 and now heads to the president for his signature.
“I want to thank Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Begich (D-AK) for supporting this effort in the Senate and appreciate the help of Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH-15) here in the House,” said Congressman Tiberi the bill’s author. “A few years ago a constituent first told me how difficult it was to ensure veterans without a next-of-kin received a proper burial. Their remains would lay unclaimed in funeral homes indefinitely. That’s not right. But thanks to volunteers with the Missing in America Project and this legislation, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs can now provide a proper burial in a national cemetery for any eligible veteran.”
Veterans served their country with honor; putting them to rest should be dignified,” stated Tiberi.
Congressman Tiberi first introduced the Missing in America Act in 2009 and invited Ohio Department of Veteran’s Services Director Thomas Moe (USAF Ret) to testify about the need for this measure when it was considered by the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs earlier this year.
The measure directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to work with veterans service organizations and other groups, like the Missing in America Project, in assisting entities in possession of unidentified or abandoned remains in determining if the remains are that of a veteran eligible for burial at a National Cemetery. If remains are determined to be that of an eligible veteran, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall cover the cost of burial, if the Secretary determines there is no next of kin and there are no available resources to cover burial and funeral expenses.
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