Veterans who have been approved for VA’s pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a national cemetery can now share the military history on the digital remembrance platform.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the expansion of its Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) – a digital platform dedicated to the memory of millions of veterans – to allow veterans to tell their story before they pass away under the new “Your Story, Your Legacy” feature.
The VLM honors the nearly 10 million veterans interred in VA national cemeteries, VA grant-funded cemeteries, DoD-managed cemeteries, U.S. Park Service National Cemeteries and private cemeteries with individual, interactive veteran profile pages that include service branch with logo, birth and death certificates, rank, war period, decorations and emblem of belief. Family, friends and others can chronicle the life of the veteran by uploading photos, documents, sharing their veterans’ military achievements, service timeline and more.
Since its launch in 2019, more than 165,000 submissions have been made to veteran profile pages.
The “Your Story, Your Legacy” feature allows veterans who have been approved for VA’s pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery to submit images, autobiographies, military and life milestones, and historical documents through a secure site.
“The legacies we leave behind come in many forms,” said Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters. “Providing veterans with resources to document their stories while they are still with us ensures their voices are heard and allows family members, friends, and others to appreciate the experiences of those who served.”
VA will keep the content submitted secure until the veteran passes away, and VA approves a request for a burial or memorial benefit. Following approval, the content the veteran submitted will become public and appear on their VLM page.
- Honor & Remembrance