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About headstones.io

A plain guide to marking a grave: what the government provides, what the rules require and what to ask. Written for families, and for the friends, clergy and service officers who help them.

How it's made

Every fact here is a quote from a U.S. government source: VA.gov, the VA National Cemetery Administration, VA's claim forms, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (38 CFR 38.630 to 38.633 and 16 CFR Part 453) and the Federal Trade Commission. Our own sentences connect the quotes and summarize them; when we summarize, the quote is right there. Before the site is built, a script fetches every source again and confirms each of the 171 quotes appears word for word: VA and eCFR sources live, FTC sources in their dated Internet Archive captures.

The walkthrough's questions are written by us; the rule behind each answer is VA's, quoted with it. VA decides eligibility, not this site.

About the FTC pages

ftc.gov answered our automated requests with an error page, so the FTC's consumer and business guidance is quoted from Internet Archive copies, each labelled with its capture date and linked. Checking a capture shows what the page said on that date, not that the live page still says it. The consumer articles themselves are dated July 2012. The Funeral Rule itself is quoted from the live eCFR.

What we leave out

• Prices. None, except figures an official source states in its own words, such as the FTC's note that grave liners cost "several hundred dollars" (a 2012 article).
• Vendors. No monument companies, cemeteries or funeral homes are named or linked.
• Facts about any particular cemetery. Cemetery rules vary, so the cemetery page asks questions instead.
• State law. State and local rules on cemeteries and monuments vary and aren't covered here.
• Fax numbers VA.gov loads by script. Where VA.gov's page leaves a number blank without JavaScript, we use the number printed on the VA form.

Where official sources disagree

VA.gov's headstones page says to explain a replacement request in block 27; the March 2025 VA Form 40-1330 itself says to give the replacement reason in block 33 (Remarks), and block 27 is the consignee's signature. We show both and suggest following the form.

VA's two medallion pages also point to different blocks for a Medal of Honor request (block 11 on VA.gov, block 13 on the form). We show both.

The data

The full dataset, with every quote and source, is on the data page.

Ads, analytics and privacy

This site shows Google AdSense ads and uses Google Analytics to count visits. The walkthrough and checklists run in your browser; what you choose isn't sent to us. Read the privacy policy.

Who makes it

headstones.io is published by North Coast AI LLC. It was built with AI assistance and reviewed by Bill Burkey. If something here doesn't match its source, tell us through northcoast.ai and we'll check it against the page.

Sources

• Veterans headstones and markers. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.gov). Page last updated December 15, 2025.
• Medallions. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.gov). Page last updated June 1, 2026.
• Burial in a private cemetery. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.gov).
• Government headstones and markers FAQs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA.gov). Page last updated June 10, 2024.
• VA Form 40-1330, Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker (March 2025). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• VA Form 40-1330M, Claim for Government Medallion to Affix to a Private Marker (March 2025). U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Headstones, Markers, and Medallions. VA National Cemetery Administration.
• Types of Headstones, Markers, and Medallions. VA National Cemetery Administration. Page last updated June 13, 2024.
• Headstone and Marker Inscriptions. VA National Cemetery Administration.
• Emblems of Belief. VA National Cemetery Administration.
• Veterans Military Discharge Documents. VA National Cemetery Administration.
• Historic Headstones and Markers (prior to World War I). VA National Cemetery Administration.
• Cleaning Government-Furnished Headstones and Markers. VA National Cemetery Administration.
• 38 CFR 38.630, Burial headstones and markers; medallions. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
• 38 CFR 38.631, Memorial headstones and markers. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
• 38 CFR 38.632, Emblems of belief. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
• 38 CFR 38.633, Group memorial monuments. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
• 16 CFR Part 453, Funeral Industry Practices (the Funeral Rule). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
• The FTC Funeral Rule (consumer article). Federal Trade Commission. Internet Archive capture dated 2026-09-13; the live ftc.gov page did not answer automated requests. The article is dated July 2012.
• Buying a Cemetery Site (consumer article). Federal Trade Commission. Internet Archive capture dated 2026-06-16; the live ftc.gov page did not answer automated requests. The article is dated July 2012.
• Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist (consumer article). Federal Trade Commission. Internet Archive capture dated 2026-07-18; the live ftc.gov page did not answer automated requests. The article is dated July 2012.
• Complying with the Funeral Rule (business guide). Federal Trade Commission. Internet Archive capture dated 2026-07-13; the live ftc.gov page did not answer automated requests.