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VA National Cemeteries

Long Island National Cemetery burial schedule and eligibility

Farmingdale, New York · VA national cemetery

Address, hours, directions and contact details: Long Island National Cemetery.

VeteranFunerals Editorial·5 min read·May 1, 2026·Facts checked

You can look up burials at Long Island National Cemetery on VA's daily burial schedule, which lists the committal services families have agreed to publish. Veterans who were not dishonorably discharged can be buried here, and so can their spouses and some dependent children. To schedule a burial, you or the funeral director call VA's National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117.

History of Long Island National Cemetery

Long Island National Cemetery is located in the community of Farmingdale in central Long Island, NY. It was one of seven national cemeteries created between world wars, 1934–1939. It was the Army's first major expansion since the Civil War directed at serving a growing Veteran population and the rapidly depleting burial space at existing national cemeteries. Unlike previous new cemeteries, locations were based on veterans' places of residence, especially in or near large cities. The other interwar national cemeteries are Baltimore, Maryland; Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Rosecrans and Golden Gate, California.

Long Island National Cemetery occupies land that once belonged to the adjacent Pinelawn Cemetery, a large private lawn-park style cemetery. It was created to supplant the Civil War-era Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn, two sections of which are embedded in the private Cypress Hills Cemetery. Cypress Hills National Cemetery grew from 3 acres to 18 acres. Twentieth-century wars and the expansion of veterans' burial benefits in 1920 created a dramatic increase in the civilian population eligible for burial were among the factors that led the government to estimate the cemetery would be full by 1938. Congress authorized the War Department to purchase land for a new cemetery in the vicinity of New York City in 1936. Two locations were considered, the Camp Upton National Military Reservation, 60 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island, and Pinelawn. The federal government purchased 175 acres of Pinelawn in January 1937 for $200,000.

The first burials in Long Island National Cemetery took place in March 1937 and the volume of interments quickly increased to an average of fifty-three per month. Beautification of the grounds and construction of permanent roads and buildings took place at the same time. Major construction projects completed in the first year included a superintendent's lodge, administration office, receiving vault and chapel, garage and comfort station all near the main entrance gate and iron fence, and a U.S. flagpole and circle, and temporary rostrum. The Office of the Quartermaster General and Quartermaster Corps designed the Colonial Revival red brick buildings with slate-shingle roofs. The cemetery was designed in formal geometric pattern with roads organizing burial sections; with a flagpole in a prominent location. A "mall" area near the flagpole serves as a Distinguished Service Section, which primarily consists of Medal of Honor recipients. The standard plaques installed here are the General Orders No. 80, National Cemetery Act, Memorial Day Order, and Gettysburg Address.

Development of burial space steadily expanded in the first years of the cemetery along with the increase in interment rates. The New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA) supplied some of the labor for early road and building construction. A little more than three years after the first burials at Long Island National Cemetery it hosted a formal dedication on May 26, 1940, a ceremony that included a parade of 3,000 veterans and auxiliaries.

Notable veterans buried at Long Island National Cemetery

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note at Long Island National Cemetery, with section and site where it has them.

  • Medal of Honor
  • The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Recipients receive the Medal of Honor from the President on behalf of Congress. It was first awarded during the Civil War and the eligibility criteria, medal design, and recognition on a recipients' grave marker have all evolved over time. There are 434 Medal of Honor recipients interred at VA national cemeteries including 6 double recipients.
  • Medal of Honor recipients interred or memorialized here:
  • Chief Water Tender Heinrich Behnke. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions on board the USS Iowa after the blowing out of a manhole cover on the vessel, January 25, 1905. Behnke died in 1952 and is buried in Section DSS, Site 20A.
  • Corporal Anthony Casamento (World War II). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, for actions at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, November 1, 1942. Casamento died in 1987 and is buried in Section DSS, Site 79A.
  • Chief Gunner's Mate John Everetts. He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Cushing, for the attempted rescue of a shipmate from drowning, February 11, 1898. Everetts died in 1956 and is buried in Section DSS, Site 36A.
  • Edmund Joseph Flaherty (World War I & II, Korea). He was better known by his stage name Pat Flaherty and appeared or served as a technical advisor in some 200 films between 1930-50. Before his acting career took off Flaherty served in the Army at the time of the Mexican Border expedition and as a pilot during World War I. After the war he played professional baseball, pitching for the New York Giants, and professional football, punting for the Chicago Bears. During World War II he served as a captain in the Marines Corps, and he served again during the Korean War, rising to the rank of major. His filmography includes credited roles in such classic films as Mutiny on the Bounty, Sergeant York, The Babe Ruth Story, and The Jackie Robinson Story. His military and sports background, along with a large, physical presence, often led to him being cast as strong authoritarian figures such as military men, athletes, coaches, police officers and street thugs.
  • Gunner's Mate Third Class Robert Galbraith (Philippine Insurrection). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Navy for actions at El Pardo, Cebu, Philippine Islands, September 12–13, 1899. Galbraith died in 1949 and is buried in Section DSS, Site 17.

Visiting hours at Long Island National Cemetery

Visitation Hours: Open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Open Memorial Day 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Who can be buried at Long Island National Cemetery?

VA national cemeteries accept a veteran who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, a service member who died on active duty or in training, the veteran's spouse or surviving spouse (even if they remarried), and minor or, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. National Guard and Reserve members qualify under narrower rules. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision in advance; it does not reserve a gravesite.

What does burial here include at no cost?

  • A gravesite in any VA national cemetery with available space
  • Opening and closing of the grave
  • A government-provided burial liner
  • A government-provided headstone or marker
  • Perpetual care of the gravesite

Veterans also receive a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate (presented to the next of kin at the burial) and military funeral honors, which include the playing of Taps and two uniformed service members who present the flag. The committal service is held at a committal shelter, not at the grave, and lasts about 20 minutes. National cemeteries have no viewing facilities, so the funeral itself is held elsewhere.

How do you schedule a burial at Long Island National Cemetery?

  1. Gather the veteran's DD214 or other discharge papers, and the deceased's details (Social Security number, dates of birth and death, relationship to the veteran).
  2. Fax the discharge papers to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 866-900-6417, or email them to [email protected] with the deceased's name in the subject line.
  3. You or the funeral director call 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET) to request Long Island National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Long Island National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Long Island National Cemetery to see the committal services planned there. It only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them. To change or cancel a burial that's already scheduled, contact Long Island National Cemetery directly at 631-454-4949.

Headstone, flag and burial allowance

  • Government headstone or marker: tell the scheduling office which headstone, marker, niche cover or medallion you want when you schedule the burial.
  • Burial flag: VA Form 27-2008.
  • Burial allowance: For a non-service-connected death on or after October 1, 2026, VA pays up to $1,032 toward burial and funeral costs and $1,032 for a plot; for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, the burial allowance is up to $2,000. Claim it with VA Form 21P-530EZ. All benefits

After the funeral: survivor benefits and the estate

A surviving spouse, child or parent may qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a tax-free monthly VA benefit, for example when the death was service connected (VA Form 21P-534EZ). The veteran's estate is settled under New York law; our sister site ProbateUS explains how probate works in New York and lists each county's probate court. For the rest of the paperwork, from Social Security to bank accounts, DeathUS has a step-by-step checklist of what to do when someone dies.

Funeral homes near Long Island National Cemetery

A funeral director usually arranges the burial with the cemetery. These are the closest funeral homes by straight-line distance. Each one links to its full listing on FuneralUS, our funeral home directory.

  1. 1.4 mi from the cemetery
  2. Eden Memorial Chapels
    West Babylon, NY
    1.4 mi from the cemetery
  3. 2.1 mi from the cemetery
  4. 2.7 mi from the cemetery
  5. 3.3 mi from the cemetery
  6. 3.3 mi from the cemetery

Search all funeral homes by ZIP on FuneralUS

FAQ

Questions about burial at Long Island National Cemetery

  • Is burial at Long Island National Cemetery free?

    Yes, for eligible veterans, spouses and dependent children. VA provides the gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a burial liner, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care at no cost. The funeral home's services, such as transport and any service before the burial, are arranged and paid for separately.

  • Can I reserve a gravesite at Long Island National Cemetery in advance?

    No. You can ask VA for a pre-need eligibility decision before a death, but VA says the decision letter doesn't name a cemetery or gravesite, because neither can be reserved in advance.

  • How do I schedule a burial at Long Island National Cemetery?

    Fax the veteran's discharge papers to 866-900-6417 or email them to [email protected]. Then you or the funeral director call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET). National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

  • Where can I see the burial schedule for Long Island National Cemetery?

    On VA's daily burial schedule at https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/dailyburialschedule/. It covers every national cemetery, but it only lists burials whose families agreed to publish them.

  • Are military funeral honors provided at Long Island National Cemetery?

    Yes, if you ask for them. Your funeral director, a Veterans Service Organization or the cemetery staff can arrange them. At minimum, two uniformed service members fold and present the burial flag at the committal shelter, and Taps is played.

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