Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery

Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery is a VA national cemetery in Schuylerville, New York. VA lists it as open for burials. Burial is free for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Source: National Cemetery Administration (cem.va.gov), retrieved May 2026

History of Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery

Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery is New York State's sixth national veteran's cemetery and the 116th in the National Cemetery Administration.

More than 1.4 million veterans live in New York and more than 225,000 reside in the Albany/Saratoga area. The first phase of construction, encompassing 60 acres of the 351-acre cemetery, included 5,000 gravesites, 2,000 lawn crypts, 1,500 columbaria niches and 700 garden niches for cremated remains. At full capacity, Solomon-Saratoga can provide burial space for 175,500 veterans and eligible dependents.

On January 24, 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation renaming Saratoga National Cemetery as the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Congressman Solomon was known as the champion of veterans' causes. Among his accomplishments, he spearheaded the effort to create the cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs and successfully led a drive to establish the national cemetery in which he is now interred.

Monuments and Memorials The ship's bell from the USS Saratoga, CV-3, was installed as a memorial at the cemetery in 1999. The USS Saratoga was launched in 1925 and spent 20 years at sea, including action during World War II. It was taken out of service and destroyed in 1946. New York Congressman Dean P. Taylor requested the bell in 1946. It was first displayed at Saratoga Spring's Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Memorial Home, dedicated on Veteran's Day in 1949. The bell was later restored and permanently mounted at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.

An American gray granite memorial was erected in 2001 to honor veterans from Saratoga County, NY. The monument features two granite slabs inscribed with approximately 980 names of individuals who gave their lives for their country. A granite obelisk is at the forefront of the monument.

A pyramidal black-mist granite memorial for Congressman Gerald B.H. Solomon, who was instrumental in the national cemetery's establishment and a proponent of veteran causes, was erected in 2002, the year the cemetery was renamed in his honor.

A granite and bronze memorial was erected in honor of U.S. submariner veterans on October 19, 2002.

The cemetery also has a walkway that features a number of memorials erected by various veterans and fraternal organizations in honor of events and fallen comrades.

The American Veterans (AMVETS) donated a carillon in 1999.

Notable interments

The National Cemetery Administration lists these people of note buried at Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, with section and site where recorded.

Directions

From Interstate 87 take exit 12 East (Route 67, Malta) and proceed east on Route 67 to the intersection of Route 9. Turn left on Route 9 and proceed north to the intersection of Route 9P. Turn right onto Route 9P and proceed east along Saratoga Lake to the intersection of Route 423. Turn right onto Route 423 and proceed east to the intersection of Route 4. Turn left onto Route 4 and proceed north. Then turn left onto Wilbur Road. Proceed on Wilbur Road to intersection of Duell Road. Turn right onto Duell Road and follow to cemetery.

Flowers and grounds rules

Cemetery policies are conspicuously posted and readily visible to the public.

Floral arrangements accompanying the casket or urn at the time of burial will be placed on the completed grave. Natural cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time of the year. They will be removed when they become unsightly or when it becomes necessary to facilitate cemetery operations such as mowing. Floral pick up is the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

Who can be buried at Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga 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 Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga 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 Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery and a date. National cemeteries hold burials Monday through Friday.

Where is the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery burial schedule?

VA posts a daily burial schedule for every national cemetery. Search it for Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga 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 Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery directly at 518-581-9128.

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.

Nearest cemeteries

The three veterans cemeteries closest to Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, by straight-line distance:

• Albany Rural Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Albany, NY: 23 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Prospect Hill Cemetery Soldiers' Lot, Brattleboro, VT: 55 mi, closed to new in-ground burials
• Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Randolph Center, VT: 82 mi, open for burials