Survey shows VA sustains high customer satisfaction in burial and memorial services for Veterans and families

WASHINGTON — The results of a recent VA customer survey indicates Veterans and their families continue to experience high customer satisfaction in burial and memorial services for Veterans and families from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA).

NCA’s annual survey to Veterans, families and funeral directors, which was released at the end of September and covers fiscal year 2018, revealed the following:

• The administration scored in the high 90th percentile in customer service and cemetery appearance, with 98.2 percent of all respondents saying they were satisfied with their experience at the national cemetery;
• 98.7 percent of respondents noted they would recommend VA national cemeteries to Veteran families during their time of need; and
• 99 percent of respondents said the appearance of their VA national cemetery was excellent.

“National Cemetery Administration staff continue to provide world-class burial and memorial services at VA cemeteries, delivering, earning and sustaining the trust of Veterans and families,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The employees’ commitment to excellence in customer service results in an experience that is consistently positive for Veterans and their families in terms of ease, effectiveness and emotional resonance.”

NCA has a well-established culture of customer service, and has ranked first in customer satisfaction among the nation’s top corporations and federal agencies in an independent survey conducted by the CFI Group six consecutive times, most recently in 2016.

VA continues to pride itself on hiring Veterans and attributes its high satisfaction scores to having 76.7 percent of NCA employees being Veterans themselves.

VA operates 136 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers’ lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico. More than 4 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA’s national cemeteries. VA also provides funding to establish, expand, improve and maintain 111 Veterans cemeteries in 48 states, tribal trust lands and U.S. territories, including Guam and Saipan.

For Veterans not buried in a VA national cemetery, VA provides headstones, markers or medallions to commemorate their service. In 2017, VA honored more than 361,892 Veterans and their loved ones with memorial benefits in national, state, tribal and private cemeteries.