VA Expands Access to Veterans Legacy Memorial, Allowing Veterans to Chronicle their Life Story
Posted on Feb 3, 2025 in VAPIHCS Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expanded the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) — the nation’s first digital platform dedicated to the memory of Veterans and service members — to allow Veterans to tell their own story before they pass away. The new “Your Story, Your Legacy” feature will allow Veterans who have been approved for VA’s pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery to log in to a secure website where they can privately submit images, autobiographies, military and life milestones, and historical documents.
VLM offers family, friends, and now Veterans a way to chronicle the life of a Veteran by uploading written tributes, photos, biographies, documents, and other information. It is the nation’s largest online memorial space dedicated to Veterans, with nearly 10 million interactive VLM pages already on the website for those interred in VA national cemeteries, Department of Defense-managed cemeteries, VA grant-funded state/tribal cemeteries, National Park Service cemeteries, and private cemeteries around the world.
VA will keep the content 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 on the public-facing website.
“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.”
Veterans who have been approved for pre-need eligibility will receive an email directing them to the “Your Story, Your Legacy” landing page. Here’s where to apply online.
Since the VLM website launched in 2019, more than 155,000 submissions have been made to Veteran profile pages. NCA moderators review all content submissions before being posted to a Veteran’s page to ensure it conforms to the VLM User Policy.
For information about VA burial benefits, visit one of VA’s National Cemetery Locations in-person, visit online at VA burial benefits and memorial products, or call toll free at 800-827-1000. To plan for you and your family, visit NCA’s pre-need eligibility website.
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