Appendix A - NCA Operational Standards and Measures for VA National Cemeteries.pdf

This is an NCA Directive 3000 establishing operational standards and measures for VA National Cemeteries, issued September 19, 2024, superseding the previous version from January 4, 2010, with scheduled recertification on September 19, 2029.

The directive establishes operational standards for performing operations in key areas at all VA national cemeteries and establishes performance measures to evaluate compliance with those standards. The National Cemetery Administration will administer, operate, and maintain all VA national cemeteries to comply with these standards and routinely evaluate facilities using the performance measures to determine compliance. The operational standards apply to VA national cemeteries and VA grant-funded Veterans cemeteries and are published in the "NCA Operational Standards and Measures Guidebook," maintained on the NCA Improvement and Compliance Service's intranet site. The directive delineates responsibilities across multiple organizational levels: the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs approves updates to standards; the Deputy Under Secretary for Field Programs and Cemetery Operations establishes and issues enterprise-level standards and evaluates cemetery compliance; the Executive Director of Cemetery Operations coordinates briefings and publishes the Guidebook; District Executive Directors forward notifications and coordinate with cemetery directors; Cemetery Directors monitor facilities for compliance and maintain required plans and programs; the Director of Veterans Cemetery Grants Program coordinates to determine which standards apply to grant-funded cemeteries and incorporates requirements into grant applications; and the Director of NCA Improvement and Compliance Service convenes biennial stakeholder reviews, presents proposed changes to senior leadership, and incorporates standards into organizational assessment and compliance review programs.