Milledgeville, Georgia

The Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration has approved more than $13.6 million to build a new veterans cemetery in Augusta, Georgia, funded through H.R. 5371, the fiscal year 2026 appropriations act covering military construction and veterans affairs. The grant, awarded September 16 after an application filed in May, will fund what is set to become the largest veterans cemetery in the state, spanning more than 200 acres of state-owned land next to the Gracewood campus of East Central Georgia Regional Hospital.

The site addresses a long-standing gap for military families in the Augusta area, who have had to travel to Fort Jackson, Columbia, or Milledgeville for burial services. Planned amenities include an administration building, maintenance facility, committal shelter, 600 grave sites, 1,500 crypts, 900 cremation sites, 960 columbarium niches, and a memorial wall with 140 plaques. Construction is slated to begin in November and take about 18 months. A local nonprofit is separately raising additional funds for extras like a bell tower and memorial benches.