Governor Lamont, Congressional Delegation Announce State and Federal Funding To Expand the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown

Expansion Will Add 1,510 Cremation Burial Plots at an Adjacent Property Formerly Used for Connecticut Valley Hospital

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont and members of Connecticut's Congressional delegation today announced that the State of Connecticut is being awarded a $584,250 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to support its planned expansion of the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, which will complement $294,250 in state funding that has already been allocated for the project.

This expansion, which is being overseen by the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), will support the creation of 1,510 additional grave sites for buried cremains on a parcel of land located contiguous to the existing cemetery at 317 Bow Lane. This property was previously used by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) for the operations of Connecticut Valley Hospital and was recently transferred to DVA to support the cemetery's expansion.

The state's portion of the funding will be used to support the demolition of the vacant Connecticut Valley Hospital building on the property known as Cottage 22. The federal funding will be used to provide cremains burial plots, an entry gate, fencing, landscaping, irrigation components, concrete block storage bays, site furnishings, and supporting infrastructure.

"This cemetery provides an invaluable resource in honoring the lives and service of our military veterans and their families, and it is important that we continue to see that this option remains available to them for decades into the future," Governor Lamont said. "As we explore options to support these needs over the long-term, this expansion of the existing cemetery in Middletown will provide immediate support to ensure that veterans and their families have uninterrupted access to these services over the coming years."

"Our Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery provides hallowed grounds for the final resting place of our Connecticut veterans," Connecticut Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ron Welch said. "It is our privilege and honor to maintain the cemetery as a perpetual shrine to their selfless service. We look forward to the expansion of the cemetery and further to the establishment of a new cemetery in the future."

"The Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery is a sacred place where our nation's heroes are laid to rest," Senator Richard Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said. "I am thrilled that this $584,250 in federal funding will allow for 1,510 additional final resting places for Connecticut veterans, ensuring families have options for their loved ones for years to come."

"Our veterans put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we hold dear-we owe it to them to properly honor their service and sacrifice," Congressman John B. Larson said. "I am pleased to announce this grant from the VA with my colleagues and Governor Lamont to expand the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown. We will continue to work together to make sure the state has the resources it needs to recognize our state's veterans and their families, so the cemetery remains available to them for years to come."

"Connecticut's Second Congressional District is the proud home to over 47,000 veterans-the highest population of any of the five districts in Connecticut," Congressman Joe Courtney said. "The expansion of the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery will mean more families are able to lay their loved ones to rest at a site that honors and remembers their service to our nation. I will continue working with my colleagues in our state's Congressional delegation to support the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs' mission to honor our state's veterans."

"We owe it to our veterans to honor them both in life and after their passing," Congressman Jim Himes said. "I'm heartened that the federal government will serve as a partner in expanding Connecticut's State Veterans Cemetery and look forward to working with the delegation to provide additional resources to Connecticut veterans."

"Those who have honorably served our nation deserve to be laid to rest with respect and dignity," Congresswoman Jahana Hayes said. "I am pleased that federal funding will help make this a reality for more veterans and military families by expanding the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery. I look forward to the completion of this project and am committed to ensuring our veterans have the resources they need to live full, healthy lives and a safe final resting home."

The Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery was established in 1985 and provides a final resting place for military veterans from generations of conflicts, along with their eligible spouses and minor children. There are currently 14,718 burial plots and 3,000 columbarium niches at the cemetery.

DVA estimates that the existing cemetery will be depleted of available cremation burial plots around January 2028. With this expansion, the agency projects that cremation burial plots will remain available through at least December 2033. Importantly, this will align the estimated depletion dates of all three burial options (casket, buried cremains, and columbarium niches), enabling DVA to build all three options in its plans to develop a new cemetery that will support veterans and their families over the coming decades.