NFDA Applauds Bipartisan Action, Urges Senate to Send Bill to the President

For Immediate Release: November 12, 2026

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (S. 4744/H.R. 9237), legislation that includes two NFDA priorities designed to improve funeral and burial benefits for America’s veterans and their families.

The legislation includes the:

• Ensuring Veterans’ Final Resting Place Act (S. 1116/H.R. 647), which protects a family’s ability to have a veteran’s cremated remains interred with a surviving spouse in a national cemetery, even if the family previously received a Department of Veterans Affairs urn or commemorative plaque (Section 502 of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act).
• Veteran Burial Timeliness and Death Certificate Accountability Act (S. 2309/H.R. 4398), which helps reduce delays in the certification of veterans’ deaths so families can proceed with funeral arrangements and access earned benefits more quickly (Section 313 of the Taking Care of America’s Veterans Act).

“This vote reflects what can happen when lawmakers listen to the professionals who serve veterans’ families every day,” said NFDA President Chris Christian. “Funeral directors understand the challenges families face when navigating veterans’ benefits, and we appreciate the House’s commitment to making these important improvements. We now urge the Senate to pass this legislation and send it to the President’s desk.”

The House vote marks the culmination of years of sustained advocacy by NFDA and its members. Throughout the legislative process, NFDA has worked closely with lawmakers to share the practical experiences of funeral directors and advocate for improvements that better serve veterans and their families. Earlier this year, NFDA Senior Vice President of Advocacy Lesley Witter testified before Congress and submitted public comments supporting these provisions. During NFDA’s Advocacy Summit, funeral service professionals from across the country met with members of Congress to share firsthand perspectives on the importance of improving veterans’ funeral and burial benefits.

“The inclusion of these measures in the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act demonstrates the credibility NFDA has built on Capitol Hill and the impact our members have when they share their expertise,” said Witter. “Passing meaningful legislation takes time. It requires years of education, relationship-building and persistence. Today’s vote reflects the value Congress places on the expertise of funeral service professionals, and we look forward to working with the Senate to move this legislation across the finish line.”

For decades, NFDA has worked with lawmakers and the Department of Veterans Affairs to strengthen funeral, burial and memorial benefits for veterans. Funeral directors help thousands of veterans’ families each year navigate military honors, burial benefits, national cemetery eligibility and memorialization options, providing Congress with valuable insight into how federal policies affect families during one of life’s most difficult moments.

NFDA encourages the Senate to act quickly to pass the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act so these important improvements can become law.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.

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Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, JKoth@NFDA.org