(a) The amount of an Establishment, Expansion, and Improvement Project grant awarded under this subpart may not exceed 100 percent of the total cost of the project, but may be less than the total cost of the project.

(b) The total cost of a project under this subpart may include:

(1) Administration and design costs, e.g., architectural and engineering fees, inspection fees, and printing and advertising costs.

(2) The cost of cemetery features, e.g., entry features, flag plaza and assembly areas, columbaria, preplaced liners or crypts, irrigation systems, committal-service shelters, and administration/maintenance buildings.

(3) In the case of an establishment grant, the cost of equipment necessary for the operation of the State or Tribal veterans cemetery. This may include the cost of non-fixed equipment such as grounds maintenance equipment, burial equipment, and office equipment.

(4) In the case of an improvement or expansion grant, the cost of equipment necessary for operation of the State or Tribal veterans cemetery, but only if such equipment:

(i) Was included in the construction contract;

(ii) Was installed during construction; and

(iii) Is permanently affixed to a building or connected to the heating, ventilating, air conditioning, or other service distributed through a building via ducts, pipes, wires, or other connecting device, such as kitchen and intercommunication equipment, built-in cabinets, and equipment lifts.

(5) A contingency allowance not to exceed five percent of the total cost of a project that involves new construction or eight percent of the total cost of an improvement project that does not involve new construction.

(c) The total cost of a project under this subpart may not include the cost of:

(1) Land acquisition;

(2) Building space that exceeds the space guidelines specified in this part;

(3) Improvements not on cemetery land, such as access roads or utilities;

(4) Maintenance or repair work;

(5) Office supplies or consumable goods (such as fuel and fertilizer) that are routinely used in a cemetery; or

(6) Fully enclosed, climate-controlled, committal-service facilities, freestanding chapels, or chapels that are part of an administrative building or information center.

(d) VA shall certify approved applications to the Secretary of the Treasury in the amount of the grant, and shall designate the appropriation from which it shall be paid. Funds paid for the establishment, expansion, or improvement of a veterans cemetery must be used solely for carrying out approved projects.

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501, 2408)

[75 FR 34005, June 16, 2010, as amended at 77 FR 4476, Jan. 30, 2012]