WASHINGTON – Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer are calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to open eligibility of state veteran cemeteries to members of Reserves and the National Guard.

In bipartisan letter also signed by two other senators and two representatives, they ask for reforms to the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program that would open cemeteries to additional veterans in a manner that would not jeopardize the eligibility of these cemeteries for federal grants.

In June, Cramer and Hoeven helped introduce the Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act to provide eligibility to all members of the Reserve Component, so long as their service was terminated under honorable conditions, and certain family members for burial in state veterans’ cemeteries.

“National Guardsmen and Reservists swear to defend this country just as their active duty counterparts do, and we must make sure that they receive the respect and recognition that they deserve,” the lawmakers wrote.