Central ND News

U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer and John Fetterman have introduced the Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy Act, a bipartisan effort to amend current regulations concerning burial benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The proposed legislation seeks to remove existing restrictions that only allow the VA to provide burial markers or headstones for spouses and dependent children who died between November 11, 1998, and October 1, 2025.

The act is named in memory of Dennis "Denny" Krisfalusy, a Vietnam War veteran whose remains were never recovered following an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. Under current VA rules, his wife Lois was not eligible for a memorial headstone due to her death occurring before the stipulated date range.

Senator Cramer commented on the issue: “The spouses and families of our men and women in uniform serve and sacrifice alongside their loved ones, and Congress should ensure they can stay together in their final resting place.” He highlighted that an "arbitrary, outdated restriction" currently prevents military spouses and dependents from receiving a memorial if they passed away before 1998.

Echoing these sentiments, Senator Fetterman stated: “Our veterans and their families have sacrificed so much, and they deserve to be honored together without arbitrary barriers in the way.” He emphasized that resolving this issue would prevent similar cases of loss from impacting other families.

The bill has received backing from several veterans' organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). A similar measure has been introduced in the House by Representatives Guy Reschenthaler, Chris Deluzio, John Joyce M.D., Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, and G.T. Thompson.