The database contains registers of interred veterans and their dependents dating to the establishment of the first national cemeteries during the Civil War. It also lists burial records since 1999 from some state veterans cemeteries and from Arlington National Cemetery (which is operated by the US Army, rather than the VA). The VA updates the Web site nightly with the previous day's burials.

The basic search is by first and/or last name. You also can enter a first and last initial, or the last name plus a partial first name. The advanced search adds options for a middle name, birth and death dates, and cemetery name.