MARSHALL — A Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs program that provided metal markers for veterans’ graves is not running this year. But the markers themselves are still available from the manufacturer, the president of CenTec Cast Metal Products said this week.

CenTec President Alan Rellinger said it was not true that CenTec had discontinued production of the Bronze Star grave markers. “We are still going strong,” Rellinger said. He said CenTec, a company based in Fremont, Ohio, was still making the grave markers. The markers cost $38.50, he said.

Last week, Lyon County Veterans Service Officer Heidi Fier said the MDVA had discontinued a program where organizations or families could request a grave marker through their VSO, “due to the lack of a fiscally sustainable source for these markers.” She said the manufacturer had stopped making the markers.

Steve McCarthy, assistant director of communications for the MDVA, gave clarifying information this week.

“The ability of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs to provide Bronze Star grave markers to County Veteran Service Officers throughout the state has always been part of MDVA’s discretionary funding and was never part of a dedicated budget,” McCarthy said in an email. “Recently in 2023, we asked several companies to provide bids to manufacture quantities of markers large enough to meet our needs. We received no responses to that request for proposal. Informal communication with known manufacturers has been ongoing. To date, these manufacturers either cannot produce the quantity needed for statewide distribution or the cost of the product is excessive.”

“Due to several factors, including changing budgets, significant increases in the cost of bronze materials and limited production capacity from some manufacturers, MDVA will not be issuing Bronze Star grave markers this year,” McCarthy said.

There are still other options to highlight a veteran’s service at their grave. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers bronze medallions that can be attached to the headstones of veterans buried in private cemeteries. Four Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries also provide burial options at no cost for veterans, and low-cost options for spouses and eligible dependents, McCarthy said. The cemeteries are located in Redwood Falls, Duluth, Little Falls and Preston.

Rellinger said Bronze Star grave markers are still being produced by CenTec. People interested in purchasing a marker can call the company at 419-355-1414.