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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§1065 Use of commissary stores and MWR facilities: certain veterans, caregivers for veterans, and Foreign Service officers

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 54— - COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE BENEFITS › § 1065

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Some veterans, their caregivers, and certain Foreign Service officers can use military commissary stores and MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) facilities the same way retired military members can. This covers veterans who got the Purple Heart, Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war, veterans with service-connected disabilities, caregivers and family caregivers, and Foreign Service officers on mandatory home leave (those officers may be allowed to use military lodging). The Secretary of Defense must write rules to charge a user fee for people who are eligible only because of this rule to shop at commissaries or MWR retail. The fee must cover extra costs the Treasury pays when customers use credit or debit cards. Money collected goes into the U.S. Treasury General Fund and is added on top of any existing uniform surcharge. The law also points to other laws for the exact meanings of terms like MWR facilities, Medal of Honor recipient, veteran, caregiver, Foreign Service officer, and mandatory home leave.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §1065

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
(b)A veteran who is a Medal of Honor recipient shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
(c)A veteran who is a former prisoner of war shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
(d)A veteran with a service-connected disability shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
(e)A caregiver or family caregiver shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
(f)A Foreign Service officer on mandatory home leave may be permitted to use military lodging referred to in subsection (h).
(g)(1)The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations that impose a user fee on individuals who are eligible solely under this section to purchase merchandise at a commissary store or MWR retail facility.
(2)The Secretary shall set the user fee under this subsection at a rate that the Secretary determines will offset any increase in expenses arising from this section borne by the Department of the Treasury on behalf of commissary stores associated with the use of credit or debit cards for customer purchases, including expenses related to card network use and related transaction processing fees.
(3)The Secretary shall deposit funds collected pursuant to a user fee under this subsection in the General Fund of the Treasury.
(4)Any fee under this subsection is in addition to the uniform surcharge under section 2484(d) of this title.
(h)In this section:
(1)The term “MWR facilities” includes—
(A)MWR retail facilities, as that term is defined in section 1063(e) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title; and
(B)military lodging operated by the Department of Defense for the morale, welfare, and recreation of members of the armed forces.
(2)The term “Medal of Honor recipient” has the meaning given that term in section 1074h(c) of this title.
(3)The terms “veteran”, “former prisoner of war”, and “service-connected” have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of title 38.
(4)The terms “caregiver” and “family caregiver” have the meanings given those terms in section in section 1720G(d) of title 38.
(5)The term “Foreign Service officer” has the meaning given that term in section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903).
(6)The term “mandatory home leave” means leave under section 903 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4083).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1063(e) of this title, referred to in subsec. (h)(1)(A), was redesignated section 1063(f) of this title by Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVII, 1722(h)(2), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 672.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1065 was renumbered section 1063 of this title.

Amendments

2019—Pub. L. 116–92, § 641(a)(1), substituted “veterans, caregivers for veterans, and Foreign Service officers” for “veterans and caregivers for veterans” in section catchline. Subsecs. (f) to (h). Pub. L. 116–92, § 641(a)(2), (3), added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsecs. (f) and (g) as (g) and (h), respectively. Subsec. (h)(5), (6). Pub. L. 116–92, § 641(a)(4), added pars. (5) and (6).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2019 Amendment Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VI, § 641(b), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1431, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on January 1, 2020, as if originally incorporated in section 621 of Public Law 115–232.”

Effective Date

Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VI, § 621(b)(3), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1799, provided that: “Section 1065 of title 10, United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect on January 1, 2020.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 1065

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73