§1485 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary may pay to move and bury a service member’s dependent who dies while the member is on active duty (not for training). The body may be taken to the dependent’s home or another burial place the Secretary picks. The Secretary can also provide funeral services and supplies that must be paid back if it’s practical and local funeral options are unavailable or too expensive; any repayments go back into the government fund that paid for them.

Title 10, §1485

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary concerned may, if a dependent of a member of an armed force dies while the member is on active duty (other than for training), provide for, and pay the necessary expenses of, transporting the remains of the deceased dependent to the home of the decedent or to any other place that the Secretary determines to be the appropriate place of interment.

(b)The Secretary may furnish mortuary services and supplies, on a reimbursable basis, for persons covered by subsection (a), if (1) that action is practicable, and (2) local commercial mortuary services and supplies are not available or the Secretary believes that their cost is prohibitive.

(c)Reimbursement for mortuary services and supplies furnished under this section shall be collected and credited to appropriations available, at the time of reimbursement, for those services and supplies.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 1485(a) 1485(b)5:2157 (1st sentence, as applicable to armed forces).5:2157 (2d sentence, as applicable to armed forces).July 15, 1954, ch. 507, § 7(a) (as applicable to armed forces), 68 Stat. 479. 1485(c)5:2157 (less 1st and 2d sentences, as applicable to armed forces). In subsection (a), the words “a member of an armed force” are substituted for the words “military personnel”. The words “the continental limits * * * or in Alaska” are omitted as covered by the definition of “United States” in section 101(1) of this title. The words “while traveling” are substituted for the words “while in transit”. In subsection (b), the word “services” is substituted for the word “facilities”. In subsection (c), the words “the authority of” and “the payments of” are omitted as surplusage. The words “at the time of reimbursement” are substituted for the word “current”.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1965—Pub. L. 89–150 struck out “; death while outside United States” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89–150 substituted provision for payment of transportation expenses of remains of deceased dependent of a member of an armed force while the member is on active duty (other than for training), for former provision for payment of the expenses where the member of the armed force is on active duty at a place outside the United States and the dependent dies while residing with that member or while traveling to or from that place.

§1485 Dependents of members of armed forces