§1489 Death gratuity: members and employees dying outside the United States while assigned to intelligence duties

Summary

The Secretary of Defense may pay a death gratuity to the surviving dependents of a service member or Department of Defense employee who either was assigned to a DoD intelligence unit with their identity concealed or was placed by the Secretary in a group doing clandestine intelligence work, and who, after October 14, 1980, died from injuries (not disease) outside the United States because of hostile or terrorist actions or while taking part in a risky intelligence activity. The payment must equal the person’s annual basic pay or salary at the time of death. It is treated as a gift and replaces any smaller federal death benefit, and it is paid under the same rules as payments under section 413 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3973).