Title 25, Military, Civil Defense and Veterans Affairs

(A) The Department of Veterans' Affairs shall adopt and execute criteria, policies, and procedures for admissions to and discharges from South Carolina veterans' homes. (B) The Department of Veterans' Affairs shall set and collect fees for residence in and services provided by So…

(A) The secretary shall appoint an additional claims representative within the department, who, in addition to being charged with the duty of assisting all veterans, regardless of the wars in which their service may have been rendered, in filing, presenting, and prosecuting to fi…

(A) For the purposes of this section: (1) "State veterans' cemetery" means a cemetery that the department establishes under this section. (2) "Immediate family" means those family members who are eligible for burial in a department national cemetery. (B) The department may establ…

For the purposes of this article: (1) "Claim" means any application for any benefits administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States Department of Defense, or the United States Department of Homeland Security, and includes any associated appeal…

(A) No person shall receive compensation for preparing, advising, presenting, or prosecuting a claim for any individual regarding any veterans' benefits matter, except as permitted under federal law. (B) No person shall receive compensation for referring any individual to another…

(A) Any person violating the provisions of this article shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, be imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or both. Each veterans' benefits matter handled in violation of th…

(A)(1) There is established and created in the State Treasury a fund separate and distinct from the general fund of the State and all other funds entitled the "Veterans Service Organization Burial Honor Guard Support Fund". The fund's exclusive purpose is to help offset the costs…

(A)(1) The department shall prepare a complete roster of all South Carolina members of the United States military who served on active duty during: (a) the Korean conflict; (b) the Vietnam conflict; (c) Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada); (d) Operation Just Cause (Panama); (e) Opera…

The unclaimed or cremated human remains of a veteran as defined in this chapter must be disposed of pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

As used in this chapter: (1) "Veteran" means a person who has: (a) served on active duty in the uniformed military services of the United States; (b) served on active duty in the National Guard or any organized state militia; or (c) served in the reserve components of the uniform…

A coroner or a manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary, which has held in its possession cremated remains for more than one hundred twenty days from the date of cremation, shall determine, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, if the cremated re…

(A) Notwithstanding any law or regulation to the contrary, nothing in this chapter shall prevent a coroner or a manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary from sharing information with the Veterans Administration, a veterans' service agency or veterans' affairs…

(A) If a coroner or a manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary ascertains the cremated remains in its possession are those of a veteran, and they have not been instructed by the person in control of the disposition of the decedent's remains to arrange for the…

The veterans' service organization, coroner, funeral home, funeral establishment, mortuary, and any manager of them, upon disposing of cremated remains in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, must be held harmless for any costs or damages, except if there is gross negl…

The estate of the decedent is responsible for reimbursing a veterans' service organization, coroner, funeral home, funeral establishment, mortuary, and any manager of them for all reasonable expenses incurred in relation to the disposition of the cremated remains.

A coroner or a manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary shall establish and maintain a record identifying the veterans' service organization receiving the cremated remains.

Nothing in this chapter requires a coroner or a manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary to determine or seek others to determine that an individual's cremated remains are those of a veteran if the manager of a funeral home, funeral establishment, or mortuary…

There is hereby created an honor roll of former Confederate soldiers, sailors and others who, in the Confederate States Army or Navy or in the State militia performed actual services in the Confederate States Army or Navy, who did not desert the services of this State or the Conf…

All widows of Confederate veterans who have reached the age of fifty-five years shall receive annually from the pension fund the sum of one hundred and sixty dollars and all other widows of Confederate veterans who have attained the age of forty-five years shall receive the sum o…

In the event of the death of a widow of a Confederate veteran who is a bona fide pensioner, the full amount which would have been paid to her during the succeeding year shall be paid to the person defraying her funeral expenses. In any case there shall be paid for bona fide pensi…

The necessary expenses of administering the provisions of this chapter shall be paid out of the amount appropriated for pensions.

All records in regard to pensioners shall be immediately turned over to the Comptroller General of the State by those who come into control or possession thereof.

Any person who shall fraudulently impersonate any widow for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the pension laws of this State or who shall knowingly make or cause to be made any false application or statement or by any false or fraudulent statement procure such statement to …

Any person who shall discount, shave or in any manner speculate in the claim or application of any widow, made under the pension laws of this State, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not exce…

The board of honor in each of the several counties of the State shall consist of the clerk of court, the probate judge and the county auditor.

Such county boards shall report to the Comptroller General of the State between January first and January fifteenth of each year a complete list of all bona fide pensioners for that year, such list to contain the names and addresses of pensioners and the names of their deceased h…

The judge of probate in each county shall be the clerk of the board of honor in his county and he shall disburse all amounts sent to him by the Comptroller General for those on the honor roll, for the county board or otherwise. He shall receive for his services twenty-five cents …

All applications for enrollment on the honor roll from year to year shall be made to the board of honor in the county in which the applicant resides.

It shall be sufficient to entitle the widow of a Confederate veteran to a pension as the widow of such veteran if such widow prove her relationship and (a) that she was living with her husband as his faithful wife at the time of his death, that the reason for not living with him …

The Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History shall, when requested, give full information as to the service in the Army or Navy of any soldier, sailor or militiaman as it appears on the Confederate rolls.

The township enrollment books shall be by the clerks of the court of the several counties in which the respective townships are located, together with the county enrollment book, safely kept as permanent record books of his office.

Upon the written request of the Governor, the clerk of the court shall permit any State official charged with perfecting, editing or publishing the official Confederate rolls to have temporary custody of county or township enrollment books, the clerk of court taking the receipt o…

The disability of minority of any male or female veteran otherwise eligible for guaranty of a loan pursuant to the provisions of Title III, Public Law 346, 78th Congress of the United States of America, approved June 22, 1944, known as the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944,"…

It is unlawful for a person to wear as a badge, expose upon their person, sell, offer for sale, or otherwise dispose of, or use or manufacture any badge or insignia known as the Confederate Cross of Honor or any counterfeit or likeness of the badge, unless the badge has been conf…

It shall be unlawful for any person other than a member of the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Sons of the American Legion or La Societe des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux (Forty and Eight) and the Disabled American Veterans of the World War in good standing wilfully …

Poppies and forget-me-nots are hereby designated as the official flowers of World War veteran organizations. Any person who sells or offers to sell artificial poppies or artificial forget-me-nots in some place other than within a regular place of business for himself or for any p…

There is established the South Carolina Military Museum, located at one or more locations in the State as selected by the State Adjutant General. The museum is governed by the South Carolina Military Museum Board composed of seven members. Five members must be appointed by the Ad…

The board shall hold regular meetings, prescribe rules for its operations, elect the officers necessary, establish and use any identifying seal pertaining to museum business, and make an annual report which must be included as a part of the Adjutant General's report to the Govern…

Military Department of South Carolina equipment, supplies, and personnel may be used to maintain the museum and collection. The board may improve existing grounds by the construction of concrete slabs and fencing for suitable outdoor display of large items of heavy equipment such…

The board may accept lands, buildings, money, relics, weapons, or any other thing of value on behalf of, or as additions to the museum either in the form of loans or grants or donations or bequests; may acquire land and items by purchase, lease, or otherwise, and may enter into c…

The museum must be a military and historical museum charged with the responsibility for the collection, preservation, and exhibition of archives, books, records, documents, maps, charts, military equipment, uniforms, flags, and any other such articles. It may be a depository for …

There is established a Prisoner of War Commission in South Carolina composed of one member from each congressional district and one member from the State at large, to be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of a majority of the Senate members representing the con…

The commission is attached to the Department of Veterans' Affairs for logistical and staff support only and may be located in Columbia in space provided by the Department of Administration.

The commission shall meet at least two times yearly at a time and a place and on a date designated by the chairman and at other times at the call of the chairman or upon the request of a majority of the members.

The functions of the commission include the following: (1) develop and maintain an up-to-date listing of all former prisoners of war residing in South Carolina; (2) coordinate all South Carolina related former prisoner of war functions; (3) review, discuss, and make recommendatio…

The commission annually shall submit a written report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation in Washington, D. C., detailing its policies and goals established pursu…