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Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed ServicesRelease 119-102

§417 Uniform Allowance: Officers; General Provisions

Title 37 › CHAPTER 7 — ALLOWANCES OTHER THAN TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCES › § 417

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each military department secretary can make rules, under standards the Secretary of Defense sets, to carry out the uniform allowance laws in sections 415(a)–(c) and 416. The Secretary of Homeland Security, with the Navy Secretary’s agreement, can make rules for the Coast Guard when it is not operating with the Navy. As much as possible, rules for all reserve parts should be the same. Under those approved rules, a reserve officer who already got a uniform or equipment allowance can be paid a reimbursement if they transfer to another reserve component and a different uniform is required. Only duty when an officer must wear a uniform counts for these allowances. If a National Guard technician must wear a uniform under 32 U.S.C. 709(b), that time counts as active duty (not training) for sections 415 and 416. For those same periods, the officer cannot get a uniform allowance or uniforms under 10 U.S.C. 1593 or 5 U.S.C. 5901.

Full Legal Text

Title 37, §417

Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to standards, policies, and procedures prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of each military department may prescribe regulations that he considers necessary to carry out section 415(a)–(c) and 416 of this title within his department. The Secretary of Homeland Security, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Navy, may prescribe regulations that he considers necessary to carry out those sections for the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy. As far as practicable, regulations for all reserve components shall be uniform.
(b)Under regulations approved by the Secretary of Defense, or by the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, and subject to section 415(a)–(c) or 416 of this title, a reserve officer of an armed force who has received a uniform and equipment allowance under section 415(a)–(c) or 416 of this title, may if a different uniform is required, be paid a uniform and equipment reimbursement upon transfer to, or appointment in, another reserve component.
(c)For the purposes of section 415(a)–(c) and 416 of this title and subsections (a) and (b), an officer may count only that duty for which he is required to wear a uniform.
(d)(1)For purposes of section 415 and 416 of this title, a period for which an officer of an armed force, while employed as a National Guard technician, is required to wear a uniform under section 709(b) of title 32 shall be treated as a period of active duty (other than for training).
(2)A uniform allowance may not be paid, and uniforms may not be furnished, to an officer under section 1593 of title 10 or section 5901 of title 5 for a period of employment referred to in paragraph (1) for which an officer is paid a uniform allowance under section 415 or 416 of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 417(a)417(b)417(c)37:255(e).37:255(d).37:255(a) (1st proviso).Oct. 12, 1949, ch. 681, § 305 (1st proviso of (a)), (d), (e); added Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, § 20(d) (1st proviso of 1st par., 4th par., and 5th par.), 70A Stat. 629. In subsection (a), the words “within that department” are inserted for clarity. The words “may prescribe” are substituted for the words “shall prescribe”, since the words “that he considers necessary” indicate that the prescribing of

Regulations

is not mandatory. Subsection (b) is substituted for section 255(d) (less last sentence) of existing title 37. section 255(d) last sentence) of existing title 37 is omitted, since the categories named therein are excluded by the words “a reserve officer”. (See revision note for section 415(a) of this revised title.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2002—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 107–296 substituted “of Homeland Security” for “of Transportation”. 1996—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–106 added subsec. (d). 1991—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–25 struck out “of this section” after “subsections (a) and (b)”. 1968—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 90–623 substituted “Secretary of Transportation” for “Secretary of the Treasury”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective on the date of transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, see section 1704(g) of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as a note under section 101 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Effective Date

of 1968 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 90–623 intended to restate without substantive change the law in effect on Oct. 22, 1968, see section 6 of Pub. L. 90–623, set out as a note under section 5334 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

37 U.S.C. § 417

Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102