(a) Eligibility Determinations Generally.—(1) The Secretary of the Army, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, shall determine eligibility for interment or inurnment in the Cemeteries.
(2) The Secretary of the Army, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, shall establish policy and procedures for reviewing and determining requests for exceptions to interment and inurnment eligibility policy, which shall include a requirement, before granting the request for an exception, for notification of the Committees on Armed Services and the Committees on Veterans Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
(b) Removal of Remains.—Under such regulations as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe under section 7721(d) of this title, the Secretary of the Army may authorize the removal of the remains of a person described in subsection (c) from one of the Cemeteries for re-interment or re-inurnment if, upon the death of the primary person eligible for interment or inurnment in the Cemeteries, the deceased primary eligible person will not be buried in the same or an adjoining grave.
(c) Covered Persons.—Except as provided in subsection (d), the persons whose remains may be removed pursuant to subsection (b) are the deceased spouse, a minor child, and, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Army, an unmarried adult child of a member eligible for interment or inurnment in the Cemeteries.
(d) Exceptions.—The remains of a person described in subsection (c) may not be removed from one of the Cemeteries under subsection (b) if the primary person eligible for burial in the Cemeteries is a person—(1) who is missing in action;
(2) whose remains have not been recovered or identified;
(3) whose remains were buried at sea, whether by the choice of the person or otherwise;
(4) whose remains were donated to science; or
(5) whose remains were cremated and whose ashes were scattered without interment of any portion of the ashes.
(Added Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title V, § 591(a)(1), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1439, § 4722; renumbered § 7722 and amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §§ 808(d), 809(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1839, 1840.)
Editorial Notes
Prior ProvisionsA prior section 7722 was renumbered section 8892 of this title.
Amendments2018—Pub. L. 115–232, § 808(d), renumbered section 4722 of this title as this section.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–232, § 809(a), substituted “section 7721(d)” for “section 4721(d)”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.