Casualty Assistance Reform Act of 2021

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a working group for the reform of the casualty assistance officer program, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Casualty Assistance Reform Act of 2021 2. Casualty assistance program: reform; establishment of working group (a) Casualty assistance reform working group (1) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a working group to be known as the Casualty Assistance Reform Working Group Working Group (2) Duties The Working Group shall perform the following duties: (A) Create standards and training for CAOs across the military departments. (B) Explore the possibility of establishing a unique badge designation for— (i) CAOs who have performed CAO duty more than five times; or (ii) professional CAOs. (C) Examine the current workflow of casualty affairs support across the military departments, including administrative processes and survivor engagements. (D) Perform a gap analysis and solution document that clearly identifies and prioritizes critical changes to modernize and professionalize the casualty experience for survivors. (E) Review the organization of the Office of Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors to ensure it is positioned to coordinate policy and assist in all matters under its jurisdiction, across the Armed Forces, including any potential intersections with the Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency. (F) Explore the establishment of— (i) an annual meeting, led by the Secretary of Defense, with gold star families; and (ii) a surviving and gold star family leadership council. (G) Recommend improvements to the family notification process of Arlington National Cemetery. (H) Explore the redesign of the Days Ahead Binder, including creating an electronic version. (I) Consider the expansion of the DD Form 93 to include more details regarding the last wishes of the deceased member. (J) Assess coordination between the Department of Defense and the Office of Survivors Assistance of the Department of Veterans Affairs. (3) Membership The membership of the Working Group shall be composed of the following: (A) The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, who shall serve as Chair of the Working Group. (B) At least one person furnished with a gold star lapel button under section 1126 of title 10, United States Code, by each Secretary of a military department. (C) Other members of the Armed Forces or civilian employees of the Department of Defense, appointed by the Secretary of Defense, based on knowledge of, and experience with, matters described in paragraph (2). (4) Report Not later than September 30, 2022, the Working Group shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report containing the determinations and recommendations of the Working Group. (5) Termination The Working Group shall terminate upon submission of the report under paragraph (4). (b) Report required Not later than November 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report setting forth the results of a review and assessment of the casualty assistance officer program, including the report of the Working Group. (c) Establishment of certain definitions Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of the military departments, shall publish an interim rule that establishes standard definitions, for use across the military departments, of the terms gold star family gold star survivor (d) CAO defined In this section, the term CAO

Summary: Casualty Assistance Reform Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish the Casualty Assistance Reform Working Group to, among other duties, create standards and training for casualty assistance officers of the Armed Forces. Generally, a casualty assistance officer supports and assists the next of kin after they have been notified of a casualty. The bill also requires DOD to publish an interim rule to establish standard definitions of gold star family and gold star survivor.