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(1) POLICY REQUIRED.—Not later than January
1, 2006, the Secretary of Defense shall develop and
prescribe a comprehensive policy for the Department
of Defense on the provision of casualty assistance to
survivors and next of kin of members of the Armed
Forces who die during military service (in this sec-
tion referred to as ‘‘military decedents’’).
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall develop
the policy in consultation with the Secretaries of the
military departments, the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with
respect to the Coast Guard
(3) INCORPORATION OF PAST EXPERIENCE AND
PRACTICE.—The policy shall be based on—
(A) the experience and best practices of the
military departments;
(B) the recommendations of nongovernment
organizations with demonstrated expertise in re-
sponding to the needs of survivors of military de-
cedents; and
(C) such other matters as the Secretary of
Defense considers appropriate.
(4) PROCEDURES.—The policy shall include pro-
cedures to be followed by the military departments in
the provision of casualty assistance to survivors and
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next of kin of military decedents. The procedures shall
be uniform across the military departments except to
the extent necessary to reflect the traditional practices
or customs of a particular military department.
(b) ELEMENTS OF POLICY.—The comprehensive policy
developed under subsection (a) shall address the following
matters:
(1) The initial notification of primary and sec-
ondary next of kin of the deaths of military decedents
and any subsequent notifications of next of kin war-
ranted by circumstances.
(2) The transportation and disposition of re-
mains of military decedents, including notification of
survivors of the performance of autopsies.
(3) The qualifications, assignment, training, du-
ties, supervision, and accountability for the perform-
ance of casualty assistance responsibilities.
(4) The relief or transfer of casualty assistance
officers, including notification to survivors and next
of kin of the reassignment of such officers to other du-
ties.
(5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case-
management procedures for casualty assistance by
each military department, including rapid access by
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survivors of military decedents and casualty assist-
ance officers to expert case managers and counselors.
(6) The provision, through a computer accessible
Internet website and other means and at no cost to
survivors of military decedents, of personalized, inte-
grated information on the benefits and financial as-
sistance available to such survivors from the Federal
Government.
(7) The provision, at no cost to survivors of mili-
tary decedents, of legal assistance by military attor-
neys on matters arising from the deaths of such dece-
dents, including tax matters, on an expedited,
prioritized basis.
(8) The provision of financial counseling to sur-
vivors of military decedents, particularly with respect
to appropriate disposition of death gratuity and in-
surance proceeds received by surviving spouses, minor
dependent children, and their representatives.
(9) The provision of information to survivors
and next of kin of military decedents on mechanisms
for registering complaints about, or requests for, addi-
tional assistance related to casualty assistance.
(10) Liaison with the Department of Veterans
Affairs and the Social Security Administration in
order to ensure prompt and accurate resolution of
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issues relating to benefits administered by those agen-
cies for survivors of military decedents.
(11) Data collection regarding the incidence and
quality of casualty assistance provided to survivors of
military decedents, including surveys of such sur-
vivors and military and civilian members assigned
casualty assistance duties.
(c) ADOPTION BY MILITARY DEPARTMENTS.—Not later
than March 1, 2006, the Secretary of each military depart-
ment shall prescribe regulations, or modify current regula-
tions, on the policies and procedures of such military de-
partment on the provision of casualty assistance to sur-
vivors and next of kin of military decedents in order to con-
form such policies and procedures to the policy developed
under subsection (a).
(d) REPORT ON IMPROVEMENT OF CASUALTY ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAMS.—Not later than May 1, 2006, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed
Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a
report that includes—
(1) the assessment of the Secretary of the ade-
quacy and sufficiency of the current casualty assist-
ance programs of the military departments;
(2) a plan for a system for the uniform provision
to survivors of military decedents of personalized, ac-