37 U.S.C. § 453 (PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES)
§ 453. Allowable travel and transportation: specific authorities
(a) In General.—
In addition to any other authority for the provision of travel and transportation allowances, the administering Secretaries may provide travel and transportation allowances under this subchapter in accordance with this section.
(b) Authorized Absence From Temporary Duty Location.—
An authorized traveler may be paid travel and transportation allowances, or reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses of travel, incurred at a temporary duty location during an authorized absence from that location.
(c) Movement of Personal Property.—
(1) A member of a uniformed service may be allowed moving expenses and transportation allowances for self and dependents associated with the movement of personal property and household goods, including such expenses when associated with a self-move.
(2) The authority in paragraph (1) includes the movement and temporary and non-temporary storage of personal property, household goods, and privately owned vehicles (but not to exceed one privately owned vehicle per member household) in connection with the temporary or permanent move between authorized locations.
(3) For movement of household goods, the administering Secretaries shall prescribe weight allowances in regulations under section 464 of this title. The prescribed weight allowances may not exceed 18,000 pounds (including household goods in temporary storage, but excluding packing and crating), except that the administering Secretary may, on a case-by-case basis, authorize additional weight allowances as necessary.
(4) The administering Secretary may prescribe the terms, rates, and conditions that authorize a member of the uniformed services to ship or store a privately owned vehicle.
(5) No carrier, port agent, warehouseman, freight forwarder, or other person involved in the transportation of property may have any lien on, or hold, impound, or otherwise interfere with, the movement of baggage and household goods being transported under this section.
(d) Unusual or Emergency Circumstances.—
An authorized traveler may be provided travel and transportation allowances under this section for unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency circumstances, including circumstances warranting evacuation from a permanent duty assignment location.
(e) Particular Separation Provisions.—
The administering Secretary may provide travel-in-kind and transportation-in-kind for the following persons in accordance with regulations prescribed under section 464 of this title:
(1) A member who is retired, or is placed on the temporary disability retired list, under chapter 61 of title 10.
(2) A member who is retired with pay under any other law or who, immediately following at least eight years of continuous active duty with no single break therein of more than 90 days, is discharged with separation pay or is involuntarily released from active duty with separation pay or readjustment pay.
(3) A member who is discharged under section 1173 of title 10.
(f) Attendance at Memorial Ceremonies and Services.—
A family member or member of the uniformed services who attends a deceased member’s repatriation, burial, or memorial ceremony or service may be provided travel and transportation allowances to the extent provided in regulations prescribed under section 464 of this title.
(g) Reimbursement of Qualifying Spouse Relicensing Costs Incident to a Member’s Permanent Change of Station or Assignment.—
(1) From amounts otherwise made available for a fiscal year to provide travel and transportation allowances under this chapter, the Secretary concerned may reimburse a member of the uniformed services for qualified relicensing costs of the spouse of the member when—
(A) the member is reassigned, either as a permanent change of station or permanent change of assignment, between duty stations located in separate jurisdictions with unique licensing or certification requirements and authorities; and
(B) the movement of the member’s dependents is authorized at the expense of the United States under this section as part of the reassignment.
(2) Reimbursement provided to a member under this subsection may not exceed $1000 in connection with each reassignment described in paragraph (1).
(3) No reimbursement may be provided under this subsection for qualified relicensing costs paid or incurred after December 31, 2024.
(4) In this subsection, the term “qualified relicensing costs” means costs, including exam, continuing education courses, and registration fees, incurred by the spouse of a member if—
(A) the spouse was licensed or certified in a profession during the member’s previous duty assignment and requires a new license or certification to engage in that profession in a new jurisdiction because of movement described in paragraph (1)(B) in connection with the member’s change in duty location pursuant to reassignment described in paragraph (1)(A); and
(B) the costs were incurred or paid to secure or maintain the license or certification from the new jurisdiction in connection with such reassignment.
(Added Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title VI, § 631(b), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1457; amended Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title VI, § 621(c)(1), (h), Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 783, 784; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 522(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2116; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title VI, § 622(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3676.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: Amendments
text: 2021—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 116–283 added subsec. (g).
2016—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 114–328 struck out subsec. (g). Text read as follows: “A member may be reimbursed as specified in regulations prescribed under section 464 of this title for travel and related expenses incurred by the member as a result of the cancellation of previously approved leave when the leave is cancelled in conjunction with the member’s participation in a contingency operation and the cancellation occurs within 48 hours of the time the leave would have commenced. The settlement for reimbursement under this subsection is final and conclusive.”
2013—Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 113–66, § 621(h), substituted “(including household goods in temporary storage, but excluding packing and crating)” for “(including packing, crating, and household goods in temporary storage)”.
Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 113–66, § 621(c)(1), added subsec. (g).