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Payment of costs to ship breast milk of a member performing certain duty

Division A · Title VI: MILITARY COMPENSATION AND OTHER BENEFITS · Subtitle B: Allowances

Plain-language summaryAI

Members of the armed forces who are separated from their infant children due to certain duties, such as temporary assignments or training, can have the costs of shipping expressed breast milk paid or reimbursed by the military, up to $1,000 per event. The Department of Defense will create rules to implement this payment program and provide guidance within 180 days of the law's enactment.

AI-generated from this section’s text — a quick orientation, not a substitute for the full text below. Not legal advice.

Section Text · Sec. 615.
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(a) Authority

Section 453 of title 37, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(j) Costs to ship breast milk

(1)

The Secretary concerned shall pay directly, or reimburse a covered member for, the costs for shipping expressed breast milk of the covered member to be used by the infant child of such member because the infant is separated from the member by reason of a qualifying circumstance.

(2)

The costs paid or reimbursed by the Secretary concerned with respect to a covered member for a single qualifying event may not exceed $1,000.

(3)

A covered member shall be eligible for a payment or reimbursement under paragraph (1) during the period in which the member is eligible for breastfeeding support pursuant to chapter 55 of title 10.

(4)

In this subsection:

(A)

The term covered member means a member of the armed forces serving on active duty or inactive duty training.

(B)

The term qualifying circumstance means, with respect to a covered member, any of the following:

(i)

The covered member is performing temporary duty pursuant to orders.

(ii)

The covered member is undergoing a permanent change of station, regardless of whether the tour of duty is an accompanied or unaccompanied tour of duty.

(iii)

The covered member is performing annual training duty.

(iv)

The covered member is performing inactive-duty training.

(b) Regulations

The Secretary of Defense shall—

(1)

prescribe regulations to carry out subsection (j) of section 453 of title 37, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section, in a manner that ensures parity with relevant existing programs of the Department of Defense; and

(2)

issue implementing guidance by not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.