22 U.S.C. § 2708a — Award of Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service

The President, upon the recommendation of the Secretary, may award a Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service to any member of the Foreign Service or any other civilian employee of the Government of the United States who, while employed at, or assigned permanently or temporarily to, an official mission overseas or while traveling abroad on official business, incurred a wound or other injury or an illness (whether or not the wound, other injury, or illness resulted in death)—

The Secretary shall prescribe the procedures for identifying and considering persons eligible for award of a Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service and for selecting the persons to be recommended for the award.

If a person selected for award of a Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service dies before being presented the award, the award may be made and the star presented to the person’s family or to the person’s representative, as designated by the President.

The Secretary shall prescribe the design of the Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service. The award may not include a stipend or any other cash payment.

Any expenses incurred in awarding a person a Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service may be paid out of appropriations available at the time of the award for personnel of the department or agency of the United States Government in which the person was employed when the person incurred the wound, injury, or illness upon which the award is based.