37 U.S.C. § 453 — Allowable travel and transportation: specific authorities
submitted 15 years ago by Pub. L. 112-81 to r/title-37-PAY-AND-ALLOWANCES-OF-THE-UNIFORMED-SERVICES · 1,293 words · no verdicts yet
This law gives the military more specific travel and moving benefits on top of the general ones. It covers moving household goods (up to 18,000 pounds), retirement and discharge travel, spouse relicensing costs after a move (up to $1,000), and pet-moving costs (up to $4,000 for overseas moves).
(a) In general: On top of any other travel authority, the administering Secretaries* may provide travel and transportation allowances* under this section.
(b) Authorized absence from temporary duty location: A traveler may be paid allowances, or reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses*, for authorized travel away from a temporary duty location.
(c) Movement of personal property: A member* may get moving expenses and transportation allowances — including for a self-arranged move — to move personal property and household goods, including their temporary or long-term storage and the shipping of privately owned vehicles, in connection with a temporary or permanent move. For household goods, the administering Secretaries set weight limits by regulation, capped at 18,000 pounds (including goods in temporary storage, but not counting packing and crating) — except the administering Secretary* may allow more on a case-by-case basis. No carrier, agent, warehouse operator, or freight forwarder handling this property may place a lien on it, or hold, impound, or otherwise interfere with moving it.
(d) Unusual or emergency circumstances: A traveler may get allowances for unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency situations, including an evacuation from a permanent duty station.
(e) Particular separation provisions: The Secretary may provide in-kind travel and transportation for: a member retired, or placed on the temporary disability retired list; a member retired with pay* under another law, or discharged or released with separation or readjustment pay after at least 8 years of continuous active duty* (with no single break longer than 90 days); and a member discharged under section 1173 of Title 10.
(f) Attendance at memorial ceremonies and services: A family member or service member attending a deceased member's repatriation, burial, or memorial service may get travel allowances*, as regulations allow.
(g) Reimbursement of qualifying spouse relicensing and business costs: The Secretary concerned* may reimburse a member for a spouse's costs to get relicensed, or to move a business, when the member relocates because of an assignment, reassignment, transfer to the Ready Reserve, or placement on the temporary disability retired list — as long as the dependents' move is also authorized at government expense. Relicensing reimbursement is capped at $1,000 per relocation, and business-cost reimbursement is capped at $1,000 per relocation. No reimbursement is available for costs paid after December 31, 2029. "Qualified relicensing costs" are the exam, license, permit, and continuing-education fees a spouse who was already licensed, certified, or running a business needs to pay to work in the new location. "Qualified business costs" are moving-related costs — like moving equipment, buying new equipment, IT costs, and inspection fees — to move the spouse's business to the new location.
(h) Reimbursement for transportation of pets: The Secretary concerned may reimburse a member for pet-relocation costs tied to a permanent change of station. The cap is $550 per move within the continental United States*, and $4,000 per move to or from a duty station outside the continental United States.
(i) Attendance at professional military education or training classes: The Secretary of a military department may put a member in temporary duty status, with travel and transportation allowances, when the member is reassigned within the United States for up to one year to attend military education or training, with orders to return afterward to the station where their primary residence and dependents are. If the Secretary instead assigns the member permanent duty status for the school, the member is still eligible for travel and mileage payments, per diem for travel and lodging, a housing-allowance-based per diem, and payment for moving household goods, under applicable regulations.
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.
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.
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.
The authority in paragraph (1) includes the movement and temporary and non-temporary storage of personal property, household goods, and privately owned vehicles in connection with the temporary or permanent move between authorized locations.
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.
The administering Secretary may prescribe the terms, rates, and conditions that authorize a member of the uniformed services* to ship or store privately owned vehicles.
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.
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*.
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:
A member who is retired, or is placed on the temporary disability retired list, under chapter 61 of title 10.
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.
A member who is discharged under section 1173 of title 10.
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.
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 and qualified business costs of the spouse of the member when—
the member relocates to a new jurisdiction or geographic area as the result of—
an assignment to a duty station;
a reassignment, either as a result of a permanent change of station or permanent change of assignment, between duty stations;
a transfer from a regular component of a uniformed service into the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of a uniformed service, if the member is authorized a final move from the last duty station to the new jurisdiction or geographic area; or
placement on the temporary disability retired list under chapter 61 of title 10; and
the movement of the member’s dependents is authorized at the expense of the United States under this section as part of the relocation.
Reimbursement provided to a member under this subsection for qualified relicensing costs may not exceed $1,000 in connection with each relocation described in paragraph (1).
Reimbursement provided to a member under this subsection for qualified business costs may not exceed $1,000 in connection with each relocation described in paragraph (1).
No reimbursement may be provided under this subsection for qualified relicensing costs or qualified business costs paid or incurred after December 31, 2029.
In this subsection, the term “qualified relicensing costs” means costs, including exam, continuing education courses, business license, permit, and registration fees, incurred by the spouse of a member if—
the spouse was licensed or certified in a profession, or owned a business, during the member’s previous duty assignment and requires a new professional license or certification, or business license or permit, to engage in that profession in a new jurisdiction because of the member’s relocation described in paragraph (1); and
the costs were incurred or paid to secure or maintain the professional license or certification, or business license or permit, from the new jurisdiction in connection with such relocation.
In this subsection, the term “qualified business costs” means costs, including moving services for equipment, equipment removal, new equipment purchases, information technology expenses, and inspection fees, incurred by the spouse of a member if—
the spouse owned a business during the member’s previous duty assignment and the costs result from a the 1 member’s relocation described in paragraph (1); and
the costs were incurred or paid to move such business to a new location in connection with such relocation.
The Secretary concerned may reimburse a member for any cost related to the relocation of a pet that arises from a permanent change of station of such member within the continental United States*. Such reimbursement may not exceed $550 for each such permanent change of station.
The Secretary concerned may reimburse a member for any cost related to the relocation of a pet that arises from a permanent change of station of such member to or from a duty station located outside the continental United States. Such reimbursement may not exceed $4,000 for each such permanent change of station.
The Secretary of the military department concerned may authorize temporary duty status, and travel and transportation allowances payable to a member in such status, for a member under the jurisdiction of such Secretary who is reassigned—
between duty stations located within the United States;
for a period of not more than one year;
for the purpose of participating in professional military education or training classes,
with orders to return to the duty station where the member maintains primary residence and the dependents of such member reside.
If the Secretary of the military department concerned assigns permanent duty status to a member described in paragraph (1), such member shall be eligible for travel and transportation allowances including the following:
Transportation, including mileage at the same rate paid for a permanent change of station.
Per diem while traveling between the permanent duty station and professional military education institution or training site.
Per diem paid in the same manner and amount as temporary lodging expenses.
Per diem equal to the amount of the basic allowance for housing under section 403 of this title paid to a member—
in the grade* of such member;
without dependents;
who resides in the military housing area in which the professional military education institution or training site is located.
Movement of household goods in an amount determined under applicable regulations.
Source credit: (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; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VI, §§ 622(a), 623–625, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2625–2627; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title VI, § 635, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 298; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VI, § 624, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1934.)
- 2011Enacted · Pub. L. 112-81 · 125 Stat. 1457
- 2013Amended · Pub. L. 113-66 · 127 Stat. 783, 784
- 2016Amended · Pub. L. 114-328 · 130 Stat. 2116
- 2021Amended · Pub. L. 116-283 · 134 Stat. 3676
- 2022Amended · Pub. L. 117-263 · 136 Stat. 2625
- 2023Amended · Pub. L. 118-31 · 137 Stat. 298
- 2024Amended · Pub. L. 118-159 · 138 Stat. 1934
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 112-81 on 2011-12-31.
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