37 U.S.C. § 503 — Absence without leave or over leave

(a)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who is absent without leave, or stays away longer than their leave, forfeits all pay and allowances for the period of that absence, unless the absence is excused as unavoidable. (2)(A) For a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard when it's operating as a service in the Department of the Navy, the Secretary of Defense may decide to pay that pay and allowances anyway. (B) Only the Secretary personally may make that determination — it cannot be delegated. (C) Within 30 days of deciding to pay under subparagraph (A), the Secretary must report that determination to the Senate and House Committees on Armed Services. (b) A commissioned officer of the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service, or a Reserve Corps officer on active duty, who is absent without leave, likewise forfeits all pay and allowances for the period of that absence, unless the absence is excused as unavoidable.