37 USC 490 - Travel and Transportation: Dependent Children of Members Stationed Overseas

(a) Availability of Allowance.—(1) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, a member of a uniformed service may be paid the allowance set forth in subsection (b) if the member—

(A) is assigned to a permanent duty station outside the continental United States;

(B) is accompanied by the member's dependents at or near that duty station (unless the member's only dependents are in the category of dependent described in paragraph (2)); and

(2) An eligible dependent child of a member referred to in paragraph (1)(C) is a child who—

(A) is under 23 years of age and unmarried;

(B) is enrolled in a school in the continental United States for the purpose of obtaining a formal education; and

(C) is attending that school or is participating in a foreign study program approved by that school and, pursuant to that foreign study program, is attending a school outside the United States for a period of not more than one year.

(b) Allowance Authorized.—(1) A member described in subsection (a) may be paid a transportation allowance for each eligible dependent child of the member of one annual trip between the school being attended by that child and the member's duty station outside the continental United States and return. The allowance authorized by this section may be transportation in kind or reimbursement therefor, as prescribed by the Secretaries concerned. However, the transportation authorized by this section may not be paid a member for a child attending a school in the continental United States for the purpose of obtaining a secondary education if the child is eligible to attend a secondary school for dependents that is located at or in the vicinity of the duty station of the member and is operated under the Defense Dependents' Education Act of 1978 (20 U.S.C. 921 et seq.).

(2) The allowance authorized under paragraph (1) for the travel of an eligible dependent may include reimbursement for costs incurred by or on behalf of the dependent for lodging of the dependent that is necessitated by an interruption in the travel caused by extraordinary circumstances prescribed in the regulations under subsection (a). The amount of the reimbursement shall be determined using the rate applicable to such circumstances.

(3) At the option of the member, in lieu of the transportation of baggage of a dependent child under paragraph (1) from the dependent's school in the continental United States, the Secretary concerned may pay or reimburse the member for costs incurred to store the baggage at or in the vicinity of the school during the dependent's annual trip between the school and the member's duty station or during a different period in the same fiscal year selected by the member. The amount of the payment or reimbursement may not exceed the cost that the Government would incur to transport the baggage.

(4) The transportation allowance paid under paragraph (1) for an annual trip of an eligible dependent child who is attending a school outside the United States may not exceed the transportation allowance that would be paid under this section for the annual trip of that child between the child's school in the continental United States and the member's duty station outside the continental United States and return.

(c) Use of Airlift and Sealift Command.—Whenever possible, the Air Mobility Command or Military Sealift Command shall be used, on a space-required basis, for the travel authorized by this section.

(d) Attendance at School in Alaska or Hawaii.—For a member assigned to duty outside the continental United States, transportation under this section may be provided a dependent child as described in subsection (a)(2) who is attending a school in Alaska or Hawaii.

(e) Exception.—The transportation allowance authorized by this section (whether transportation in kind or reimbursement) may not be paid in the case of a member assigned to a permanent duty station in Alaska or Hawaii for a child attending a school in the State of the permanent duty station.

(f) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "formal education" means the following:

(A) A secondary education.

(B) An undergraduate college education.

(D) Vocational education pursued on a full-time basis at a postsecondary vocational institution.

(2) The term "institution of higher education" has the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

(3) The term "postsecondary vocational institution" has the meaning given that term in section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)).

(g) Termination.—No transportation, allowance, reimbursement, or per diem may be provided under this section for travel that begins after the travel authorities transition expiration date.

(Added Pub. L. 98–94, title IX, §910(a)(1), Sept. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 638, §430; amended Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VI, §625(a), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1448; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title XIV, §1484(e)(1), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1717; Pub. L. 102–25, title VII, §702(b)(1), (2), (c), Apr. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 117; Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title VI, §634, Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2044; Pub. L. 106–398, §1 [[div. A], title VI, §646], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–162; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title VI, §639(a)–(c), title IX, §931(c), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1148, 1200; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title VI, §654(b)(6), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2582; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title VI, §633, Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1509; Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title VI, §633, Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1957; renumbered §490 and amended Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title VI, §631(d)(2), (e)(29), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1460, 1464.)

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Last modified: October 26, 2015