22 USC 3973 – Death gratuities
(a) Criteria; amount; payment deemed gift
The Secretary may provide for payment of a gratuity to the surviving dependents of any Foreign Service employee, who dies as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of duty abroad, in an amount equal to one year’s salary at level II of the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5 at the time of death, except that for employees compensated under local compensation plans established under section 3968 of this title the amount shall be equal to the greater of either one year’s salary at the time of death, or one year’s basic salary at the highest step of the highest grade on the local compensation plan from which the employee was being paid at the time of death. Any death gratuity payment made under this section shall be held to have been a gift and shall be in addition to any other benefit payable from any source.
(b) Other executive agencies
Terms Used In 22 USC 3973
- abroad: means all areas not included within the United States. See 22 USC 3902
- agency: means an agency as defined in section 552(e) 1 of title 5. See 22 USC 3902
- chief of mission: means the principal officer in charge of a diplomatic mission of the United States or of a United States office abroad which is designated by the Secretary of State as diplomatic in nature, including any individual assigned under section 3982(c) of this title to be temporarily in charge of such a mission or office. See 22 USC 3902
- Foreign Service: means the Foreign Service of the United States. See 22 USC 3902
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- Secretary: means the Secretary of State, except that (subject to section 3921 of this title) with reference to the exercise of functions under this Act with respect to any agency authorized by law to utilize the Foreign Service personnel system, such term means the head of that agency. See 22 USC 3902
- United States: when used in a geographic sense, means the several States and the District of Columbia. See 22 USC 3902
The head of an executive agency shall, pursuant to guidance issued under subsection (c), make a death gratuity payment authorized by this section to the survivors of any employee of that agency or of an individual in a special category serving in an uncompensated capacity for that agency, as identified in guidance issued under subsection (c), who dies as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of duty abroad while subject to the authority of the chief of mission pursuant to section 3927 of this title.
(c) Guidance
Not later than 60 days after January 17, 2014, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the heads of other relevant executive agencies, issue guidance with criteria for determining eligibility for, and order of payments to, survivors and beneficiaries of any employee or of an individual in a special category serving in an uncompensated capacity for that agency who dies as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of duty while subject to the authority of the chief of mission pursuant to section 3927 of this title.
(d) Eligibility to elect monthly compensation as condition to payment
A death gratuity payment shall be made under this section only if the survivor entitled to payment under subsection (c) is entitled to elect monthly compensation under section 8133 of title 5, because the death resulted from an injury (excluding a disease proximately caused by the employment) sustained in the performance of duty, without regard to whether such survivor elects to waive compensation under such section 8133.
(e) Definitions
As used in this section—
(1) the term “Foreign Service employee” means any member of the Service or United States representative to an international organization or commission; and
(2) each of the terms “widow”, “widower”, “child”, and “parent” shall have the same meaning given each such term by section 8101 of title 5.