37 USC 1006 – Advance payments
(a) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, a member of a uniformed service may be paid in advance—
(1) not more than three months’ pay of such member upon such member’s change of permanent station; or
(2) the amount of an allotment made from such member’s pay to a dependent if such member is assigned or scheduled for assignment to sea duty or other duty with a unit or command deployed or to be deployed outside the United States and the allotment is made by such member not more than sixty days before the scheduled date of the assignment of such member to such duty.
Terms Used In 37 USC 1006
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
(b) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, a member of a uniformed service who is on duty at a distant station where the pay and emoluments to which he is entitled cannot be disbursed regularly, may be paid in advance.
(c) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, an advance of pay to a member of a uniformed service who is on duty outside the United States, or other place designated by the Secretary of Defense, of not more than two months’ basic pay may be made to a member if the member or the dependents of the member are ordered evacuated by competent authority. An advance of pay under this subsection is not subject to the conditions under which advances of pay may be made under subsection (a) or (b). An advance may be made on the basis of the evacuation of a member’s dependents only if all dependents of members of the uniformed services are ordered evacuated from the place where the member’s dependents are located. In the case of a member with dependents, the payment may be made directly to dependents previously designated by the member. The Secretary concerned or his designee may waive any right of recovery of not more than one month’s basic pay advanced under this subsection if he finds that recovery of the advance would be against equity and good conscience or against the public interest.
(d) If a person to whom an advance of pay is made under subsection (a), (b), or (c) dies or is separated from his uniformed service, before liquidation of that advance, the amount remaining unliquidated at the time of his death or separation shall be credited to the account of the disbursing officer concerned. However, the unliquidated amount remains a debt of that person or his estate to the United States.
(e)(1) As far as practicable, regulations for the administration of subsections (a)-(d) shall be uniform for all of the uniformed services.
(2)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an obligation for an advance of pay made pursuant to this section shall be recorded as an obligation only in the fiscal year in which the entitlement of the member to the pay accrues.
(B) Current appropriations available for advance payments under this section may be transferred to the prior fiscal year appropriation available for the same purpose in the amount of any unliquidated advance payments that remain at the end of such prior fiscal year. Such unliquidated advance payments shall then be credited to the current appropriation.
(f) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, an advance of pay of not more than three months’ pay may be made to an officer of the Coast Guard who is ordered to sea duty or to or from shore duty beyond the seas. In addition, the Commandant of the Coast Guard may direct such advances as he considers necessary and proper to members of the Coast Guard stationed at distant stations where the pay and emoluments to which they are entitled cannot be paid regularly.
(g) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, the dislocation allowance authorized by section 452(c)(2) of this title for a member of a uniformed service whose dependents are covered by section 452(b)(11) of this title may be paid in advance of the evacuation of the dependents and to the dependents designated by the member.
(h) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 of title 31, the Secretary concerned may, when the last day of the pay period falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, authorize the payment of pay and allowances to members of uniformed service under his jurisdiction on the preceding workday but not more than three days before the last day of that pay period. If a member dies after he has received an advance payment under this subsection, but before the last day of the pay period for which the payment is made, no part of the amount so advance is recoverable by the United States.
(i) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, not more than one month’s pay may be paid in advance to a member of the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship program upon reporting for a period of active duty required by section 2121(c) of title 10.
(j) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, not more than one month’s pay may be paid in advance to a member of the Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who is ordered to field training or a practice required under section 2109 of title 10.