Federal · Title 37 — Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services

37 U.S.C. § 557: Settlement of accounts

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute establishes procedures for settling military accounts, death determinations, and payment corrections. Disbursing officers and authorizing personnel receive liability protection for erroneous payments unless fraud or criminality is involved.

Read the full statutory text

a member of a uniformed service for whose account payments have been made under sections 552, 553, and 555 of this title; and a survivor of a casualty to a ship, station, or military installation which results in the loss or destruction of disbursing records. Payment or settlement of an account made pursuant to a report, determination, or finding of death may not be recovered or reopened because of a later report or determination which fixes a date of death. However, an account shall be reopened and settled on the basis of a date of death so fixed which is later than that used as a basis for earlier settlements. In the settlement of his accounts, a disbursing officer is entitled, if there is no fraud or criminality by him, to credit for an erroneous payment or overpayment he made in carrying out this chapter, except section 558 of this title . Unless there is fraud or criminality by him, recovery may not be made from a civilian officer or employee or a member of a uniformed service who authorizes a payment under this chapter, except section 558 of this title .

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