1. (a) Authority.— The Secretary of a military department may provide support services described in subsection (b) to support a chaplain-led program to assist a covered individual in building and maintaining a strong family structure, or to support the resiliency, suicide prevention, or holistic wellness of such covered individual.
2. (b) Authorized Support Services.— The support services referred to in subsection (a) are costs of transportation, food, lodging, child care, supplies, fees, and training materials for a covered individual while participating in a program referred to in that subsection, including participation at a retreat or conference.

3. (c) Covered Individual Defined.— In this section, the term “covered individual” means—

   1. (1) a member of the armed forces on active duty;
   2. (2) a member of the reserve components in an active status; or
   3. (3) a dependent of an individual described in paragraph (1) or (2).

(Added Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 582(a)(1), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1489; amended Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title V, § 571(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2600; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVIII, § 1801(a)(17), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 684.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “paragraph (1) or (2)” for “subparagraph (A) or (B)”.

2022—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–263, § 571(a)(1), substituted “a chaplain-led program to assist a covered individual” for “chaplain-led programs to assist members of the armed forces on active duty and their immediate family members, and members of reserve components in an active status and their immediate family members,” and inserted “, or to support the resiliency, suicide prevention, or holistic wellness of such covered individual” after “structure”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–263, § 571(a)(2), substituted “a covered individual” for “members of the armed forces and their family members”, “a program” for “programs”, and “a retreat or conference” for “retreats and conferences”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–263, § 571(a)(3), added subsec. (c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which defined “immediate family members”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 582(b), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1490, provided that:

“

Section 1789 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on

October 1, 2003.”