10 USC § 1479 - Death gratuity: delegation of determinations, payments

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s1479"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 1479 - Death gratuity: delegation of determinations, payments"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "1479"
section_name: "Death gratuity: delegation of determinations, payments"
chapter_number: 75
chapter_name: "DECEASED PERSONNEL"
subchapter_number: "II"
subchapter_name: "DEATH BENEFITS"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PERSONNEL"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 85–861, § 1(32)(A), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1455; amended Pub. L. 97–258, § 2(b)(1)(A), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1052.)"
---


# § 1479. Death gratuity: delegation of determinations, payments

For the purpose of making immediate payments under section 1475 of this title, the Secretary concerned shall—

**(1)** authorize the commanding officer of a territorial command, installation, or district in which a survivor of a person covered by that section is residing to determine the beneficiary eligible for the death gratuity; and

**(2)** authorize a disbursing or certifying official of each of those commands, installations, or districts to make the payments to the beneficiary, or certify the payments due them, as the case may be.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 85–861, § 1(32)(A), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1455; amended Pub. L. 97–258, § 2(b)(1)(A), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1052.)

| Revised section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1479 | 38:1132. | Aug. 1, 1956, ch. 837, § 302, 70 Stat. 868. |

The word “territorial” is substituted for the words “military or naval”, since the subsection could only apply to that type of command, installation, or district. Clause (2) is substituted for 38:1132(2).

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1982—Par. (2).  substituted “official” for “officer”.