(a) Action on Reports of Survey.—Under regulations prescribed pursuant to subsection (c), any officer of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps or any civilian employee of the Department of Defense designated in accordance with those regulations may act upon reports of surveys and vouchers pertaining to the loss, spoilage, unserviceability, unsuitability, or destruction of, or damage to, property of the United States under the control of the Department of Defense.

(b) Finality of Action.—(1) Action taken under subsection (a) is final except as provided in paragraph (2).

(2) An action holding a person pecuniarily liable for loss, spoilage, destruction, or damage is not final until approved by a person designated to do so by the Secretary of a military department, commander of a combatant command, or Director of a Defense Agency, as the case may be, who has jurisdiction of the person held pecuniarily liable. The person designated to provide final approval shall be an officer of an armed force, or a civilian employee, under the jurisdiction of the official making the designation.

(c) Regulations.—The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title X, §1006(d), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2633, provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting this section, amending section 1007 of Title 37, Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services, and repealing sections 4835 and 9835 of this title] shall apply with respect to the loss, spoilage, unserviceability, unsuitability, or destruction of, or damage to, property of the United States under the control of the Department of Defense occurring on or after the effective date of regulations prescribed pursuant to section 2787 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)."


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