UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 221906Z MAY 20 MID110000729097U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 151/20 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/MAY// SUBJ/CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID- 19 UPDATE (CORRECTED COPY)// REF/A/MEMO/OSD/20APR2020// REF/B/ALNAV/SECNAV/231933ZMAR20// REF/C/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/212136ZAPR20 // REF/D/MEMO/OSD/27APR2020// REF/E/MEMO/OSD/05MAY2020// REF/F/MEMO/SECNAV/22MAY2020// REF/G/NAVADMIN/OPNAV/072132ZAPR20// NARR/REF A IS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MEMORANDUM FOR TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR DOD COMPONENTS IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS DISEASE. REF B IS ALNAV 029/20 STATE AND LOCAL SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERS ON DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY OPERATIONS. REF C IS NAVADMIN 116/20 NAVY MITIGATION MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK UPDATE 4. REF D IS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MEMORANDUM DELEGATING FUNERAL HONORS WAIVER AUTHORITY TO THE SERVICE SECRETARIES. REF E IS UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND READINESS MEMORANDUM FOR CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS TRAVEL GUIDANCE. REF F IS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MEMORANDUM FOR WAIVER OF REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE MILITARY FUNERAL HONORS DURING THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY CONCERNING THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS DISEASE OUTBREAK. REF G IS NAVADMIN 102/20 CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19.// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN supersedes reference (g) and provides an update to interim casualty and mortuary affairs program changes necessary to mitigate risk to the force due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) national emergency in accordance with references (a) through (f). 2. Bedside Travel. Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel (DCNP) approval is required to make bedside travel arrangements for all combat zone evacuations and Very Seriously Injured and Seriously Injured (VSI/SI) cases deemed warranted by a Department of Defense (DoD) physician and where the servicing hospital can support the visit. Eligible travelers who self-fund travel will be reimbursed within the authorized limits of the Joint Travel Regulations. 3. Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO) Notifications and Casualty Assistance Support. In-person CACO notification is authorized for Next of Kin (NOK), unless the applicable Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Region Commander (REGCOM) directs phone notification due to the health and safety risk in the affected location. CNIC REGCOM approval is required for any in-person enduring CACO casualty assistance support of NOK beneficiaries. Casualty benefit processing will be prioritized with the most critical benefits processed first (e.g., Death Gratuity (DG), 365 days of housing allowance (BAH 365), Service Member Group Life Insurance (SGLI)) for eligible beneficiaries. In areas where in- person CACO notification or continuing contact has not been authorized by the applicable CNIC REGCOM, the use of alternative beneficiary contact methods (e.g., phone, e-mail, express mail) will be pursued to enable timely benefits processing. 4. Dignified Transfer (DT). Family travel to witness a DT at Dover Air Base remains temporarily suspended until DoD travel restrictions are lifted. The exception approval authority for family travel is DCNP and exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To preserve the DoD medical examiner system and mortuary operations, attendance at DTs by Service Members and other participants, including those persons who would serve to escort the remains, must comply with reference (a). To minimize risk of exposure, unit member participation is highly discouraged. Additionally, the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) Commander or Deputy, or on-call general/flag officer will officiate the DT, and the carry team will be provided by AFMAO. 5. Escorting Remains of Service Members and Civilian Employees. When remains are being transported by military air or military- contract air, aircraft commanders will serve as the sole official escort. Exceptions to allow others to act as an escort of remains to include transport by commercial airline may be approved by DCNP. Exception requests must take into consideration all receiving and originating location restrictions as well as airline restrictions. Applicable CNIC regional casualty offices in coordination with Navy Casualty Affairs (PERS-00C) will continue to assign a departure escort to travel with remains to the departure airport and a receiving escort to travel with remains from the arrival airport to the receiving funeral home or place of final disposition, unless the CNIC REGCOM assesses that the health and safety risk in the affected location(s) precludes the ability of an escort to support the mission. CNIC will normally use an assigned CACO to perform escort duties in order to limit the number of people to whom the Primary NOK may be exposed. CNIC REGCOM approval is required for assignment of escorts other than the CACO, or for any escort mission requiring ground travel outside of the local area of the escort. 6. Funeral Honors. In accordance with references (d) and (f), commanders at all levels are expected to respond expeditiously and sensitively to requests for military funeral support. Consistent with local conditions and mission requirements, CNIC REGCOMs, installation commanding officers, and servicing commands will work with families and local funeral directors to provide basic military funeral honors as well as any additional elements of military funeral honors as able (bugler for Taps, pall bearers, etc.). Military funeral honors for Service Members and veterans shall be rendered consistent with current local jurisdiction requirements (number of people allowed to gather, social distancing, face coverings, etc.), and consist of a minimum of a one-person detail (of the Service of the decedent) to perform funeral honors. This includes at a minimum formally presenting a folded flag to the primary NOK at the funeral and playing a recording of Taps. The Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD) will be encouraged to consider delaying funeral honors until the current local conditions created by the COVID-19 outbreak have subsided. If a family does not wish to delay a funeral and the applicable installation commander, with CNIC REGCOM endorsement, determines that rendering honors presents an unacceptable risk to a Service Member, the installation commander may defer military funeral honors. All deferred military funeral honors shall be considered a missed funeral and are subject to the rescheduling and reporting requirements of reference (f). 7. Funeral Travel. Funded family travel to funerals remains temporarily suspended until DoD travel restrictions are lifted. The exception authority for family travel is DCNP and exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. With the delay of funeral travel, expenses for the sheltering of remains will continue to be covered as a primary expense and will not count against reimbursable allowances. Eligible travelers who self-fund travel will be reimbursed within the authorized limits of the Joint Travel Regulations. 8. Present and past conflict/command memorial service travel. Present and past conflict/command memorial service travel restrictions remain temporarily suspended until DoD travel restriction are lifted. The exception approval authority for family travel is DCNP and exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 9. Waiver requests for non-time critical actions should be endorsed by the first flag officer or Senior Executive Service (SES) in the chain of command and routed to PERS-00C who will coordinate the approval process with the proper decision-making authority. The determination regarding CACO Primary NOK notification is time- critical and should be made by the appropriate CNIC REGCOM. In all cases where exceptions are granted, Sailors will strictly follow all Center for Disease Control (CDC) restrictions and Navy guidance to include avoiding large gatherings, maintaining social distance, and wearing personnel protective equipment. 10. Taking care of our wounded, our fallen and their families remains a sacred responsibility and we will restore the normal levels of support as soon as the conditions allow. 11. This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, whichever occurs first. 12. The points of contact for Navy Casualty Affairs are CDR Jason Eaton, PERS-00C, 901-874-6854/jason.c.eaton(at)navy.mil or Mr. Al Gorski, PERS-00C, 901-874-4559/alan.gorski(at)navy.mil. The points of contact for CNIC Casualty and Funeral Honors (N00K) are Ms. Nyeika Hollien, Funeral Honors Program Manager, 202-433-6892/nyeika.hollien(at)navy.mil and Mr. Michael Hill, Casualty Assistance Coordinator, 202-433-4927 / michael.hill1(at)navy.mil. 13. Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//