(a) Replacement.—
In addition to other authorities available to the Secretary concerned to replace a military decoration, the Secretary concerned shall replace, on a one-time basis and without charge, a military decoration upon the request of the recipient of the military decoration or the immediate next of kin of a deceased recipient.
(b) Prompt Replacement Required.—When a request for the replacement of a military decoration is received under this section or section 7277, 7281, 8303, 9277, or 9281 of this title, the Secretary concerned shall ensure that—
(1)
all actions to be taken with respect to the request, including verification of the service record of the recipient of the military decoration, are completed within one year; and
(2)
the replacement military decoration is mailed to the person requesting the replacement military decoration within 90 days after verification of the service record.
(c) Military Decoration Defined.—
In this section, the term “decoration” means any decoration or award (other than the medal of honor) that may be presented or awarded by the President or the Secretary concerned to a member of the armed forces.
(Added Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title V, § 571(a), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4471; amended Pub. L. 113–66, div. A, title V, § 564, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 768; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 809(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1840.)