CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 UPDATE THREE:
UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 081604Z MAR 22 MID200001561947U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 060/22 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/MAR// SUBJ/CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 UPDATE THREE// REF/A/MSG/OPNAV/091952ZJUL20// REF/B/MEMO/OSD/15MAR2021// REF/C/MEMO/OSD/12APR2021// REF/D/MEMO/OSD/05MAY2020// REF/E/MEMO/SECNAV/12JUN2020// REF/F/MEMO/SECNAV/21OCT2020// REF/G/MSG/OPNAV/241900ZMAY21// REF/H/MSG/OPNAV/042044ZMAY21// REF/I/MSG/OPNAV/051532ZAPR21// REF/J/DOC/NMCPHC/19MAR2021// REF/K/DOC/NMCPHC/14MAY2021// REF/L/DOC/DODI/14AUG2009// REF/M/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/08DEC2011// REF/N/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/24FEB2011// REF/O/DOC/COMNAVPERSCOM/02AUG2010// NARR/REF A IS NAVADMIN 195/20, CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROCESSES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 UPDATE TWO. REF B IS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MEMO ON UPDATE TO CONDITIONS-BASED APPROACH TO CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 ON PERSONNEL AND MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS. REF C IS UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PERSONNEL AND READINESS (USD(PR)) FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION GUIDANCE (FHPG) (SUPPLEMENT 20). REF D IS USD(PR) MEMO ON CASUALTY AND MORTUARY AFFAIRS TRAVEL GUIDANCE. REF E IS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY (SECNAV) MEMO ON DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSITION TO CONDITIONS-BASED APPROACH TO CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 PERSONNEL MOVEMENT AND TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. REF F IS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY (SECNAV) MEMO ON DELEGATION OF WAIVER APPROVAL AUTHORITY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019. REF G IS NAVADMIN 099/21, U.S. NAVY COVID-19 STANDING GUIDANCE. REF H IS NAVADMIN 088/21, SARS-COV-2 VACCINATION AND REPORTING POLICY UPDATE. REF I IS NAVADMIN 073/21, NAVY MITIGATION MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK UPDATE 7 (CONDITIONS-BASED APPROACH TO COVID-19 PERSONNEL MOVEMENT AND TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS). REF J IS NAVY AND MARINE CORPS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER DOCUMENT ASSESSING REAL COVID-19 RISK. REF K IS NAVY AND MARINE CORPS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER U.S. NAVY FORCE HEALTH PROTECTION WITH CONSIDERATIONS FOR VACCINE EFFICACY. REF L IS DODI 1300.18, PERSONNEL CASUALTY MATTERS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. REF M IS MILPERSMAN 1770-230, WOUNDED, ILL AND INJURED SAILORS: CASUALTY REPORTING, NOTIFICATION AND BEDSIDE TRAVEL. REF N IS MILPERSMAN 1770-270, FUNERAL TRAVEL. REF O IS MILPERSMAN 1770-271, MEMORIAL SERVICE TRAVEL. RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN supersedes reference (a), Secretary of Defense (SecDef) directed waiver requirements to mitigate the risk to the force due to the coronavirus disease 2019 in line with references (b) through (k) remain in effect. This NAVADMIN delegates most casualty and mortuary travel waiver approval authority to the O-6 or GS-15 level with the specific exceptions to include high risk travel outside of U.S. and territories, travel by unvaccinated personnel, and unit and next of kin travel to observe dignified transfers (DT) at Dover Air Force Base (AFB), DE. Exception requests must take into consideration all receiving and originating location restrictions as well as airline restrictions. Commands shall maintain a record of all travel waiver decisions and forward denials to Navy Casualty Affairs (PERS-00C) to file in the case record. 2. Bedside Travel. Invitational travel to the bedside of a casualty remains temporarily suspended unless a waiver is granted. Waivers may be approved by the first O-6 or GS-15 in the casualtys chain of command when all stages of travel are conducted within U.S. and territories. Waivers when any stage of travel is outside of U.S. and territories must be approved by Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel (DCNP). Travelers who self-fund travel will be reimbursed within the limits of the Joint Travel Regulations. 3. Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO) Notifications and Casualty Assistance Support. CACO notification and enduring assistance will be made in person between the hours of 0500-2359 unless an exception is approved by PERS-00C. Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Region Commanders (REGCOM) may direct phone notification or remote support when health or safety risks preclude safe in-person contact. 4. DT. Family travel to witness a DT at Dover AFB remains temporarily suspended unless a waiver is granted. Waivers must be approved by DCNP. Unit member participation is limited to the Commander and Senior Enlisted Advisor or substitutes designated by the casualtys command. When authorized by the Commander, Navy District Washington (NDW), the on-call flag officer will officiate the DT and the Navy carry team will support. When the on-call flag officer or NDW carry team are unable to support, the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) Commander or Deputy will officiate the DT and the AFMAO carry team will support. 5. Escorting Remains of Service Members and Civilian Employees. When remains are 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 aircraft and ground transportation within U.S. and territories may be approved by the first O-6 or GS-15 in the escorts chain of command. The proposed escort must be fully immunized. Exceptions for escorts with travel with any stage outside of U.S. and territories and for unimmunized escorts, must be approved by the DCNP. The applicable CNIC REGCOM will assign a departure escort to travel with the remains to the departure airport and a receiving escort to travel with the 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 employment of a local escort. 6. Funeral Travel. Funded family travel to funerals remains temporarily suspended until Department of Defense (DoD) travel restrictions are lifted unless a waiver is granted. Waivers for funded family funeral travel may be approved by the first O-6 or GS-15 in the decedents chain of command when all stages of travel are conducted within U.S. and territories. Waivers when any stage of travel is outside of U.S. and territories must be approved by DCNP. PERS-00C is the waiver authority for all past conflict cases. Eligible travelers who self-fund travel will be reimbursed within the limits of the Joint Travel Regulations. 7. Command Memorial Service Travel. Command memorial service travel remains temporarily suspended until DoD travel restrictions are lifted unless a waiver is granted. Non-DoD personnel attending command memorial services on a CNIC installation must have advance appropriate CNIC REGCOM approval. Waivers for command memorial travel may be approved by the first O-6 or GS-15 in the decedents chain of command when all stages of travel are conducted within U.S. and territories. Waivers when any stage of travel is outside of U.S. and territories must be approved by DCNP. Eligible travelers who self-fund travel will be reimbursed within the limits of the Joint Travel Regulations. 8. Waivers. Commands will use local approval procedures and submit approval documentation to PERS-00C at mill_navytravelcell@navy.mil. In all cases where waivers are granted, Sailors will strictly follow all Centers for Disease and Prevention restrictions and Navy guidance. 9. Taking care of our wounded, our Fallen and their families remains a sacred responsibility. Commanders are encouraged to request assistance in determining a prospective travelers eligibility for travel benefits before granting a waiver. Approval of bedside travel in particular should be carefully scrutinized since law specifically limits travel to those picked by the member themselves, typically listed on the members Record of Emergency Data and Dependency Application. All honors details should be uniform in appearance while performing honors, therefore, all in the honors detail must be either masked or unmasked. 10. Points of contact for PERS-00C are LCDR Jory Morr, at (901) 874-2183 or via e-mail jory.s.morr.mil@us.navy.mil or Mr. Demond Adams, at (901) 874- 4788 or via e-mail at demond.adams@navy.mil. The points of contact for CNIC Casualty and Funeral Honors (N00K) are Ms. Nyeika Hollien, Funeral Honors Program Manager, at (202) 433-6892 or via e-mail at nyeika.hollien@navy.mil and Mr. Michael Hill, Casualty Assistance Specialist, (202) 433-4927 or via e-mail at michael.hill1@navy.mil. 11. This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, whichever occurs first. 12. Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//