Source: U.S. Army Publishing Directorate (APD)
SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON
23 JUN 2026
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Army Directive 2026-15 (Line of Duty Investigations and Determinations in Death Cases)
1. References.
a. Department of Defense Instruction 1241.01 (Reserve Component (RC) Line of Duty Determination for Medical and Dental Treatments and Incapacitation Pay Entitlements), 19 April 2016
b. Army Regulation (AR) 15–6 (Procedures for Preliminary Inquiries, Administrative Investigations, and Boards of Officers), 22 June 2025
c. AR 600–8–4 (Line of Duty Policy, Procedures, and Investigations), 12 November 2020
2. Purpose.
This directive updates policy for line of duty (LOD) investigations and determinations, simplifying procedures to ensure timely and accurate processing while aligning current standards for medical benefits and death entitlements across all Army components.
3. Applicability.
This directive applies to the Regular Army, Army National Guard (ARNG)/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve (USAR).
4. Policy.
Effective immediately, LOD investigations will comply with the following provisions:
a. Death LOD Investigations.
(1) Commanders will prioritize investigative resources to ensure that all formal death LOD investigations are conducted and submitted with all available documentation to the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division (CMAOD) within 179 calendar days after the date of death. The requirement for completing an informal LOD investigation is no more than 60 days from the date of death.
(2) Unless mandated by another regulation or directive, completion of the death LOD investigations takes priority over AR 15–6 investigations. LOD investigations completed prior to completion of the AR 15–6 investigation will be submitted to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command (HRC) independently. The same investigating officer (IO) may conduct both investigations but must not delay completion of the LOD.
(3) The approval authority will make a recommended finding for formal and informal LOD investigations in the absence of reports (including toxicology and police reports or death certificate) and consider the facts present at the time. In all cases, the command must include the Department of the Army Form 2173 (Statement of Medical Examination and Duty Status).
(4) HRC is exclusively authorized to make a presumptive in line of duty (PILD) determination without a death certificate when the cause of death is determined to be natural, attributable solely or predominantly to disease and/or the aging process.
b. Exceptions to Formal LOD.
Formal LOD investigations are no longer required for the following situations:
(1) attempted suicide not resulting in death
(2) medical conditions that existed prior to service (EPTS) that have been further aggravated due to service
5. Proponent.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) has oversight responsibility for this policy. The Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 will incorporate its provisions into AR 600–8–4 within 2 years of the date of this directive.
6. Duration.
This directive is rescinded on publication of the revised regulation.
Dan Driscoll
DISTRIBUTION:
Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army
Commander
- U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command
- U.S. Army Forces Command
- U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command
- U.S. Army Materiel Command
- U.S. Army Pacific
- U.S. Army Europe and Africa
- U.S. Army Central
- U.S. Army North
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command
- U.S. Army Transportation Command
- U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command
- U.S. Army Cyber Command
- U.S. Army Medical Command
- U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Audit Agency
- U.S. Army Military District of Washington
- U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command
- U.S. Army Human Resources Command
- U.S. Army Corrections Command
- U.S. Army Reserve Command
Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy
Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division
Director, U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency
Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency
Director, U.S. Army Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office
Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery
Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center
CF:
Commander, Eighth Army