Pennsylvania § 15513 - Memorial benefit.

§ 15513. Memorial benefit.

(a) Memorial.--The county commissioners shall provide, either directly or through reimbursement, a memorial designated in subsection (b) on the graves of deceased servicepersons who, at the time of death, had legal residence in the county as well as on the graves of all other deceased servicepersons who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Merchant Marine during World War II or an organization officially connected to those forces and whose separation from service was honorable, whether by discharge or otherwise.

(b) Specifications.--The county commissioners shall provide a concrete or granite base for a headstone provided by the Federal Government or, if lettering only on an existing memorial is desired by the family, the county commissioners shall provide the lettering.

(c) Commissioner requirements.--In the event the body of a deceased serviceperson either cannot or will not be returned to the United States, the county commissioners shall provide a memorial benefit in the family plot of the deceased serviceperson. If lettering of an existing memorial is desired by the family, the inscription shall include:

(1) the name, rank and organization of the deceased serviceperson;

(2) the name of the country, location or manner in which the person lost his or her life; and

(3) the cemetery or other interment site where the deceased serviceperson is interred, if any.

(d) Expense for benefit.--The expense for a benefit provided under this section shall be paid by the county in which the deceased serviceperson had legal residence at the time of death, regardless of if the individual died or is interred in the county. The expense may not exceed the actual cost of providing the concrete or granite base or lettering. The county commissioners shall pay from the treasury to the party furnishing the benefit.

(e) Legal disputes.--In cases of dispute concerning the legal residence of a deceased serviceperson, the county in which a deceased serviceperson is interred shall perform the duties required under this section. Payment may not be made unless the application is approved by the county commissioners before the commencement of the project.

(f) Offense.--An individual who intentionally or recklessly destroys, mutilates, removes or defaces a grave marker, headstone or flagholder commits an offense under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3903 (relating to grading of theft offenses).

Cross References. Section 15513 is referred to in sections 15516, 15522 of this title.