Congress recently passed and sent to the President to be signed into law, the "Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011" (H.R. 2061), which authorizes the heads of federal agencies to present a United States flag on behalf of federal civilian employees who die of injuries in connection with their employment.

You can find the full text of the bill, which describes the circumstances under which a flag may be presented here.

All NFDA members who handle funerals for deceased federal employees should be aware of this new benefit. NFDA will share additional details about how to request a flag when they become available from the Federal Office of Personnel Management.

Update: President Barack Obama signed this bill into law on December 22, 2011.