For purposes of this part, the following definitions apply:

(a) Covered employee. (1) A current or former employee of the Department who, on or after January 1, 2016, became injured by reason of a qualifying injury while they were employed by the Department.

(2) The following are considered covered employees for the purposes of this rule: Department of Justice employees as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2105, including employees on Limited Non-Career Appointments, employees on Temporary Appointments, personnel hired on Personal Services Contracts, and students providing volunteer services under 5 U.S.C. 3111.

(3) The following are not considered employees of the Department for purposes of this rule: employees or retired employees who were employed by other agencies at the time of the injury.

(b) Covered dependent. A family member, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, of a current or former employee of the Department who, on or after January 1, 2016, became injured by reason of a qualifying injury while their relative was an employee of the Department in a position listed in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(c) Family member. For purposes of determining who is a “covered dependent,” a family member is defined as follows:

(1) Children who at the time of the injury are unmarried and under 21 years of age or, regardless of age, are unmarried and due to mental or physical limitations are incapable of self-support. The term “children” includes natural offspring; stepchildren; adopted children; those under permanent legal guardianship, or comparable permanent custody arrangement, of the employee, spouse, or domestic partner as defined in 5 CFR 875.101 when dependent upon and normally residing with the guardian or custodial party; and U.S. citizen children placed for adoption if a U.S. court grants temporary guardianship of the child to the employee and specifically authorizes the child to reside with the employee in the country of assignment before the adoption is finalized;

(2) Parents (including stepparents and legally adoptive parents) of the employee or of the spouse or of the domestic partner as defined in 5 CFR 875.101, when normally residing with the employee at the time of the injury;

(3) Sisters and brothers (including stepsisters or stepbrothers, or adoptive sisters or brothers) of the employee or the spouse when at the time of the injury such sisters and brothers are at least 51 percent dependent on the employee or spouse for support, unmarried and under 21 years of age, or, regardless of age, are physically or mentally incapable of self-support; and

(4) Spouse or domestic partner at the time of the injury.

(d) Qualifying injury to the brain. (1) An injury to the brain that occurred in connection with war, insurgency, hostile act, terrorist activity, or other incidents designated under 22 U.S.C. 2680b, and that was not the result of the willful misconduct of the covered employee or covered dependent.

(2) The individual must have:

(i) An acute injury to the brain such as a concussion, a penetrating injury, or an injury as the consequence of an event that leads to permanent alterations in brain function where such alterations are demonstrated by confirming correlative findings on imaging studies (including computed tomography scan (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI)), or electroencephalogram (EEG);

(ii) A medical diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury that required active medical treatment for 12 months or more; or

(iii) Acute onset of new, persistent, disabling neurologic symptoms, as demonstrated by confirming correlative findings on imaging studies (including CT or MRI), EEG, physical exam, or other appropriate testing, that required active medical treatment for 12 months or more.

(e) Other incident. A new onset of physical manifestations that cannot otherwise be readily explained and that is designated under 22 U.S.C. 2680b.