Title 38 › Part PART II— - GENERAL BENEFITS › Chapter CHAPTER 11— - COMPENSATION FOR SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OR DEATH › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL › § 1102
A surviving spouse cannot get death compensation under this law unless they were married to the veteran in one of these ways: they married before 15 years had passed after the end of the service period when the injury or illness that led to the veteran’s death happened or got worse; or they were married to the veteran for at least one year; or they were married for any length of time if a child was born to them either during the marriage or before they married. The rule above does not apply if, because of the marriage date, the surviving spouse would have been eligible for death pay under any law the Secretary was applying on December 31, 1957.
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Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
38 U.S.C. § 1102
Title 38 — Veterans' Benefits
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73