Title 38 — Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-73

§3224 Death of participant

Title 38 › Part PART III— - READJUSTMENT AND RELATED BENEFITS › Chapter CHAPTER 32— - POST-VIETNAM ERA VETERANS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - ELIGIBILITY; CONTRIBUTIONS; AND MATCHING FUND › § 3224

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When a participant dies, any unused fund contributions must go to the first living person in this order: the beneficiary they named under their Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance policy, then the spouse, then the children in equal shares, then the parents in equal shares.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §3224

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In the event of a participant’s death, the amount of such participant’s unused contributions to the fund shall be paid to the living person or persons first listed below:

(1)The beneficiary or beneficiaries designated by such participant under such participant’s Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance policy.

(2)The surviving spouse of the participant.

(3)The surviving child or children of the participant, in equal shares.

(4)The surviving parent or parents of the participant, in equal shares.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Par. (1). Pub. L. 104–275 substituted “Servicemembers’ Group” for “Servicemen’s Group”. 1991—Pub. L. 102–83 renumbered section 1624 of this title as this section. 1980—Pub. L. 96–466 expanded provisions to require payment of a participant’s unused contributions to the fund to the surviving spouse, the surviving child or children, or to the surviving parent or parents before payment of such amount to the participant’s estate.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1980 Amendment Pub. L. 96–466, title VIII, § 802(d)(2), Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2218, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by sections 402 through 406 [amending this section and section 1622, 1631, and 1641 [now 3222, 3231, and 3241] of this title] shall become effective on October 1, 1980.”

Effective Date

Section effective Jan. 1, 1977, see section 406 of Pub. L. 94–502, set out as a note under section 3201 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 3224

Title 38 — Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73