Title 38Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-73

§5504 Administration of trust funds

Title 38 › Part PART IV— - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Chapter CHAPTER 55— - MINORS, INCOMPETENTS, AND OTHER WARDS › § 5504

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Cash balances in patients' personal accounts and trust funds for incompetent beneficiaries that the Secretary manages, plus money meant for those funds, may be placed in deposit fund accounts at the United States Treasury and then used for authorized payments. If such balances stay with the Treasurer of the United States for more than one year and belong to people whose location is unknown, they must be transferred and handled under section 1322(a) of title 31.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §5504

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

All cash balances in the personal funds of patients and the funds due incompetent beneficiaries trust funds administered by the Secretary, and all moneys received which are properly for deposit into these funds, may be deposited, respectively, into deposit fund accounts with the United States Treasury and such balances and deposits shall thereupon be available for disbursement for properly authorized purposes. When any balances have been on deposit with the Treasurer of the United States for more than one year and represent moneys belonging to individuals whose whereabouts are unknown, they shall be transferred and disposed of as directed in section 1322(a) of title 31.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Pub. L. 102–40 renumbered section 3204 of this title as this section. Pub. L. 102–83 substituted “administered by the Secretary” for “administered by the Veterans’ Administration”. 1982—Pub. L. 97–258 substituted “section 1322(a) of title 31” for “the last proviso of subsection (a) of section 725s of title 31”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 5504

Title 38Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73