Title 38, Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-102

§1543 Net Worth Limitation

Title 38 › PART II — GENERAL BENEFITS › CHAPTER 15 — PENSION FOR NON-SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY OR DEATH OR FOR SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER III — PENSIONS TO SURVIVING SPOUSES AND CHILDREN › § 1543

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must stop paying a surviving spouse’s pension when the spouse’s savings and assets are large enough that, after looking at the spouse’s income and any child’s income, it is reasonable to use some of those assets for the spouse’s support. The Secretary must also stop an increased pension paid because of a child when that child’s assets are enough; while payments are stopped, that child won’t count as the surviving spouse’s child for these benefits. The Secretary must stop a child’s pension when the child’s savings and assets, along with the income and assets of whoever is legally responsible for the child’s support, are enough that some should be used for the child’s care.

Full Legal Text

Title 38, §1543

Veterans' Benefits, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary shall deny or discontinue payment of pension to a surviving spouse under section 1541 of this title when the corpus of the estate of the surviving spouse is such that under all the circumstances, including consideration of the income of the surviving spouse and the income of any child from whom the surviving spouse is receiving increased pension, it is reasonable that some part of the corpus of such estate be consumed for the surviving spouse’s maintenance.
(2)The Secretary shall deny or discontinue the payment of increased pension under subsection (c), (d), or (e) of section 1541 of this title on account of a child when the corpus of such child’s estate is such that under all the circumstances, including consideration of the income of the surviving spouse and such child and the income of any other child for whom the surviving spouse is receiving increased pension, it is reasonable that some part of the corpus of the child’s estate be consumed for the child’s maintenance. During the period such denial or discontinuance remains in effect, such child shall not be considered as the surviving spouse’s child for purposes of this chapter.
(b)The Secretary shall deny or discontinue payment of pension to a child under section 1542 of this title when the corpus of the estate of the child is such that under all the circumstances, including consideration of the income of the child, the income of any person with whom such child is residing who is legally responsible for such child’s support, and the corpus of the estate of such person, it is reasonable that some part of the corpus of such estates be consumed for the child’s maintenance.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), renumbered section 543 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(c)(1), substituted “1541” for “541” in pars. (1) and (2). Pub. L. 102–83, § 4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator” in pars. (1) and (2). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(c)(1), substituted “1542” for “542”. Pub. L. 102–83, § 4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator”. 1978—Pub. L. 95–588 designated existing provisions relating to denial or discontinuance of pension payments to surviving spouses as subsec. (a), expanded existing provisions relating to denial or discontinuance of pension payments to children of veterans, and designated such expanded provisions as subsecs. (a)(2) and (b). 1975—Pub. L. 94–169 substituted “surviving spouse” for “widow”. 1959—Pub. L. 86–211 substituted provisions requiring the denial or discontinuance of payment of pension to a widow or child when the corpus of the estate of the survivor concerned is such that under all the circumstances, including consideration of income, it is reasonable that some part of the corpus be consumed for the survivor’s maintenance for provisions which authorized the payment of a pension to widows of World War II or Korean conflict veterans. See section 1541 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–588 effective Jan. 1, 1979, see section 401 of Pub. L. 95–588, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1975 Amendment Pub. L. 94–169, title I, § 101, Dec. 23, 1975, 89 Stat. 1013, provided that the amendment made by that section is effective Jan. 1, 1976.

Effective Date

of 1959 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 86–211 effective July 1, 1960, see section 10 of Pub. L. 86–211, set out as a note under section 1521 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

38 U.S.C. § 1543

Title 38, Veterans' Benefits

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102