Title 38, Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-102
§5504 Administration of Trust Funds
Title 38 › PART IV — GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 55 — MINORS, INCOMPETENTS, AND OTHER WARDS › § 5504
Summary
Allows patients' funds and trust money for beneficiaries who can't manage money, run by the Secretary, to be placed in Treasury deposit accounts for authorized payments. If a balance stays over one year and owner is unknown, it must be transferred under 31 U.S.C. 1322(a).
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 38, Veterans' Benefits
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102