38 USC § 3224 - Death of participant

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t38/s3224"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "38 USC § 3224 - Death of participant"
title_number: 38
title_name: "VETERANS’ BENEFITS"
section_number: "3224"
section_name: "Death of participant"
chapter_number: 32
chapter_name: "POST-VIETNAM ERA VETERANS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE"
subchapter_number: "II"
subchapter_name: "ELIGIBILITY; CONTRIBUTIONS; AND MATCHING FUND"
part_number: "III"
part_name: "READJUSTMENT AND RELATED BENEFITS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 94–502, title IV, § 404, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2395, § 1624; amended Pub. L. 96–466, title IV, § 402, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2201; renumbered § 3224, Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406; Pub. L. 104–275, title IV, § 405(c)(2), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3340.)"
---


# § 3224. Death of participant

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.

If there is no such person living, such amount shall be paid to such participant’s estate.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 94–502, title IV, § 404, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2395, § 1624; amended Pub. L. 96–466, title IV, § 402, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2201; renumbered § 3224, Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 406; Pub. L. 104–275, title IV, § 405(c)(2), Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3340.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1996—Par. (1).  substituted “Servicemembers’ Group” for “Servicemen’s Group”.

1991— renumbered  as this section.

1980— 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

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

, , , provided that:

### Effective Date

Section effective , see , set out as a note under .