US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

38 U.S.C. § 1918

Assignments

(a)
Assignments of all or any part of the beneficiary’s interest may be made by a designated beneficiary to a widow, widower, child, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, or sister of the insured, when the designated contingent beneficiary, if any, joins the beneficiary in the assignment, and if the assignment is delivered to the Secretary before any payments of the insurance shall have been made to the beneficiary. However, an interest in an annuity, when assigned, shall be payable in equal monthly installments in such multiple of twelve as most nearly equals the number of installments certain under such annuity, or in two hundred and forty installments, whichever is the lesser. The provisions of this subsection shall not be applicable to insurance maturing after .
(b)
section 1922(b) of this title Except as to insurance granted under the provisions of , any person to whom insurance maturing after , is payable may assign all or any portion of such person’s interest in such insurance to a widow, widower, child, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, or sister of the insured when the designated contingent beneficiary, if any, joins the beneficiary in the assignment. Such joinder shall not be required in any case in which the insurance proceeds are payable in a lump sum.

Pub. L. 85–85772 Stat. 1153Pub. L. 87–557, § 176 Stat. 245Pub. L. 96–128, title III, § 30493 Stat. 986Pub. L. 97–295, § 4(24)96 Stat. 1306Pub. L. 102–83105 Stat. 403(, , , § 718; , , ; , , ; , , ; renumbered § 1918 and amended , §§ 4(a)(2)(A)(iii)(III), 5(a), (c)(1), , , 406.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(a)section 718 of this title1991—, renumbered as this section.

Pub. L. 102–83, § 4(a)(2)(A)(iii)(III)Subsec. (a). , substituted “Secretary” for “Veterans’ Administration”.

Pub. L. 102–83, § 5(c)(1)Subsec. (b). , substituted “1922(b)” for “722(b)”.

Pub. L. 97–2951982—Subsec. (a). substituted “after ” for “on or after the date of enactment of this sentence”.

Pub. L. 97–295Subsec. (b). substituted “after ,” for “on or after the date of enactment of this sentence”.

Pub. L. 96–1281979—Subsec. (b). substituted “such person’s” for “his”.

Pub. L. 87–5571962— designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted sentence making subsection inapplicable to insurance maturing on or after “the date of enactment of this sentence []”, and added subsec. (b).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1979 Amendment

Pub. L. 96–128section 601(b) of Pub. L. 96–128section 1114 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .