"@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Legislation", name: title, url: fullUrl, jurisdiction: { "@type": "AdministrativeArea", name: 'United States' }, legislationIdentifier: meta.section_number, legislationType: 'Statute', isPartOf: { "@type": "Legislation", name: 'United States Code' } })}

Title 38 of the U.S. Code § 102 - Dependent parents

Full text of § 102 from Title 38 of the United States Code.

§ 102. Dependent parents

(a) Dependency of a parent, which may arise before or after the death of a veteran, shall be determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary.

(b) Dependency of a parent shall not be denied (1) solely because of remarriage, or (2) in any case in any State where the monthly income for a mother or father does not exceed minimum levels which the Secretary shall prescribe by regulation, giving due regard to the marital status of the mother or father and additional members of the family whom the mother or father is under a moral or legal obligation to support.

(c) For the purposes of this section, in determining monthly income the Secretary shall not consider any payments under laws administered by the Secretary because of disability or death or payments of bonus or similar cash gratuity by any State based upon service in the Armed Forces.

(Pub. L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1109; Pub. L. 89–358, §4(e), (f), Mar. 3, 1966, 80 Stat. 24; Pub. L. 92–540, title IV, §408, Oct. 24, 1972, 86 Stat. 1092; Pub. L. 94–432, title IV, §402, Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1372; Pub. L. 99–576, title VII, §701(1), Oct. 28, 1986, 100 Stat. 3289; Pub. L. 102–54, §14(a)(2), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 282; Pub. L. 102–83, §4(a)(1), (b)(1), (2)(E), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 403–405.)


Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 102–83, §4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted "Secretary" for "Administrator".

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–83, §4(b)(1), (2)(E), substituted "Secretary shall" for "Administrator shall".

Pub. L. 102–83, §4(a)(1), substituted "administered by the Secretary" for "administered by the Veterans' Administration".

Pub. L. 102–54 substituted "(c)" for "(C)" as subsec. designation.

1986—Pub. L. 99–576, §701(1)(B), substituted "Dependent parents" for "Dependent parents; husbands" in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–576, §701(1)(A)(ii), (iii), (v), struck out par. (1) designation and redesignated par. (2) of subsec. (a) as subsec. (b) and par. (3) of subsec. (a) as subsec. (C).

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–576, §701(1)(A)(i), (iii), (iv), redesignated former subsec. (a)(2) as subsec. (b) and substituted "(1)" and "(2)" for "(A)" and "(B)", respectively. Former subsec. (b), which read "For the purposes of this title, (1) the term 'wife' includes the husband of any female veteran; and (2) the term 'widow' includes the widower of any female veteran", was struck out.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–576, §701(1)(A)(v), redesignated former subsec. (a)(3) as subsec. (C) and substituted "For the purposes of this section," for "For the purposes of this subsection".

1976—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 94–432 substituted prohibition against denial of dependency of a parent "(B) in any case in any State where the monthly income for a mother or father does not exceed minimum levels which the Administrator shall prescribe by regulation, giving due regard to the marital status of the mother or father and additional members of the family whom the mother or father is under a moral or legal obligation to support" for such prohibition "(B) in any case in any State where the monthly income for a mother or father, not living together, is not more than $105, or where the monthly income for a mother and father living together, is not more than $175, plus, in either case, $45, for each additional member of the family whom the father or mother is under a moral or legal obligation to support, as determined by the Administrator".

1972—Pub. L. 92–540, §408(2), substituted "Dependent parents; husbands" for "Dependent parents and dependent husbands" in section catchline.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 92–540, §408(1), struck out exception which made definition of terms inapplicable to chapter 19 of this title and struck out from definitions of "wife" and "widow" provisions relating to the ability of such persons to maintain and support themselves.

1966—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 89–358, §4(e), substituted "Dependency" for "Except for the purposes of chapter 33 of this title, dependency".

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89–358, §4(f), struck out from introductory parenthetical phrase reference to chapter 33 of this title.


Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1976 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 94–432 effective Sept. 30, 1976, see section 405(a) of Pub. L. 94–432, set out as a note under section 1521 of this title.

About This Section

38 U.S.C. § 102 is part of Title 38 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.

This section may be cited in legal writing as 38 U.S.C. § 102. For the most current official text, including any recent amendments, use the official source links below. Do not rely on this page as the sole authority for legal citation or litigation.

How to Read This Statute

Statutes are organized by title, chapter, section, and subsection. Pay attention to words like "shall," "may," "and," and "or," because they determine whether a requirement is mandatory or permissive and whether multiple conditions must all be met. Historical notes and amendments often appear at the end of a section.

Using This Page

This page is intended for research and educational use. Lawyers, students, journalists, and compliance professionals can use it as a starting point, but should always verify the current text through an official government source before relying on it for legal advice, filings, or compliance decisions.

Sources

Not legal advice. Verify against the official source.