§ 3.261 Character of income; exclusions and estates.

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Title 38 CFR: Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief › Chapter I: DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS › Part 3: ADJUDICATION › Subpart A: Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation › § 3.261: § 3.261 Character of income; exclusions and estates.

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

The following factors will be considered in determining whether a claimant meets the requirements of §§ 3.250, 3.251 and 3.252 with reference to dependency, income limitations and corpus of estate:

(a)

Income.

Income

Dependency (parents)

Dependency and indemnity compensation (parents)

Pension; old-law (veterans, surviving spouses and children)

Pension; section 306 (veterans, surviving spouses and children)

See—

(1) Total income from employment, business, investments, or rents

Included

Included

Included

Included

§ 3.262(a).

(2) Income of spouse

......do

......do

Excluded

......do

§ 3.262(b).

(3) Earnings of members of family under legal age

......do

Excluded

......do

Excluded

§ 3.250(b)(2).

§ 3.252(e)(3).

(4) Earned income of child-claimant

Included

......do

(5) Gifts, including contributions from adult members of family:

Property

......do

Included

......do

......do

§ 3.262(k).

Money

......do

......do

......do

Included

(6) Value of maintenance by relative, friend, or organization

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(c).

(7) Rental value of property owned by and resided in by claimant

......do

......do

......do

......do

(8) Charitable donations

......do

......do

Included

......do

§ 3.262(d).

(9) Family allowance authorized by service personnel

Included

Included

......do

Included

(10) Reasonable value of allowances to person in service in addition to base pay

......do

......do

......do

Included except as earned income of child-claimant

(11) Mustering-out pay

Excluded

......do

Excluded

......do

(12) Six-months' death gratuity

......do

Excluded

......do

Excluded

(13) Bonus or similar cash gratuity paid by any State based on service in Armed Forces of United States

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

allowances to person in service in addition to base pay

......do

......do

......do

Included except as earned income of child-claimant

(11) Mustering-out pay

Excluded

......do

Excluded

......do

(12) Six-months' death gratuity

......do

Excluded

......do

Excluded

(13) Bonus or similar cash gratuity paid by any State based on service in Armed Forces of United States

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

(14) Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan; Survivor Benefit Plan (10 U.S.C. ch. 73):

Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan (Subch. I):

Annuities

......do

......do

......do

......do

Refund (10 U.S.C. 1446)

Included

Included

Included

Included

Survivor Benefit Plan (Subch. II) (Pub. L. 92-425; 86 Stat. 706)

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(e).

Annuity under § 653, Pub. L. 100-456

Included

Included

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(r)

(15) Retirement pay received direct from service department

Included

......do

Included

......do

Included

......do

Included

......do

§ 3.262(e).

§ 3.262(h).

(16) Retirement benefits; general

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(e).

(17) Social security benefits:

Old age and survivors', and disability insurance

Included

Included

Included

Included

§ 3.262(f).

Charitable programs

Excluded

Excluded

......do

Excluded

Lump-sum death payments

Included

......do

......do

......do

Supplemental security income

Excluded

Excluded

......do

......do

(18) Railroad Retirement benefits

......do

Included

Disability pension—Excluded Death pension—Included

Included

§ 3.262(g).

(19) Retirement pay waived under Federal statute

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

......do

§ 3.262(h).

haritable programs

Excluded

Excluded

......do

Excluded

Lump-sum death payments

Included

......do

......do

......do

Supplemental security income

Excluded

Excluded

......do

......do

(18) Railroad Retirement benefits

......do

Included

Disability pension—Excluded Death pension—Included

Included

§ 3.262(g).

(19) Retirement pay waived under Federal statute

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

......do

§ 3.262(h).

(20) Department of Veterans Affairs payments:

Pension

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation

......do

......do

......do

......do

World War I adjusted compensation

......do

Included

......do

Included

U.S. Government life insurance or national service life insurance for disability or death, maturity of endowment policies, and dividends, including special and termination dividends

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Servicemembers' group life insurance

......do

......do

......do

......do

Veterans' group life insurance

......do

......do

......do

......do

Servicemembers' indemnity

......do

......do

......do

......do

Subsistence allowance (38 U.S.C. ch. 31)

Included

Included

Included

Included

Veterans educational assistance in excess of amounts expended for training (38 U.S.C. ch. 34)

......do

......do

......do

......do

Educational assistance (38 U.S.C. ch. 35)

Excluded

Excluded

Special allowance under 38 U.S.C. 1312(a)

Excluded

Included

......do

Included

Statutory burial allowance

......do

Excluded

......do

Excluded

Accrued

......do

Included, except accrued as reimbursement

......do

Included, except accrued as reimbursement

(21) Compensation (civilian) for injury or death

Included

Included

Included

Included

§ 3.262(i).

onal assistance (38 U.S.C. ch. 35)

Excluded

Excluded

Special allowance under 38 U.S.C. 1312(a)

Excluded

Included

......do

Included

Statutory burial allowance

......do

Excluded

......do

Excluded

Accrued

......do

Included, except accrued as reimbursement

......do

Included, except accrued as reimbursement

(21) Compensation (civilian) for injury or death

Included

Included

Included

Included

§ 3.262(i).

(22) Contributions by a public or private employer to a:

Public or private health or hospitalization plan for an active or retired employee

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Retired employee as reimbursement for premiums for supplementary medical insurance benefits under the Social Security Program (Pub. L. 91-588; 84 Stat. 1580)

Included

Included

Excluded

Excluded

(23) Overtime pay; Government employees

Included

Included

Disability pension—Excluded. survivors pension—Included

Included

(24) Commercial life insurance; disability, accident, or health insurance, less payments of medical or hospital expenses resulting from the accident or disease for which payments are made

Included (as received)

Included (as received)

Included (special provision)

Included (as received)

§ 3.262(j).

(25) Commercial annuities or endowments

......do

Included (special provision)

......do

Included (special provision)

§ 3.262(j).

(26) Dividends from commercial insurance

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

(27) Insurance under Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended

Included

Included

Included

Included

(28) Reimbursement for casualty loss (Pub. L. 100-687)

Included

Excluded

Included

Included

§ 3.262(t)

Other fire Insurance

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(t)

(29) Bequests, devises and inheritances:

Property

Included

Excluded

Included

......do

§ 3.262(k).

Money

......do

Included

......do

Included

Joint bank accounts

......do

......do

......do

Excluded

§ 3.262(k)(1).

(30) Profit from sale of property

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(k).

(31) Jury duty or obligatory civic duties

......do

......do

......do

......do

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(t)

(29) Bequests, devises and inheritances:

Property

Included

Excluded

Included

......do

§ 3.262(k).

Money

......do

Included

......do

Included

Joint bank accounts

......do

......do

......do

Excluded

§ 3.262(k)(1).

(30) Profit from sale of property

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(k).

(31) Jury duty or obligatory civic duties

......do

......do

......do

......do

(32) Relocation payments (Pub. L. 90-448; Pub. L. 90-495)

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(c).

(33) The following programs administered by the ACTION Agency:

Foster Grandparent Program and Older Americans Community Service Programs payments (Pub. L. 93-29; 87 Stat. 55)

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(q)(1).

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), University Year for ACTION (UYA), Program for Local Services (PLS), ACTION Cooperative Volunteers (ACV), Foster Grandparent Program (FGP), and Older American Community Service Programs, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Senior Companion Program (Pub. L. 93-113; 87 Stat. 394)

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(q)(2).

(34) The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and Active Corps of Executives (ACE) administered by the Small Business Administration. (Pub. L. 93-113; 87 Stat. 394)

......do

......do

......do

......do

§ 3.262(q)(2).

(35) Income received under Section 6 of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (Pub. L. 101-426)

Excluded

Excluded

Included

Included

§ 3.262(t)

(36) Income received from income tax returns

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(u)

(37) Other amounts excluded from income by statute

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(v)

§ 3.279

1

The compensation received through a crime victim compensation program will be excluded from income computations unless the total amount of assistance received from all federally funded programs is sufficient to fully compensate the claimant for losses suffered as a result of the crime.

62(u)

(37) Other amounts excluded from income by statute

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

Excluded

§ 3.262(v)

§ 3.279

1

The compensation received through a crime victim compensation program will be excluded from income computations unless the total amount of assistance received from all federally funded programs is sufficient to fully compensate the claimant for losses suffered as a result of the crime.

(b)

Deduction of amounts paid by claimant.

Deduction

Dependency (parents)

Dependency and indemnity compensation

Pension; old-law (veterans, surviving spouses, and children)

Pension; section 306 (veterans, surviving spouses, and children)

See

(1) Unusual medical expenses

Not authorized

Authorized

Not authorized

Authorized

§§ 3.262(b)(1) and (1).

(2) Veteran: just debts, expenses of last illness and burial

Not authorized

Authorized, except debts

Not authorized

Authorized

§§ 3.262(m) and (o).

(3) Veteran's spouse or child: expenses of last illness and burial

Not authorized

Not authorized

Not authorized

Authorized

§ 3.262(n).

(4) Parent's spouse: just debts; expenses of last illness and burial

Not authorized

Authorized

§ 3.262(o).

(5) Prepayment on real property mortgages after death of spouse (Pub. L. 91-588)

Not authorized

Not authorized

Not authorized

Authorized

§§ 3.262(k)(6).

(c)

Corpus of estate.

Dependency (parents)

Dependency and indemnity compensation

Pension; old-law (veterans, widows, and children)

Pension; section 306 (veterans, surviving spouses, and children)

See

Considered conditionally

Not considered

Not considered

Considered

§ 3.263.

[28 FR 31, Jan. 1, 1963, as amended at 29 FR 15205, Nov. 11, 1964; 31 FR 15632, Dec. 13, 1966; 33 FR 15286, Oct. 15, 1968; 36 FR 8446, May 6, 1971; 37 FR 6677, Apr. 1, 1972; 37 FR 7092, Apr. 8, 1972; 37 FR 21436, Oct. 11, 1972; 38 FR 872, Jan. 5, 1973; 38 FR 26804, Sept. 26, 1973; 38 FR 28826, Oct. 17, 1973; 40 FR 13305, Mar. 26, 1975; 40 FR 57459, Dec. 10, 1975; 41 FR 17386, Apr. 26, 1976; 42 FR 43834, Aug. 31, 1977; 57 FR 59298, Dec. 15, 1992; 58 FR 12174, Mar

31 FR 15632, Dec. 13, 1966; 33 FR 15286, Oct. 15, 1968; 36 FR 8446, May 6, 1971; 37 FR 6677, Apr. 1, 1972; 37 FR 7092, Apr. 8, 1972; 37 FR 21436, Oct. 11, 1972; 38 FR 872, Jan. 5, 1973; 38 FR 26804, Sept. 26, 1973; 38 FR 28826, Oct. 17, 1973; 40 FR 13305, Mar. 26, 1975; 40 FR 57459, Dec. 10, 1975; 41 FR 17386, Apr. 26, 1976; 42 FR 43834, Aug. 31, 1977; 57 FR 59298, Dec. 15, 1992; 58 FR 12174, Mar. 3, 1993; 58 FR 31909, June 7, 1993; 58 FR 33766, June 21, 1993; 59 FR 37696, July 25, 1994; 60 FR 2522, Jan. 10, 1995; 60 FR 18355, Apr. 11, 1995; 62 FR 51278, Sept. 30, 1997; 67 FR 49586, July 31, 2002; 68 FR 60852, Oct. 24, 2003; 70 FR 15591, Mar. 28, 2005; 76 FR 4248, Jan. 25, 2011; 83 FR 47268, Sept 18, 2018]

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§ 3.261 Character of income; exclusions and estates. · 38 C.F.R. § 3.261 (2026) | Frix