38 U.S.C. § 5304 — Prohibition against duplication of benefits

Except as provided in section 1414 of title 10 or to the extent that retirement pay is waived under other provisions of law, not more than one award of pension^*, compensation^*, emergency officers’, regular, or reserve^* retirement pay, or initial award of naval pension granted after July 13, 1943, shall be made concurrently to any person based on such person’s own service or concurrently to any person based on the service of any other person.

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection and of section 5305 of this title, pension under section 1521 or 1541 of this title may be paid to a person entitled to receive retired or retirement pay described in section 5305 of this title concurrently with such person’s receipt of such retired or retirement pay if the annual amount of such retired or retirement pay is counted as annual income for the purposes of chapter 15 of this title.

Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection and in section 1521(i) of this title, the receipt of pension, compensation, or dependency and indemnity compensation^* by a surviving spouse^*, child^*, or parent^* on account of the death of any person, or receipt by any person of pension or compensation on account of such person’s own service, shall not bar the payment of pension, compensation, or dependency and indemnity compensation on account of the death or disability of any other person.

Benefits other than insurance under laws administered by the Secretary^* may not be paid or furnished to or on account of any child by reason of the death of more than one parent in the same parental line; however, the child may elect one or more times to receive benefits by reason of the death of any one of such parents.

Benefits other than insurance under laws administered by the Secretary may not be paid to any person by reason of the death of more than one person to whom such person was married; however, the person may elect one or more times to receive benefits by reason of the death of any one spouse^*.

Other than amounts payable under section 1413a or 1414 of title 10, the amount of pension and compensation benefits payable to a person under this title shall be reduced by the amount of any lump sum payment made to such person under section 1415 of title 10.

The Secretary shall collect any reduction under paragraph (1) from amounts otherwise payable to the person under this title, including pension and compensation payable under this title, before any pension and compensation payments under this title may be paid to the person.