Assignments of benefits prohibited.

§ 21.4146 Assignments of benefits prohibited. (a) General. Section 5301(a), Title 38 U.S.C., provides that payments of benefits due or to become due under the laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs shall not be assigned, except to the extent specifically authorized by law. No law specifically authorizes assignments of educational assistance allowances payable under 38 U.S.C. chapters 30, 32, 33, 35, or 36, or 10 U.S.C. chapter 1606, and therefore none shall be made. (b) Designating an attorney-in-fact. In any case where a payee of an educational assistance allowance has designated the address of an attorney-in-fact as the payee's address for the purpose of receiving his or her benefit check and has executed a power of attorney giving the attorney-in-fact authority to negotiate such benefit check, such action shall be deemed to be an assignment and is prohibited. (c) Arrangements amounting to an assignment. Payments may be made to a post office box address or a bank address only if the educational institution (other than an organization or entity offering a licensing or certification test) attests that it has not entered into an assignment agreement with the student, and is not the attorney-in-fact of the student with power to negotiate an educational assistance check on behalf of the student and is not otherwise able to control the proceeds of the benefits check. Such statements shall be subject to review and when determined to be false, may be cause for creation of an overpayment to the account of the veteran or other eligible person, for which the educational institution (other than an organization or entity offering a licensing or certification test) may be liable under the provisions of § 21.4009. (d) Correspondence school addresses. A request by a veteran or other eligible person to send the benefit check payable to him or her at an address which is an educational institution primarily engaged in correspondence course instruction will be presumed not to be the actual address of the veteran or other eligible person and will not be honored. Benefits checks will not be sent to the veteran or other eligible person in that event until a new address is provided designating the individual's mailing address. (e) Referral to Committee on Educational Allowances. When the evidence of record indicates that an educational institution has violated the terms of this section, the matter will be referred to the facility Committee on Educational Allowances as provided in §§ 21.4210(g) and 21.4212. (Authority: 38 U.S.C. 5301(a)) [43 FR 35296, Aug. 9, 1978, as amended at 44 FR 62498, Oct. 31, 1979; 61 FR 26114, May 24, 1996; 63 FR 35831, July 1, 1998; 72 FR 16969, Apr. 5, 2007; 74 FR 14667, Mar. 31, 2009] State Approving Agencies