If a veteran gets approved for VA pension money but dies before the payment actually arrives, this law spells out who gets that unpaid money instead. It first goes to a surviving spouse, then to surviving children, then to dependent parents, and if none of them exist or apply in time, it goes to the veteran's estate to be distributed like the rest of their belongings. Anyone claiming this money has to file for it within a year of the veteran's death, or else it automatically goes to the estate (as long as the estate isn't going to be absorbed by the state government due to having no heirs).