§3.557. Reserved — Inbound Citations

(d) Sections 1.600 through 1.603 are not intended to, and do not:

(1) Waive the sovereign immunity of the United States;

(2) Create, and may not be relied upon to create, any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law against the United States or VA; or

(c) The provisions of this section do not apply to checks for lump sums representing amounts withheld under § 3.551(b) or § 3.557. These amounts are subject to the provisions of §§ 3.1001 and 3.1007, as applicable.

Where an award of disability pension for an incompetent veteran without dependents was reduced under § 3.551(b) because of hospitalization, institutional or domiciliary care by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or an award of disability pension, compensation or emergency officers' retirement pay was discontinued under former § 3.557(b) (as applicable prior to December 27, 2001) because the veteran was hospitalized by the United States or a political subdivision and had an estate which equaled or exceeded the statutory maximum, and the veteran dies before payment of amounts withheld or not paid by reason of such care, no part of such amount will be paid to any person. The provisions of this section are applicable to amounts withheld for periods prior to as well as subsequent to the rating of incompetency. The term dies before payment includes cases in which a check was issued and the veteran died before negotiating the check.

(b) Any amount not paid because of the provisions of former § 3.557(b) (as in effect prior to December 27, 2001), and any amount of compensation or retirement pay withheld pursuant to the provisions of § 3.551(b) (and/or predecessor regulatory provisions) as it was constituted prior to August 1, 1972, and not previously paid because of the provisions of former § 3.557(b) (as in effect prior to December 27, 2001), will be awarded to the veteran if he or she is subsequently rated competent by VA for a period of not less than six months.