Final settlement of accounts: deceased members

§ 2771. Final settlement of accounts: deceased members (a) In the settlement of the accounts of a deceased member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps, if a demand is not made by his legal representative, the General Accounting Office may allow any amount due to the person highest on the following list living on the date of settlement: (1) Surviving spouse. (2) Children and their issue, per stirpes. (3) Father and mother in equal parts or, if either is dead, the survivor. (4) Brothers and sisters, and their children, per stirpes. (b) Reimbursement for funeral expenses may be made from the amount due the decedent’s estate, if the person who paid the expenses presents a claim for them before settlement by the General Accounting Office.