32 U.S.C. § 714

(a) In the settlement of the accounts of a member of the National Guard who dies after December 31, 1955 , an amount due from the armed force of which he was a member shall be paid to the person highest on the following list living on the date of death: (1) Beneficiary designated by him in writing to receive such an amount, if the designation is received, before the deceased member’s death, at the place named in regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary concerned. (2) Surviving spouse. (3) Children and their descendants, by representation. (4) Father and mother in equal parts or, if either is dead, the survivor. (5) Legal representative. (6) Person entitled under the law of the domicile of the deceased member. (b) Designations and changes of designation of beneficiaries under subsection (a)(1) are subject to regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary concerned. So far as practicable, these regulations shall be uniform with those prescribed for the armed forces under section 2771(b) of title 10 . (c) Under such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, payments under subsection (a) shall be made by the Department of the Army or the Department of the Air Force, as the case may be. (d) A payment under this section bars recovery by any other person of the amount paid.