---
type: "LegalText"
title: "38 U.S.C. § 3601"
description: "Definition of emergency situation"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 38
title_name: "VETERANS’ BENEFITS"
chapter_number: "36"
chapter_name: "ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS"
section: "3601"
citation: "38 U.S.C. § 3601"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc38@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t38/s3601"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-38/usc38.xml"
source_hash: "73e0552828a245a9b5de195caa34469b160faf33ab7c73afcd2c68310b6d378c"
raw_snapshot_hash: "372998691b72ade88787dfa7633dbda4954bd1b037ec7926c5e06e9b1d17fc66"
text_hash: "9c4c2e9c5077562a34f2460972f665de193c9c6ba42249981a048019bb768294"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 38 U.S.C. § 3601 - Definition of emergency situation

## Text

In this chapter, the term “emergency situation” means a situation that—

(1) the President declares is an emergency; and

(2) the Secretary determines is an emergency for purposes of the laws administered by the Secretary.

(Added Pub. L. 117–333, § 2(a)(2), Jan. 5, 2023, 136 Stat. 6122.)