If the veteran named in the adjusted service certificate, issued pursuant to the provisions of section 501 of the World War Adjusted Compensation Act, is deceased, and if the certificate was lost or destroyed wholly or in part or was so defaced as to impair its value prior to receipt by the veteran, or was partially destroyed or defaced after receipt by the veteran, but can be identified to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, payment will be made of the proceeds of the certificate, a bond of indemnity will not be required, and a duplicate adjusted service certificate will not be issued: Provided, The person entitled to payment thereon surrenders the defaced or mutilated certificate or so much thereof as may remain.
38 C.F.R. § 10.25