IIB 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3200 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 27, 2005 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance program, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Servicemembers’ 

3 Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REPEALER. 

5 Effective as of August 31, 2005, section 1012 of divi6 sion A of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act 

7 for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Re8 lief, 2005 (Public Law 109–13; 119 Stat. 244), including 

9 the amendments made by that section, are repealed, and 

10 sections 1967, 1969, 1970, and 1977 of title 38, United 

11 States Code, shall be applied as if that section had not 

12 been enacted. 

13 SEC. 3. INCREASE FROM $250,000 TO $400,000 IN AUTOMATIC 

14 MAXIMUM COVERAGE UNDER 

15 SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 

16 AND VETERANS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE. 

17 (a) MAXIMUM UNDER SGLI.—Section 1967 of title 

18 38, United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)(3)(A)(i), by striking 

20 ‘‘$250,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’; and 

21 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘of $250,000’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘in effect under paragraph (3)(A)(i) of 

23 that subsection’’. 

24 (b) MAXIMUM UNDER VGLI.—Section 1977(a) of 

25 such title is amended by striking ‘‘$250,000’’ each place 

26 it appears and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’. 
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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall take effect on September 1, 2005, and 

3 shall apply with respect to deaths occurring on or after 

4 that date. 

5 SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION TO MEMBER’S SPOUSE OR NEXT OF 

6 KIN OF CERTAIN ELECTIONS UNDER 

7 SERVICEMEMBER’S GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 

8 PROGRAM. 

9 Effective September 1, 2005, section 1967 of title 38, 

10 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

11 following new subsection: 

12 ‘‘(f)(1)(A) Whenever a member who is eligible for in13 surance under this section executes a life insurance option 

14 specified in subparagraph (B), the Secretary concerned 

15 shall notify the member’s spouse or, if the member is un16 married, the member’s next of kin, in writing, of the exe17 cution of that option. 

18 ‘‘(B) A life insurance option referred to in subpara19 graph (A) is any of the following: 

20 ‘‘(i) An election under subsection (a)(2)(A) not 

21 to be insured under this subchapter. 

22 ‘‘(ii) An election under subsection (a)(3)(B) for 

23 insurance of the member in an amount that is less 

24 than the maximum amount provided under sub25 section (a)(3)(A)(i). 
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1 ‘‘(iii) An application under subsection (c) for in2 surance coverage under this subchapter or for a 

3 change in the amount of such insurance coverage. 

4 ‘‘(iv) In the case of a married member, a des5 ignation under section 1970(a) of this title of any 

6 person other than the spouse or a child of the mem7 ber as the beneficiary of the member for any amount 

8 of insurance under this subchapter. 

9 ‘‘(2) Whenever an unmarried member who is eligible 

10 for insurance under this section marries, the Secretary 

11 concerned shall notify the member’s spouse in writing as 

12 to whether the member is insured under this subchapter. 

13 In the case of a member who is so insured, the Secretary 

14 shall include with such notification— 

15 ‘‘(A) if the member has made an election de16 scribed in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), notice that the 

17 amount of such insurance is less than the maximum 

18 amount provided under subsection (a)(3)(A)(i); and 

19 ‘‘(B) if the member has designated a bene20 ficiary other than the spouse or a child of the mem21 ber for any amount of such insurance, notice that 

22 such a designation has been made. 

23 ‘‘(3)(A) Notification of a spouse under paragraph (1) 

24 or (2), or of any other person under paragraph (1), for 

25 purposes of this subsection shall consist of a good faith 
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1 effort to provide information to the spouse or other person 

2 at the last address of the spouse or other person in the 

3 records of the Secretary concerned. 

4 ‘‘(B) Failure to provide such notification, or to pro5 vide such notification in a timely manner, does not affect 

6 the validity of any life insurance option referred to in 

7 paragraph (1)(B).’’. 

8 SEC. 5. INCREMENTS OF INSURANCE THAT MAY BE ELECT9 ED. 

10 (a) INCREASE IN INCREMENT AMOUNT.—Subsection 

11 (a)(3)(B) of section 1967 of title 38, United States Code, 

12 is amended by striking ‘‘member or spouse’’ in the last 

13 sentence and inserting ‘‘member, be evenly divisible by 

14 $50,000 and, in the case of a member’s spouse,’’. 

15 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

16 subsection (a) shall take effect on September 1, 2005. 

17 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ELECT NEW TRAUMATIC INJURY 

18 PROTECTION. 

19 (a) OPT-OUT AUTHORITY.—Section 1980A of title 

20 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

21 of subsection (b) the following new paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(4)(A) A member may elect in writing not to be in23 sured under this section. 

24 ‘‘(B) If a member eligible for insurance under this 

25 section is not so insured by reason of an election made 
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1 under subparagraph (A), the member may thereafter elect 

2 to be insured under this section upon written application 

3 by the member, proof of good health, and compliance with 

4 such other terms and conditions as may be prescribed by 

5 the Secretary. Insurance under this section upon such an 

6 election is effective upon the date of the receipt by the 

7 Secretary of such application and shall apply only with 

8 respect to injuries incurred after that date. 

9 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall prescribe by regulation con10 ditions as to how and when elections under subparagraph 

11 (B) shall be made. Such regulations may include limiting 

12 the time for such elections to an annual open season, for 

13 a duration each year prescribed by the Secretary.’’. 

14 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

15 subsection (a) shall take effect immediately after section 

16 1980A of title 38, United States Code, takes effect pursu17 ant to section 1032(d)(1) of division A of the Emergency 

18 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global 

19 War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 

20 109–13; 119 Stat. 260). 

Passed the House of Representatives July 26, 2005. 

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL, 

Clerk.