I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3200

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

Group Life Insurance program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 11, 2005

Mr. MILLER of Florida (for himself and Ms. BERKLEY) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL

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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REPEALER. 

7 Effective as of August 31, 2005, section 1012 of divi8 sion A of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act 

9 for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Re10 lief, 2005 (Public Law 109–13; 119 Stat. 244), including 
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1 the amendments made by that section, are repealed, and 

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

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

4 been enacted. 

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

6 MAXIMUM COVERAGE UNDER 

7 SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 

8 AND VETERANS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE. 

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

10 38, United States Code, is amended—

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

12 ‘‘$250,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’; and 

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

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

15 that subsection’’. 

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

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

18 it appears and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’. 

19 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

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

21 shall apply with respect to deaths occurring on or after 

22 that date. 
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1 SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION TO MEMBER’S SPOUSE OR NEXT OF 

2 KIN OF CERTAIN ELECTIONS UNDER 

3 SERVICEMEMBER’S GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 

4 PROGRAM. 

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

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

7 following new subsection: 

8 ‘‘(f)(1)(A) Whenever a member who is eligible for in9 surance under this section executes a life insurance option 

10 specified in subparagraph (B), the Secretary concerned 

11 shall notify the member’s spouse or, if the member is un12 married, the member’s next of kin, in writing, of the exe13 cution of that option. 

14 ‘‘(B) A life insurance option referred to in subpara15 graph (A) is any of the following: 

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

17 to be insured under this subchapter. 

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

19 insurance of the member in an amount that is less 

20 than the maximum amount provided under sub21 section (a)(3)(A)(i). 

22 ‘‘(iii) An application under subsection (c) for in23 surance coverage under this subchapter or for a 

24 change in the amount of such insurance coverage. 

25 ‘‘(iv) In the case of a married member, a des26 ignation under section 1970(a) of this title of any 
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1 person other than the spouse or a child of the mem2 ber as the beneficiary of the member for any amount 

3 of insurance under this subchapter. 

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

5 for insurance under this section marries, the Secretary 

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

7 to whether the member is insured under this subchapter. 

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

9 shall include with such notification—

10 ‘‘(A) if the member has made an election de11 scribed in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), notice that the 

12 amount of such insurance is less than the maximum 

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

14 ‘‘(B) if the member has designated a bene15 ficiary other than the spouse or a child of the mem16 ber for any amount of such insurance, notice that 

17 such a designation has been made. 

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

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

20 purposes of this subsection shall consist of a good faith 

21 effort to provide information to the spouse or other person 

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

23 records of the Secretary concerned. 

24 ‘‘(B) Failure to provide such notification, or to pro25 vide such notification in a timely manner, does not affect 
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1 the validity of any life insurance option referred to in 

2 paragraph (1)(B).’’. 

3 SEC. 5. INCREMENTS OF INSURANCE THAT MAY BE ELECT4 ED. 

5 (a) INCREASE IN INCREMENT AMOUNT.—Subsection 

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

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

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

9 $50,000 and, in the case of a member’s spouse,’’. 

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

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

12 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ELECT NEW TRAUMATIC INJURY 

13 PROTECTION. 

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

15 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

16 of subsection (b) the following new paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(4)(A) A member may elect in writing not to be in18 sured under this section. 

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

20 section is not so insured by reason of an election made 

21 under subparagraph (A), the member may thereafter elect 

22 to be insured under this section upon written application 

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

24 such other terms and conditions as may be prescribed by 

25 the Secretary. Insurance under this section upon such an 
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1 election is effective upon the date of the receipt by the 

2 Secretary of such application and shall apply only with 

3 respect to injuries incurred after that date. 

4 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall prescribe by regulation con5 ditions as to how and when elections under subparagraph 

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

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

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

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

10 subsection (a) shall take effect immediately after section 

11 1980A of title 38, United States Code, takes effect pursu12 ant to section 1032(d)(1) of division A of the Emergency 

13 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global 

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

15 109–13; 119 Stat. 260).

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