Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 234 / Thursday, December 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 96627 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

TTB certifies that this proposed 

regulation, if adopted, would not have 

a significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

The proposed regulation imposes no 

new reporting, recordkeeping, or other 

administrative requirement. Any benefit 

derived from the use of a viticultural 

area name would be the result of a 

proprietor’s efforts and consumer 

acceptance of wines from that area. 

Therefore, no regulatory flexibility 

analysis is required. 

Executive Order 12866 

This proposed rule is not a significant 

regulatory action as defined by 

Executive Order 12866, as amended. 

Therefore, it requires no regulatory 

assessment. 

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 9 

Wine. 

Proposed Regulatory Amendment 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, we propose to amend title 27, 

chapter I, part 9, Code of Federal 

Regulations, as follows: 

PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL 

AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 27 U.S.C. 205. 

Subpart C—Approved American 

Viticultural Areas 

■ 2. Add § 9.lll to read as follows: 

§ 9.lll Columbia Hills. 

(a) Name. The name of the viticultural 

area described in this section is 

‘‘Columbia Hills’’. For purposes of part 

4 of this chapter, ‘‘Columbia Hills’’ is a 

term of viticultural significance. 

(b) Approved maps. The two United 

States Geological Survey (USGS) 

1:100,000 scale topographic maps used 

to determine the boundary of the 

viticultural area are as follows: 

(1) Hood River OR–WA, 1982; and 

(2) Goldendale, WA–OR, 1980. 

(c) Boundary. The Columbia Hills 

viticultural area is located in Klickitat 

County, Washington. The boundary of 

the Columbia Hills viticultural area is as 

described as follows: 

(1) The beginning point is on the 

Hood River map at the intersection of 

the northern shoreline of the Columbia 

River and an unnamed creek due east of 

the marked ‘‘Cold Spring.’’ From the 

beginning point, proceed northerly 

along the unnamed creek to its 

intersection with the 300-meter 

elevation contour; then 

(2) Proceed east along the 300-meter 

elevation contour to the eastern 

boundary of the Hood River map; then 

(3) Proceed north along the map 

boundary for approximately 400 feet; 

then 

(4) Proceed east onto 320-meter 

elevation contour on the Goldendale 

map and continue east along the 320- 

meter elevation contour to its 

intersection with the boundary between 

Range 18 East and Range 19 East, south 

of Sand Spring Canyon; then 

(5) Proceed southeast in a straight line 

for 9,000 feet (1.7 miles) to the 

intersection of the boundary between 

sections 31 and 32, T3N/R19E and the 

northern shoreline of the Columbia 

River; then 

(6) Proceed west along the northern 

shoreline of the Columbia River, 

returning to the beginning point. 

Signed: November 26, 2024. 

Mary G. Ryan, 

Administrator. 

Approved: November 27, 2024. 

Aviva R. Aron-Dine, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy). 

[FR Doc. 2024–28438 Filed 12–4–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

38 CFR Part 9 

RIN 2900–AR67 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance 

and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance— 

Accelerated Benefit Option Regulation 

Update 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) proposes to amend its 

regulations governing Servicemembers’ 

Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Family 

SGLI (FSGLI), and Veterans’ Group Life 

Insurance (VGLI) to allow an alternate 

applicant to apply for an Accelerated 

Benefit when a member is terminally ill 

and mentally incapacitated or when a 

member’s insured spouse is terminally 

ill and the member is mentally 

incapacitated. VA also proposes to 

define key terms to assist in 

adjudicating FSGLI dependent child 

and Accelerated Benefit claims, and to 

remove addresses, telephone numbers, 

and the reproduction of the Accelerated 

Benefit application form from the text of 

the regulations. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 3, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Comments must be 

submitted through www.regulations.gov. 

Except as provided below, comments 

received before the close of the 

comment period will be available at 

www.regulations.gov for public viewing, 

inspection, or copying, including any 

personally identifiable or confidential 

business information that is included in 

a comment. We post the comments 

received before the close of the 

comment period on 

www.regulations.gov as soon as possible 

after they have been received. VA will 

not post on Regulations.gov public 

comments that make threats to 

individuals or institutions or suggest 

that the commenter will take actions to 

harm an individual. VA encourages 

individuals not to submit duplicative 

comments; however, we will post 

comments from multiple unique 

commenters even if the content is 

identical or nearly identical to other 

comments. Any public comment 

received after the comment period’s 

closing date is considered late and will 

not be considered in the final 

rulemaking. In accordance with the 

Providing Accountability Through 

Transparency Act of 2023, a PlainLanguage Summary (not more than 100 

words in length) of this proposed rule 

is available at Regulations.gov, under 

RIN 2900–AR67. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Samantha Yerdon, Management and 

Program Analyst, Department of 

Veterans Affairs, Insurance Service 

(310/290B); 5000 Wissahickon Avenue, 

Philadelphia, PA 19144; (215) 842– 

2000, ext. 5494 (this is not a toll-free 

number). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

1980 of title 38, United States Code, 

authorizes the payment of accelerated 

death benefits to terminally ill members 

in the SGLI, FSGLI, and VGLI programs. 

Consistent with the statute, current 38 

CFR 9.14 allows terminally ill members 

to receive up to 50 percent of the face 

value of their insurance coverage before 

they die if they have 9 months or less 

to live. 

Current § 9.14(c) only allows the 

terminally ill member to apply for an 

Accelerated Benefit, which is often used 

to pay his or her medical bills or make 

other financial arrangements before 

death. During Policy Years 2020 through 

2023 (July 1, 2019, through June 30, 

2023), 223 terminally ill members 

applied for and received such benefits. 

Considering that terminally ill members 

often have severe medical conditions 

that render them unable to apply for the 

Accelerated Benefit, VA proposes to 

amend § 9.14(c) to allow an alternate 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
96628 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 234 / Thursday, December 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

applicant to apply for an Accelerated 

Benefit if certain conditions are met. 

VA proposes to set forth in proposed 

§ 9.14(c)(2) the following conditions for 

an alternate applicant to apply for an 

Accelerated Benefit on behalf of a 

terminally ill member (i.e., the insured 

servicemember or veteran): (1) the 

member’s physician must certify that 

the member is terminally ill and that the 

member is medically incapacitated, i.e., 

physically or mentally incapable of 

applying for an Accelerated Benefit; (2) 

the alternate applicant must have power 

of attorney, guardianship, or 

conservatorship over the member, or be 

the member’s VA-appointed fiduciary 

under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or 

military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; 

and (3) the alternate applicant must sign 

the application for an Accelerated 

Benefit; identify that he or she holds the 

member’s power of attorney to act on 

the member’s behalf or is the member’s 

court-appointed guardian or 

conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or 

military trustee; and attach the form to 

a true and correct copy of the power of 

attorney, court order establishing the 

guardianship or conservatorship, or 

documentation designating the alternate 

applicant as the member’s VAappointed fiduciary or military trustee. 

VA also proposes, in § 9.14, to remove 

current paragraphs (e), (f), and (j), 

redesignate current paragraph (d) as (f), 

and add new paragraphs (d) and (e). 

Current paragraph (e) states that a 

member may only be advanced up to 

50% of the face value of their insurance 

coverage, which is already covered in 

current paragraph (d) and would be 

covered in redesignated paragraph (f). 

New paragraph (d)(1) would clarify who 

can apply for an Accelerated Benefit in 

cases where a member’s insured spouse 

(i.e., member’s spouse) is terminally ill. 

(VA notes that this paragraph would 

apply only to FSGLI members, as 

veterans’ spouses are not eligible for 

VGLI coverage.) Under current policy, if 

a member’s spouse is terminally ill, only 

the member can apply for an 

Accelerated Benefit (i.e., the member’s 

spouse cannot apply for the Accelerated 

Benefit himself or herself; the member 

must complete the Accelerated Benefit 

application, submit it to the spouse’s 

physician to certify that the spouse is 

terminally ill, and submit it to his or her 

uniformed service to complete the 

application and submit it to the Office 

of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance). This is because FSGLI is a 

servicemember’s benefit, and the 

servicemember is the sole beneficiary of 

the FSGLI spousal coverage. This policy 

would remain in place under new 

paragraph (d)(1). 

VA also proposes, in new paragraph 

(d)(2), to allow a member’s 

representative, as opposed to a 

member’s spouse’s representative, to 

apply for the Accelerated Benefit 

because FSGLI is the member’s benefit, 

and the member is the sole beneficiary 

of the FSGLI spousal coverage. This 

would address the scenario where the 

member’s spouse is terminally ill and 

the member is medically incapacitated. 

In such a case, VA would allow an 

alternate applicant acting on behalf of 

the member to apply for the Accelerated 

Benefit subject to the following 

proposed conditions: (1) the member’s 

spouse’s physician must certify that the 

member’s spouse is terminally ill, i.e., 

the member’s spouse has nine months 

or less to live; (2) the member’s 

physician must certify that the member 

is medically incapacitated, i.e., the 

member is physically or mentally 

incapable of applying for an Accelerated 

Benefit; (3) the alternate applicant must 

have power of attorney, guardianship, or 

conservatorship over the member, or be 

the member’s VA-appointed fiduciary 

under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or 

military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; 

and (4) the alternate applicant must sign 

the application form for the Accelerated 

Benefit; identify that he or she holds the 

member’s power of attorney to act on 

the member’s behalf or is the member’s 

court-appointed guardian or 

conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or 

military trustee; and attach the form to 

a true and correct copy of the power of 

attorney, court order establishing the 

guardianship or conservatorship, or 

documentation designating the alternate 

applicant as the member’s VAappointed fiduciary or military trustee. 

For the purpose of determining 

whether a person is incapable of 

applying for an Accelerated Benefit, VA 

proposes to define the term ‘‘medically 

incapacitated’’ in new paragraph (e) to 

mean that a person has been determined 

by a medical professional to be 

physically or mentally impaired by 

physical disability, mental illness, 

mental deficiency, advanced age, 

chronic use of drugs or alcohol, or other 

causes that prevent sufficient 

understanding or capacity to manage his 

or her own affairs competently. This is 

consistent with the definition of 

medically incapacitated used in the 

SGLI Traumatic Injury Protection 

program regulations. See 38 CFR 

9.20(e)(6)(vii). 

These proposed amendments to 38 

CFR 9.14 reflect prevailing insurance 

industry practices that allow alternate 

applicants to apply for accelerated death 

benefits on behalf of an insured. The 

proposed amendments are also 

consistent with the longstanding 

practice of other VA benefits programs 

permitting alternate applicants to 

initiate an application for VA benefits, 

such as for compensation and pension, 

see 38 CFR 3.155(a), and are also 

consistent with amendments made in 

2010 to Federal Employees’ Group Life 

Insurance to allow alternate applicants 

to apply for accelerated death benefits 

on behalf of insureds under that 

insurance program, see 5 CFR 

870.1103(b)(2). 

As noted above, VA also proposes to 

remove current 38 CFR 9.14(f) and (j). 

Current paragraph (f)(2) explains who is 

required to complete an Accelerated 

Benefits application form, which would 

now be contained in paragraph (c) and 

new paragraph (d). Current paragraph 

(f)(2) also contains a reproduction of the 

Accelerated Benefit application form, 

which was intended to be removed in a 

final rule published on July 31, 2014, 

but was inadvertently retained by the 

amendatory instructions for paragraph 

(f)(2). See Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance—Veterans’ Group Life 

Insurance Regulation Update—ABO, 

VGLI Application, SGLI 2-Year 

Disability Extension, 79 FR 44297, 

44299 (July 31, 2014). VA plans to 

revise the existing form and create a 

new form to address the proposed 

amendments in this rulemaking, but, as 

a matter of policy, VA no longer 

includes forms in its regulations. This is 

because routine minor changes are often 

made to forms independent of the 

rulemaking process. Requiring the use 

of the rulemaking process to make 

minor, non-substantive changes to 

widely distributed forms is not an 

efficient use of resources and serves no 

useful purpose. The most recent version 

of any required insurance form can be 

found on the VA Insurance website 

(www.benefits.va.gov/insurance). 

Therefore, VA proposes removing 

current paragraph (f)(2). 

VA also proposes to amend 38 CFR 

9.1(b), remove current § 9.14(f)(1), and 

amend current § 9.14(i)(2) to remove all 

addresses and telephone numbers from 

the text of the regulations, as such 

contact information is subject to 

periodic change, and it is not 

practicable to use the rulemaking 

process each time an address or 

telephone number is updated. Up-todate contact information for all VA life 

insurance programs can be found on the 

VA Insurance website (https://

www.benefits.va.gov/INSURANCE/ 

resources-contact.asp). 

Additionally, because payment via 

electronic funds transfer was not 

available as a payment option when 38 

CFR 9.14 was promulgated in 2000, 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 234 / Thursday, December 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 96629 

current paragraph (i)(1) only references 

returning checks to cancel the request 

for Accelerated Benefits. To address 

cancellation of an application for 

Accelerated Benefits when payment is 

requested via electronic funds transfer, 

VA would clarify in proposed paragraph 

(i)(1) that, to cancel a request, the Office 

of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance must be informed of the 

cancellation in writing and the 

Accelerated Benefit must be returned as 

already stated, if issued by check, or 

stopped before deposit in the member’s 

account, if issued by electronic funds 

transfer. 

VA also proposes to remove current 

paragraph (j) as it is essentially a 

restatement of 38 U.S.C. 1980(f)(2). Its 

deletion would have no practical effect. 

VA would also make non-substantive, 

clarifying revisions to § 9.14(a) through 

(c), proposed redesignated paragraph (f), 

and paragraphs (g) through (i), such as 

removing the references to ‘‘you’’ and 

‘‘your’’ and also revising the heading of 

these paragraphs to remove the 

subheading questions. 

Lastly, VA proposes to make 

clarifying revisions to 38 CFR 9.1 that 

would codify certain definitions that are 

contained in other parts of title 38 to 

bring parity to the FSGLI program 

criteria for determining if an individual 

meets the definition of the term 

‘‘insurable dependent’’ for FSGLI 

purposes. Specifically, VA proposes to 

define the phrase ‘‘pursuing a course of 

instruction at an approved educational 

institution’’ in § 9.1(m) and ‘‘a stepchild 

who is a member of a veteran’s 

household’’ in § 9.1(n). Section 

1965(10)(B) of title 38, U.S.C., defines 

an ‘‘insurable dependent’’ for SGLI 

purposes as including a member’s child, 

as defined in the first sentence of 38 

U.S.C. 101(4)(A). This sentence defines 

a ‘‘child’’ as including ‘‘a legitimate 

child, a legally adopted child, a 

stepchild who is a member of a 

veteran’s household or was a member at 

the time of the veteran’s death, or an 

illegitimate child’’ who is unmarried 

and ‘‘who, after attaining the age of 

eighteen years and until completion of 

education or training (but not after 

attaining the age of twenty-three years) 

is pursuing a course of instruction at an 

approved educational institution.’’ 38 

U.S.C. 101(4)(A)(iii). VA proposes to 

define, in § 9.1(m), the term ‘‘pursuing 

a course of instruction at an approved 

educational institution’’ as an 

individual who is pursuing a ‘‘program 

of education,’’ as that term is defined in 

38 U.S.C. 3002(3), at an approved 

‘‘educational institution,’’ as that term is 

defined in 38 U.S.C. 3452(c). VA is also 

clarifying that both students pursuing a 

program of education on a more than 

half-time basis and students pursuing a 

program of education on a half-time 

basis or less are included within this 

definition. Because section 101(4)(A)(iii) 

refers to a student who is ‘‘pursuing a 

course of instruction’’ without 

specifying any rate of pursuit, the 

statute seems to contemplate including, 

as an insurable dependent for SGLI 

purposes, a student who is pursuing a 

program of education on a more than 

half-time basis as well as a student who 

is pursuing a program of education on 

a half-time basis or less. The proposed 

clarifying amendment is intended to 

align prerequisites for determining 

entitlement based on dependent status 

with other government regulations 

pertaining to establishing dependent 

status as well as to comport with best 

practices observed by many private 

insurers offering dependent coverage to 

their policyholders. 

Additionally, VA proposes to add a 

new § 9.1(n) to explain that a ‘‘stepchild 

who is a member of the Veteran’s 

household,’’ as that phrase is referenced 

in 38 U.S.C. 101(4)(A), is only 

considered to be a member of the 

insured’s household for FSGLI 

dependent child coverage purposes if 

the stepchild has lived in the insured’s 

house for at least one year prior to the 

application for the benefit. Given that 

stepchildren are generally not entitled 

to the same legal rights as a natural or 

adopted child, see Black’s Law 

Dictionary (12th ed. 2024) (defining 

‘‘stepchild’’), VA believes this proposed 

amendment strikes an appropriate 

balance between aligning procedures for 

paying dependents with prerequisites 

for other large, government programs 

while still affording a servicemember 

the opportunity to insure a stepchild for 

FSGLI purposes if the stepchild has 

lived in the servicemember’s house for 

at least a year. 

Executive Orders 12866, 13563 and 

14094 

Executive Order 12866 (Regulatory 

Planning and Review) directs agencies 

to assess the costs and benefits of 

available regulatory alternatives and, 

when regulation is necessary, to select 

regulatory approaches that maximize 

net benefits (including potential 

economic, environmental, public health 

and safety effects, and other advantages; 

distributive impacts; and equity). 

Executive Order 13563 (Improving 

Regulation and Regulatory Review) 

emphasizes the importance of 

quantifying both costs and benefits, 

reducing costs, harmonizing rules, and 

promoting flexibility. Executive Order 

14094 (Executive Order on Modernizing 

Regulatory Review) supplements and 

reaffirms the principles, structures, and 

definitions governing contemporary 

regulatory review established in 

Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 

1993 (Regulatory Planning and Review), 

and Executive Order 13563 of January 

18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and 

Regulatory Review). The Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs has 

determined that this rulemaking is not 

a significant regulatory action under 

Executive Order 12866, as amended by 

Executive Order 14094. The Regulatory 

Impact Analysis associated with this 

rulemaking can be found as a 

supporting document at 

www.regulations.gov. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The Secretary hereby certifies that 

this proposed rule would not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities as 

they are defined in the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601–612. This 

proposed rule would directly affect only 

individuals and would not directly 

affect any small entities. Therefore, 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), the initial 

and final regulatory flexibility analysis 

requirements of sections 603 and 604 do 

not apply. 

Unfunded Mandates 

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 

of 1995 requires, at 2 U.S.C. 1532, that 

agencies prepare an assessment of 

anticipated costs and benefits before 

issuing any rule that may result in the 

expenditure by State, local, and tribal 

governments, in the aggregate, or by the 

private sector, of $100 million or more 

(adjusted annually for inflation) in any 

one year. This proposed rule would 

have no such effect on State, local, and 

tribal governments, or on the private 

sector. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Although this proposed rule contains 

collection of information under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3521), there 

are no provisions associated with this 

rulemaking constituting any new 

collection of information or any 

revisions to the existing collection of 

information. The collection of 

information for 38 CFR 9.14 is currently 

approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) and has been 

assigned OMB control number 2900– 

0618. 

List of Subjects in Part 9 

Life insurance, Military personnel, 

Veterans. 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
96630 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 234 / Thursday, December 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

Signing Authority 

Denis McDonough, Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs, approved and signed 

this document on November 25, 2024, 

and authorized the undersigned to sign 

and submit the document to the Office 

of the Federal Register for publication 

electronically as an official document of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Jeffrey M. Martin, 

Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy 

& Management, Office of General Counsel, 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 

For the reasons stated in the 

preamble, the Department of Veterans 

Affairs proposes to amend 38 CFR part 

9 as set forth below: 

PART 9—SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP 

LIFE INSURANCE AND VETERANS’ 

GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501, 1965–1980A, 

unless otherwise noted. 

■ 2. Amend § 9.1 by revising paragraph 

(b) and adding paragraphs (m) and (n) 

to read as follows: 

§ 9.1 Definitions. 

* * * * * 

(b) The term administrative office 

means the Office of Servicemembers’ 

Group Life Insurance. 

* * * * * 

(m) The term pursuing a course of 

instruction at an approved educational 

institution, as used in 38 U.S.C. 

101(4)(A)(iii), means, for purposes of 

this part, pursuing a ‘‘program of 

education,’’ as that term is defined in 38 

U.S.C. 3002(3), at an approved 

‘‘educational institution,’’ as that term is 

defined in 38 U.S.C. 3452(c), as an 

enrolled student on either a more than 

half-time basis or on a half-time basis or 

less. 

(n) The term a stepchild who is a 

member of a veteran’s household, as 

used in 38 U.S.C. 101(4)(A), for 

purposes of this part, means a stepchild 

who has been living in the insured’s 

household for at least one year. 

■ 3. Revise § 9.14 to read as follows: 

§ 9.14 Accelerated Benefits. 

(a) Accelerated Benefit: An 

Accelerated Benefit is a payment of a 

portion of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance or Veterans’ Group Life 

Insurance to a terminally ill member 

(i.e., an insured servicemember or 

veteran), or a payment of a portion of 

Family Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance to a member on behalf of a 

terminally ill covered person, before 

death. 

(b) Eligibility to receive an 

Accelerated Benefit: A member is 

eligible to receive an Accelerated 

Benefit if the member has a valid 

written medical prognosis from a 

physician of 9 months or less to live, 

and otherwise complies with the 

provisions of this section. 

(c) Applying for an Accelerated 

Benefit—SGLI Member or VGLI Member: 

(1) A terminally ill member can apply 

for an Accelerated Benefit by 

completing the SGLV 8284 application 

form. The member’s physician is 

required to complete part of the form by 

certifying that the member is terminally 

ill (i.e., has a life expectancy of nine 

months or less). If the member is 

covered under Servicemembers’ Group 

Life Insurance, the member’s uniformed 

service must also complete part of the 

form and submit it to the Office of 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. 

If the member is covered under 

Veterans’ Group Life Insurance, the 

member must submit the completed 

application form to the Office of 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. 

(2) An alternate applicant can apply 

for an Accelerated Benefit on behalf of 

a terminally ill member if the member 

is medically incapacitated, as defined in 

paragraph (e) of this section. The 

alternate applicant can apply by 

completing the SGLV 8284 application 

form if all of the following conditions 

are met: 

(A) The member’s physician must 

certify that the member is terminally ill 

and medically incapacitated; 

(B) The alternate applicant must have 

power of attorney, guardianship, or 

conservatorship over the member, or be 

the member’s VA-appointed fiduciary 

under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or 

military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; 

and 

(C) The alternate applicant must sign 

the SGLV 8284 application form; 

identify that he or she holds the 

member’s power of attorney to act on 

the member’s behalf or is the member’s 

court-appointed guardian or 

conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or 

military trustee; and attach the form to 

a true and correct copy of the power of 

attorney, court order establishing the 

guardianship or conservatorship, or 

documentation designating the alternate 

applicant as the member’s VAappointed fiduciary or military trustee. 

(D) If the member is covered under 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, 

the alternate applicant must submit the 

application to the member’s uniformed 

service, who then must also complete 

part of the form and submit it to the 

Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance. If the member is covered 

under Veterans’ Group Life Insurance, 

the alternate applicant must submit the 

completed application form to the 

Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance. 

(d) Applying for an Accelerated 

Benefit—Member’s Spouse: (1) If a 

member’s insured spouse (i.e., member’s 

spouse) is terminally ill (i.e., has a life 

expectancy of nine months or less), only 

the member can apply for an 

Accelerated Benefit by completing the 

SGLV 8284A application form. The 

member’s spouse’s physician is required 

to complete part of the form by 

certifying that the member’s spouse is 

terminally ill. The member’s uniformed 

service must also complete part of the 

form and submit it to the Office of 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. 

(2) If the member’s spouse is 

terminally ill and the member is 

medically incapacitated, an alternate 

applicant acting on behalf of such 

member can apply for the Accelerated 

Benefit. The alternate applicant can 

apply by completing the SGLV 8284A 

application form if all of the following 

conditions are met: 

(A) The member’s spouse’s physician 

must certify that the member’s spouse is 

terminally ill; 

(B) The member’s physician must 

certify that the member is medically 

incapacitated; 

(C) The alternate applicant must have 

power of attorney, guardianship, or 

conservatorship over the member, or be 

the member’s VA-appointed fiduciary 

under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or 

military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; 

and 

(D) The alternate applicant must sign 

the SGLV 8284A application form; 

identify that he or she holds the 

member’s power of attorney to act on 

the member’s behalf or is the member’s 

court-appointed guardian or 

conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or 

military trustee; and attach the form to 

a true and correct copy of the power of 

attorney, court order establishing the 

guardianship or conservatorship, or 

documentation designating the alternate 

applicant as the member’s VAappointed fiduciary or military trustee. 

(E) The member’s uniformed service 

must also complete part of the form and 

submit it to the Office of 

Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. 

(e) Medically Incapacitated: For the 

purposes of paragraphs (c) and (d) of 

this section, the term ‘‘medically 

incapacitated’’ means that a member has 

been determined by a medical 

professional to be physically or 

mentally impaired by physical 

disability, mental illness, mental 

deficiency, advanced age, chronic use of 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 234 / Thursday, December 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 96631 

drugs or alcohol, or other causes that 

prevent sufficient understanding or 

capacity to manage his or her own 

affairs competently. 

(f) Amount of Accelerated Benefit 

Request: (1) A member can request as an 

Accelerated Benefit an amount up to a 

maximum of 50% of the face value of 

the insurance coverage. 

(2) A member’s request for an 

Accelerated Benefit must be $5,000 or a 

multiple of $5,000 (for example, 

$10,000, $15,000). 

(g) Accelerated Benefit Decision: The 

Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life 

Insurance will review the application 

and determine whether a member meets 

the requirements of this section for 

receiving an Accelerated Benefit. 

(1) They will approve the application 

if the requirements of this section are 

met. 

(2) If the Office of Servicemembers’ 

Group Life Insurance determines that 

the application form does not fully and 

legibly provide the information 

requested by the application form, they 

will contact the member or their 

alternate applicant and request that the 

member or their alternate applicant 

submit the missing information to them. 

They will not take action on the 

application until the information is 

provided. 

(h) Payment of Accelerated Benefit: 

An Accelerated Benefit will be paid in 

a lump sum. 

(i) Cancellation of Application for 

Accelerated Benefit: (1) An election to 

receive the Accelerated Benefit is made 

at the time the Accelerated Benefit is 

cashed or deposited. After that time, the 

Accelerated Benefit cannot be cancelled. 

Until that time, a request for the 

Accelerated Benefit may be cancelled by 

informing the Office of Servicemembers’ 

Group Life Insurance in writing and 

returning payment, if issued by check, 

or stopping payment before deposit in 

the member’s account, if issued by 

electronic funds transfer. If a member 

wants to change the amount of benefits 

requested or decides to reapply after 

cancelling a request, the member must 

file another application requesting 

either the same or a different amount of 

benefits. 

(2) If a member dies before cashing or 

depositing an Accelerated Benefit 

payment, the payment must be returned 

to the Office of Servicemembers’ Group 

Life Insurance. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28138 Filed 12–4–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 300 

[Docket No. 241120–0296] 

RIN 0648–BN28 

International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna 

Fisheries; Fishing Restrictions for 

Tropical Tuna in the Eastern Pacific 

Ocean for 2025 and Beyond 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes regulations 

under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) 

of 1950, as amended, to implement 

Resolution C–24–01 (Conservation 

Measures For Tropical Tunas In The 

Eastern Pacific Ocean During 2025– 

2026) adopted at the 102nd Meeting of 

the Inter-American Tropical Tuna 

Commission (IATTC) in September 

2024. This proposed rule would 

maintain and extend management 

measures for fishing vessels targeting 

tropical tuna (i.e., bigeye tuna (Thunnus 

obesus)), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus 

albacares), and skipjack tuna 

(Katsuwonus pelamis) in the eastern 

Pacific Ocean (EPO). The fishing 

restrictions would apply to large purse 

seine vessels of class sizes 4–6 (i.e., 

vessels with a carrying capacity of 182 

metric tons (mt) or greater) and longline 

vessels greater than 24 meters (m) in 

overall length that fish for tropical tuna 

in the EPO. This proposed rule is 

necessary for the conservation of 

tropical tuna stocks in the EPO and for 

the United States to satisfy its 

obligations as a member of the IATTC. 

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule 

and supporting documents must be 

submitted in writing by January 6, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: A plain language summary 

of this proposed rule is available at 

https://www.regulations.gov/docket/ 

NOAA-NMFS-2024-0119. You may 

submit comments on this document, 

identified by NOAA–NMFS–2024–0119, 

by any of the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2024–0119’’ in the 

Search box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ 

icon, complete the required fields, and 

enter or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Tyler Lawson, NMFS West Coast Region 

Portland Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., 

Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. Include 

the identifier ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2024– 

0119’’ in the comments. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered by NMFS. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on https://www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

Copies of supporting documents that 

were prepared for this proposed rule, 

including the regulatory impact review 

(RIR) are available via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov, docket NOAA– 

NMFS–2024–0119, or contact Tyler 

Lawson, NMFS West Coast Region 

Portland Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., 

Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97205, or 

tyler.lawson@noaa.gov. 

Send comments on aspects of the 

collection of information to the 

ADDRESSES above, and by email to 

OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov, or fax 

to (202) 395–5806. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tyler Lawson, NMFS WCR, at (503) 

230–5421, tyler.lawson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on the IATTC 

The United States is a member of the 

IATTC, which was established under 

the 1949 Convention for the 

Establishment of an Inter-American 

Tropical Tuna Commission (1949 

Convention). In 2003, the IATTC 

updated the 1949 Convention through 

the adoption of the Convention for the 

Strengthening of the IATTC Established 

by the 1949 Convention between the 

United States of America and the 

Republic of Costa Rica (Antigua 

Convention). The Antigua Convention 

entered into force in 2010. The United 

States acceded to the Antigua 

Convention on February 24, 2016. The 

full text of the Antigua Convention is 

available at: https://www.iattc.org/ 

PDFFiles2/Antigua_Convention_Jun_

2003.pdf. 

The IATTC consists of 21 member 

nations and 5 cooperating non-member 

nations. The IATTC is responsible for 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS