H. R. 8260 
One Hundred Seventeenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-two 
An Act 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to shorten the timeframe for designation 
of benefits under Department of Veterans Affairs life insurance programs, to 
improve the treatment of undisbursed life insurance benefits by the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Faster Payments to Veterans’ 
Survivors Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. TIMEFRAME FOR DESIGNATION OF ALTERNATE BENE-
FICIARIES AND PAYMENT OF BENEFITS UNDER DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAMS. 
(a) NATIONAL SERVICE LIFE INSURANCE.—Section 1917(f)(1) of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘two years’’ and 
inserting ‘‘one year’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘four’’ and inserting 
‘‘two’’. 
(b) UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LIFE INSURANCE.—Section 
1952(c)(1) of such title is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘two years’’ and 
inserting ‘‘one year’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘four’’ and inserting 
‘‘two’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section 
shall apply with respect to the death of an insured person occurring 
on or after the date that is two years before the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION PROCESS UNDER DEPARTMENT 
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAMS. 
(a) NSLI.—Section 1917 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(a)(1) A person who enrolls in insurance maturing on or after 
August 1, 1946, may designate a beneficiary of the insurance policy. 
The insured shall, subject to regulations, at all times have the 
right to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such insurance 
without the consent of such beneficiary or beneficiaries. 
‘‘(2) If a person enrolled in insurance maturing on or after 
August 1, 1946, does not designate a beneficiary under paragraph 
(1) before the veteran dies, or if a designated beneficiary predeceases
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the veteran, the Secretary shall determine the beneficiary in the 
following order: 
‘‘(A) The surviving spouse of the insured person. 
‘‘(B) The children of the insured person and descendants 
of deceased children by representation. 
‘‘(C) The parents of the insured person or the survivors 
of the parents. 
‘‘(D) The duly appointed executor or administrator of the 
estate of the insured person. 
‘‘(E) Other next of kin of the insured person entitled under 
the laws of domicile of the insured person at the time of 
the death of the insured person.’’. 
(b) USGLI.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1949 of such title is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1949. Beneficiaries 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—A person who enrolls in United States 
Government life insurance may designate a beneficiary of the insur-
ance policy. Subject to regulations, the insured person shall at 
all times have the right to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries 
of a United States Government life insurance policy without the 
consent of such beneficiary or beneficiaries. 
‘‘(b) DETERMINATION IN CASES OF NON-DESIGNATION.—If a per-
son enrolled in United States Government life insurance does not 
designate a beneficiary under subsection (a) before the insured 
person dies, or if a designated beneficiary predeceases the insured 
person, the Secretary shall determine the beneficiary in the fol-
lowing order: 
‘‘(1) The surviving spouse of the insured person. 
‘‘(2) The children of the insured person and descendants 
of deceased children by representation. 
‘‘(3) The parents of the insured person or the survivors 
of the parents. 
‘‘(4) The duly appointed executor or administrator of the 
estate of the insured person. 
‘‘(5) Other next of kin of the insured person entitled under 
the laws of domicile of the insured person at the time of 
the death of the insured person.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter 19 of such title is amended by striking 
the item relating to section 1949 and inserting the following 
new item: 
‘‘1949. Beneficiaries.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section 
shall apply with respect to the death of an insured person occurring 
on or after the date that is two years before the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS IMPROVEMENT OF 
TREATMENT OF UNDISBURSED LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS. 
(a) IMPROVEMENT OF PROCESSES.—The Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall improve the processes and procedures of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs with respect to identifying, locating, and 
paying hard-to-find beneficiaries of life insurance policies issued 
under chapter 19 of title 38, United States Code, including by—
H. R. 8260—3 
(1) improving the search tools available on the website 
of the Department; 
(2) conducting outreach to veterans, veterans service 
organizations, and the general public with respect to such 
search tools; 
(3) improving the processes for searching for information 
relating to potential recipients through internal Department 
sources and sources available through other Federal agencies, 
State government agencies, and non-government entities; and 
(4) ensuring the Department has sufficient dedicated staff 
whose primary responsibilities are identifying, locating, and 
paying hard-to-find beneficiaries, with the goal of disbursing 
by not later than two years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, all funds that, as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act, are owed to a beneficiary of a life insurance policy 
issued under chapter 19 of title 38, United States Code. 
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should work with interagency 
partners to determine the types of records, reports, and other mate-
rials that may be required to identify, locate, and disburse 
undisbursed life insurance benefits to hard-to-find beneficiaries. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
a report on the progress of the Secretary in carrying out this 
section. 
(d) UNDISBURSED LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS DEFINED.—The 
term ‘‘undisbursed life insurance benefits’’— 
(1) means any amount of money that is owed to a bene-
ficiary of a life insurance policy issued under chapter 19 of 
title 38, United States Code, and that has not been disbursed 
for a period of two years or longer; and 
(2) does not include any amount of money that— 
(A) has not been disbursed due to a contested claim; 
or 
(B) is in dispute by two or more parties over who 
is the entitled beneficiary. 
SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined 
by reference to the latest statement titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of 
PAYGO Legislation’’ for this Act, submitted for printing in the
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Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Com-
mittee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior 
to the vote on passage. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.