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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Servicemembers’ 
Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. REPEALER. 
Effective as of August 31, 2005, section 1012 of divi-
sion A of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act 
for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Re-
lief, 2005 (Public Law 109–13; 119 Stat. 244), including
the amendments made by that section, are repealed, and 
sections 1967, 1969, 1970, and 1977 of title 38, United 
States Code, shall be applied as if that section had not 
been enacted. 
SEC. 3. INCREASE FROM $250,000 TO $400,000 IN AUTOMATIC 
MAXIMUM 
COVERAGE 
UNDER 
SERVICEMEMBERS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 
AND VETERANS’ GROUP LIFE INSURANCE. 
(a) MAXIMUM UNDER SGLI.—Section 1967 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(3)(A)(i), by striking 
‘‘$250,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘of $250,000’’ 
and inserting ‘‘in effect under paragraph (3)(A)(i) of 
that subsection’’. 
(b) MAXIMUM UNDER VGLI.—Section 1977(a) of 
such title is amended by striking ‘‘$250,000’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘$400,000’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on September 1, 2005, and 
shall apply with respect to deaths occurring on or after 
that date.
SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION TO MEMBER’S SPOUSE OR NEXT OF 
KIN 
OF 
CERTAIN 
ELECTIONS 
UNDER 
SERVICEMEMBER’S GROUP LIFE INSURANCE 
PROGRAM. 
Effective September 1, 2005, section 1967 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(f)(1)(A) Whenever a member who is eligible for in-
surance under this section executes a life insurance option 
specified in subparagraph (B), the Secretary concerned 
shall notify the member’s spouse or, if the member is un-
married, the member’s next of kin, in writing, of the exe-
cution of that option. 
‘‘(B) A life insurance option referred to in subpara-
graph (A) is any of the following: 
‘‘(i) An election under subsection (a)(2)(A) not 
to be insured under this subchapter. 
‘‘(ii) An election under subsection (a)(3)(B) for 
insurance of the member in an amount that is less 
than the maximum amount provided under sub-
section (a)(3)(A)(i). 
‘‘(iii) An application under subsection (c) for in-
surance coverage under this subchapter or for a 
change in the amount of such insurance coverage. 
‘‘(iv) In the case of a married member, a des-
ignation under section 1970(a) of this title of any
person other than the spouse or a child of the mem-
ber as the beneficiary of the member for any amount 
of insurance under this subchapter. 
‘‘(2) Whenever an unmarried member who is eligible 
for insurance under this section marries, the Secretary 
concerned shall notify the member’s spouse in writing as 
to whether the member is insured under this subchapter. 
In the case of a member who is so insured, the Secretary 
shall include with such notification—
‘‘(A) if the member has made an election de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), notice that the 
amount of such insurance is less than the maximum 
amount provided under subsection (a)(3)(A)(i); and 
‘‘(B) if the member has designated a bene-
ficiary other than the spouse or a child of the mem-
ber for any amount of such insurance, notice that 
such a designation has been made. 
‘‘(3)(A) Notification of a spouse under paragraph (1) 
or (2), or of any other person under paragraph (1), for 
purposes of this subsection shall consist of a good faith 
effort to provide information to the spouse or other person 
at the last address of the spouse or other person in the 
records of the Secretary concerned. 
‘‘(B) Failure to provide such notification, or to pro-
vide such notification in a timely manner, does not affect
the validity of any life insurance option referred to in 
paragraph (1)(B).’’. 
SEC. 5. INCREMENTS OF INSURANCE THAT MAY BE ELECT-
ED. 
(a) INCREASE IN INCREMENT AMOUNT.—Subsection 
(a)(3)(B) of section 1967 of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘member or spouse’’ in the last 
sentence and inserting ‘‘member, be evenly divisible by 
$50,000 and, in the case of a member’s spouse,’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on September 1, 2005. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ELECT NEW TRAUMATIC INJURY 
PROTECTION. 
(a) OPT-OUT AUTHORITY.—Section 1980A of title 
38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
of subsection (b) the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(4)(A) A member may elect in writing not to be in-
sured under this section. 
‘‘(B) If a member eligible for insurance under this 
section is not so insured by reason of an election made 
under subparagraph (A), the member may thereafter elect 
to be insured under this section upon written application 
by the member, proof of good health, and compliance with 
such other terms and conditions as may be prescribed by 
the Secretary. Insurance under this section upon such an
election is effective upon the date of the receipt by the 
Secretary of such application and shall apply only with 
respect to injuries incurred after that date. 
‘‘(C) The Secretary shall prescribe by regulation con-
ditions as to how and when elections under subparagraph 
(B) shall be made. Such regulations may include limiting 
the time for such elections to an annual open season, for 
a duration each year prescribed by the Secretary.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect immediately after section 
1980A of title 38, United States Code, takes effect pursu-
ant to section 1032(d)(1) of division A of the Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global 
War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 
109–13; 119 Stat. 260).
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