Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on September 27, 2005. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005 - Repeals, as of August 31, 2005, section 1012 of Division A of P.L. 109-13 which increased the maximum amount of coverage under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program to $400,000 and, for members serving in certain areas or operations, allowed $150,000 of such amount to be paid for by the Secretary concerned. Reinstates Federal provisions concerning such coverage as in effect prior to the enactment of the above Act.

Reinstates the PL 109-13 SGLI $400,000 maximum member coverage amount.Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to notify a member's spouse when a member who is married and is: (1) eligible for SGLI elects not to be so insured; (2) insured and whose spouse is designated as a beneficiary if the member elects coverage in an amount less than the maximum; or (3) insured makes a beneficiary designation of a person other than the member's spouse or child.

Requires amounts of SGLI elected by members to be evenly divisible by $50,000 (currently $10,000).

[109th Congress Public Law 80]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


[DOCID: f:publ080.109]

[[Page 119 STAT. 2045]]

Public Law 109-80
109th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to enhance the Servicemembers' 
Group Life Insurance program, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Sept. 30, 
                         2005 -  [H.R. 3200]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: Servicemembers' Group Life 
Insurance Enhancement Act of 2005. 38 USC 101 note.>> assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance 
Enhancement Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 38 USC 1967 note. Effective 
            date. Applicability.>> REPEALER.

    Effective as of August 31, 2005, section 1012 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. 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including the amendments made by that section, are repealed, and 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--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``in excess of $250,000 at 
        any one time'' and inserting ``at any one time in excess of the 
        maximum amount for Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance in 
        effect under section 1967(a)(3)(A)(i) of this title''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``for less than $250,000 under 
                Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance'' and inserting 
                ``under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance for less 
                than the maximum amount for such insurance in effect 
                under section 1967(a)(3)(A)(i) of this title''; and
                    (B) by striking ``does not exceed $250,000'' and 
                inserting ``does not exceed such maximum amount in 
                effect under such section''.

[[Page 119 STAT. 2046]]

    (c) Effective Date.--The <<NOTE: 38 USC 1967 note.>> amendments made 
by this section shall take effect as of September 1, 2005, and shall 
apply with respect to deaths occurring on or after that date.

SEC. 4. <<NOTE: 38 USC 1967 note.>> SPOUSAL NOTIFICATIONS RELATING TO 
            SERVICEMEMBERS' GROUP LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAM.

    Effective as of <<NOTE: Effective date.>> September 1, 2005, section 
1967 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:

    ``(f)(1) If a member who is married and who is eligible for 
insurance under this section makes an election under subsection 
(a)(2)(A) not to be insured under this subchapter, the Secretary 
concerned shall notify the member's spouse, in writing, of that 
election.
    ``(2) In the case of a member who is married and who is insured 
under this section and whose spouse is designated as a beneficiary of 
the member under this subchapter, whenever the member makes an election 
under subsection (a)(3)(B) for insurance of the member in an amount that 
is less than the maximum amount provided under subsection (a)(3)(A)(i), 
the Secretary concerned shall notify the member's spouse, in writing, of 
that election--
            ``(A) in the case of the first such election; and
            ``(B) in the case of any subsequent such election if the 
        effect of such election is to reduce the amount of insurance 
        coverage of the member from that in effect immediately before 
        such election.

    ``(3) In the case of a member who is married and who is insured 
under this section, if the member makes a designation under section 
1970(a) of this title of any person other than the spouse or a child of 
the member as the beneficiary of the member for any amount of insurance 
under this subchapter, the Secretary concerned shall notify the member's 
spouse, in writing, that such a beneficiary designation has been made by 
the member, except that such a notification is not required if the 
spouse has previously received such a notification under this paragraph 
and if immediately before the new designation by the member under 
section 1970(a) of this title the spouse is not a designated beneficiary 
of the member for any amount of insurance under this subchapter.
    ``(4) A notification required by this subsection is satisfied by a 
good faith effort to provide the required information to the spouse at 
the last address of the spouse in the records of the Secretary 
concerned. Failure to provide a notification required under this 
subsection in a timely manner does not affect the validity of any 
election specified in paragraph (1) or (2) or beneficiary designation 
specified in paragraph (3).''.

SEC. 5. INCREMENTS OF INSURANCE THAT MAY BE ELECTED.

    (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,''.

[[Page 119 STAT. 2047]]

    (b) Effective Date.--The <<NOTE: 38 USC 1967 note.>> amendment made 
by subsection (a) shall take effect as of September 1, 2005.

    Approved September 30, 2005.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3200:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 109-177 (Comm. on Veterans' Affairs).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 151 (2005):
            July 26, considered and passed House.
            Sept. 27, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Sept. 28, House concurred in Senate amendment.

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