[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4229 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4229

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make improvements to certain 
  life insurance programs, administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2004

  Mr. Filner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to make improvements to certain 
  life insurance programs, administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs for veterans with service-connected disabilities, 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 ``Fair Insurance Premiums for Disabled 
Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. REDUCTION IN SERVICE-DISABLED VETERANS INSURANCE PREMIUMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1922(a) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(a)''; and
            (2) by striking the fourth sentence and all that follows 
        and inserting the following:
    ``(2) Insurance granted under this section shall be issued upon the 
same terms and conditions as are contained in the standard policies of 
National Service Life Insurance, except that--
            ``(A) the premium rates for such insurance--
                    ``(i) for premiums for months beginning before the 
                date of the enactment of the Fair Insurance Premiums 
                for Disabled Veterans Act shall be based on the 
                Commissioners 1941 Standard Ordinary Table of Mortality 
                and interest at the rate of 2\1/4\ percent per year; 
                and
                    ``(ii) for premiums for months beginning on or 
                after that date shall be based upon the 2001 
                Commissioners Standard Ordinary Table of Mortality and 
                interest at the rate of 4.5 percent per year;
            ``(B) all cash, loan, paid-up, and extended values--
                    ``(i) for a policy issued under this section before 
                the date of the enactment of the Fair Insurance 
                Premiums for Disabled Veterans Act shall be based upon 
                the Commissioners 1941 Standard Ordinary Table of 
                Mortality and interest at the rate of 2\1/4\ percent 
                per year; and
                    ``(ii) for a policy issued under this section on or 
                after that date shall be based upon the 2001 
                Commissioners Standard Ordinary Table of Mortality and 
                interest at the rate of 4.5 percent per year;
            ``(C) all settlements on policies involving annuities shall 
        be calculated on the basis of the Annuity Table for 1949, and 
        interest at the rate of 2\1/4\ percent per year;
            ``(D) insurance granted under this section shall be on a 
        nonparticipating basis;
            ``(E) all premiums and other collections for insurance 
        under this section shall be credited directly to a revolving 
        fund in the Treasury of the United States; and
            ``(F) any payments on such insurance shall be made directly 
        from such fund.
    ``(3) Appropriations to the fund referred to in subparagraphs (E) 
and (F) of paragraph (2) are hereby authorized.
    ``(4) As to insurance issued under this section, waiver of premiums 
pursuant to section 602(n) of the National Service Life Insurance Act 
of 1940 and section 1912 of this title shall not be denied on the 
ground that the service-connected disability became total before the 
effective date of such insurance.
    ``(5) Administrative costs to the Government for the costs of the 
program of insurance under this section shall be paid from amounts 
credited to the fund under subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2), and 
payments for claims against the fund for amounts in excess of amounts 
credited to the fund under that subparagraph (after such administrative 
costs have been paid) shall be paid from appropriations to the fund.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1982 of such title is amended by 
inserting ``1922(a)(5),'' after ``1920(c),''.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM COVERAGE UNDER VETERANS' MORTGAGE LIFE 
              INSURANCE PROGRAM TO $200,000.

    (a) Increase.--Subsection (b) of section 2106 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(b)'';
            (2) by designating the second, third, and fourth sentences 
        as paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), respectively;
            (3) in paragraph (1), as designated by paragraph (1) of 
        this subsection, by striking ``may not exceed'' and all that 
        follows through ``on the housing unit.'' and inserting ``shall 
        be the amount of the loan outstanding on the housing unit, 
        except that--
            ``(A) coverage may not exceed $200,000; and
            ``(B) a veteran may elect, in writing, to be covered for 
        less than the maximum coverage available.''; and
            (4) in paragraph (2), as designated by paragraph (2) of 
        this subsection, by striking ``of such insurance'' and 
        inserting ``of insurance provided a veteran under this 
        section''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (g) of such section is 
amended by striking ``of this section or'' and inserting ``or an 
election under that subsection or by''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect at the end of the 120-day period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>