[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7770-H7772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           FASTER PAYMENTS TO VETERANS' SURVIVORS ACT OF 2022

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 8260) 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 8260

       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 BENEFICIARIES 
                   AND PAYMENT OF BENEFITS UNDER DEPARTMENT 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 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:

     ``Sec. 1949. Beneficiaries

       ``(a) Designation.--A person who enrolls in United States 
     Government life insurance may designate a beneficiary of the 
     insurance 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 
     person 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 following 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.

[[Page H7771]]

  


     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 
     Department 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--
       (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 materials 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 beneficiary 
     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 Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 8260, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8260, as amended, the bipartisan Faster Payments to 
Veterans' Survivors Act, will result in important help for the 
surviving family members of recently deceased veterans. Families often 
face financial hardship when a veteran life insurance policyholder 
dies, making timely payment of these VA benefits is therefore 
essential.
  The VA does an admirable job of quickly paying the vast majority of 
beneficiaries upon the death of a loved one. Yet, in other cases, for a 
variety of reasons, VA is unable to determine the identity or location 
of a surviving spouse, child, or family member. At the end of the 
fiscal year 2020, the Department owed more than $150 million in 
undisbursed life insurance proceeds to nearly 15,000 survivors. 
Approximately 10 percent of this money had been owed for more than 5 
years.
  This legislation, introduced by Representative Chris Pappas ensures 
that VA will make the necessary improvements to expedite these life 
insurance payments with a goal of disbursing all unpaid benefits within 
2 years.
  The bill is cosponsored by more than 40 Members on both sides of the 
aisle, and it has the support of a half-dozen veteran service 
organizations, including the VFW, America Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan 
Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Officers 
Association of America, Modern Military Association of America, and 
Paralyzed Veterans of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pappas for his work and urge all 
of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8260, the Faster Payment of 
Veterans' Survivors Act.
  This bill would improve VA's delivery of insurance benefits to 
survivors. One of the provisions would streamline insurance payments to 
beneficiaries under the NSLI and the USGLI programs.
  Another section would make improvements to the VA's process for 
identifying and paying the beneficiaries.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Pappas for introducing this bill and 
for his commitment to help VA honor its obligation to surviving family 
members.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend who serves as chair of the 
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee.
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member 
Bost for getting these bills to the floor, including this important 
piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, 
H.R. 8260, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act. It is a 
bipartisan bill that ensures that VA quickly identifies, locates, and 
pays surviving family members the life insurance benefits they are 
owed.
  VA's insurance service already has some tools in place to identify, 
locate, and pay hard-to-find beneficiaries, but more can be done to 
prevent these survivors from needlessly waiting during what is likely a 
difficult time, both emotionally and financially.
  My bipartisan bill, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act, 
will make much needed reforms to allow VA to better identify and locate 
surviving family members of recently deceased veterans.
  By making these reforms, we will make sure they receive the payments 
and benefits they were owed in a timely manner.
  According to the VA, the Department owed more than $155 million to 
15,000 individuals at the end of September 2020.
  For a widow or widower who is struggling to make ends meet, a life 
insurance payment of $10,000 makes a world of difference.
  Alfred, a constituent of mine in Rochester, New Hampshire, and a 
Korean war veteran, shared how much this bill will mean to his family. 
His father-in-law, a veteran of World War II, passed away last year. 
Alfred's spouse waited for months to receive the survivors benefits 
owed to her by VA. He contacted our office for help remedying the 
issue. We were able to help them, but no family should have to jump 
through hoops for months following the loss of a loved one.

  This bill directs the Department to improve and better publicize an 
online tool that families of veterans can use to search for past due 
benefits. It expands access to internal and external data sources that 
will help VA track down veterans' survivors. It makes sure the 
Department is adequately staffed to perform these searches.
  The bill also shortens the unnecessarily long timeframe in which VA 
is authorized to designate and pay alternate beneficiaries and ensures 
that procedures for paying alternate beneficiaries are consistent 
across several different life insurance programs. All of these steps 
will lead to faster payments to veterans' survivors.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina for 
co-leading this bipartisan bill. I appreciate the strong bipartisan 
support from my colleagues and from veterans service organizations, 
including the VFW, American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 
America, Vietnam Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of 
America, Modern

[[Page H7772]]

Military Association of America, and Paralyzed Veterans of America.
  Once enacted, the Faster Payments to Veterans' Survivors Act will 
have a real and positive impact on the financial well-being of 
thousands of veterans' families.
  Our veterans serve our country and sacrifice so much, and their 
family members contribute and sacrifice right alongside them. It is of 
utmost importance that we honor those commitments and support their 
family members.
  The bill passed the Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously in July, 
and I urge the full House to support its passage today.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support 
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in 
passing H.R. 8260, as amended, the Faster Payments to Veterans 
Survivors Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 8260, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________