,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,r4 #hbfj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of 
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #ae1
 #bjbb,received  ,,an ,,act  ,to amend  
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to    
shorten the timeframe for designation of
 benefits under ,department of ,veterans
 ,affairs life insurance programs1 to   
improve the treatment of undisbursed    
life insurance benefits by the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the ,faster  
,payments to ,veterans' ,survivors ,act 
of #bjbb4  #b4 ,timeframe for           
designation of alternate beneficiaries  
and payment of benefits under           
,department of ,veterans ,affairs life  
insurance programs  7a7 ,national       
,service ,life ,insurance ,section      
#aiag7;f77#a7 of title #ch1 ,united     
,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in     
subparagraph 7,a71 by striking two years
 and inserting one year2 and  7#b7 in   
subparagraph 7,b71 by striking four and 

inserting two4  7b7 ,united ,states     
,government ,life ,insurance ,section   
#aieb7;c77#a7 of such title is amended--
 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking 
two years and inserting one year2 and   
7#b7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking  
four and inserting two4  7c7 ,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
 ,act4  #c4 ,beneficiary designation    
process under ,department of ,veterans  
,affairs life insurance programs  7a7   
,,nsli ,section #aiag of title #ch1     
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
striking subsection 7a7 and inserting   
the following3  7a7 7#a7 ,a person who  
enrolls in insurance maturing on or     
after ,august #a1 #aidf1 may designate a
 beneficiary of the insurance policy4   
,the insured shall1 subject to          
regulations1 at all times have the right
 to change the beneficiary or           

beneficiaries of such insurance without 
the consent of such beneficiary or      
beneficiaries4  7#b7 ,if a person       
enrolled in insurance maturing on or    
after ,august #a1 #aidf1 does not       
designate a beneficiary under paragraph 
7#a7 before the veteran dies1 or if a   
designated beneficiary predeceases the  
veteran1 the ,secretary shall determine 
the beneficiary in the following order3 
7,a7 ,the surviving spouse of the       
insured person4  7,b7 ,the children of  
the insured person and descendants of   
deceased children by representation4    
7,c7 ,the parents of the insured person 
or the survivors of the parents4  7,d7  
,the duly appointed executor or         
administrator of the estate of the      
insured person4  7,e7 ,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 person4  4  7b7 ,,usgli  7#a7   
,in general ,section #aidi of such title
 is amended to read as follows3  #aidi4 

,beneficiaries  7a7 ,designation ,a     
person who enrolls in ,united ,states   
,government life insurance may designate
 a beneficiary of the insurance policy4 
,subject to regulations1 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 beneficiaries4  7b7 ,determination in
 cases of non-,designation ,if a person 
enrolled in ,united ,states ,government 
life insurance does not designate a     
beneficiary under subsection 7a7 before 
the insured person dies1 or if a        
designated beneficiary predeceases the  
insured person1 the ,secretary shall    
determine the beneficiary in the        
following order3 7#a7 ,the surviving    
spouse of the insured person4  7#b7 ,the
 children of the insured person and     
descendants of deceased children by     
representation4  7#c7 ,the parents of   
the insured person or the survivors of  

the parents4  7#d7 ,the duly appointed  
executor or administrator of the estate 
of the insured person4  7#e7 ,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 person4  4  7#b7         
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of chapter #ai
 of such title is amended by striking   
the item relating to section #aidi and  
inserting the following new item3       
#aidi4 ,beneficiaries4  4  7c7          
,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 ,act4  #d4 ,department
 of ,veterans ,affairs improvement of   
treatment of undisbursed life insurance 
benefits  7a7 ,improvement of processes 
,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs   
shall improve the processes and         
procedures of the ,department of        

,veterans ,affairs with respect to      
identifying1 locating1 and paying       
hard-to-find beneficiaries of life      
insurance policies issued under chapter 
#ai of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 including by-- 7#a7 improving the      
search tools available on the website of
 the ,department2  7#b7 conducting      
outreach to veterans1 veterans service  
organizations1 and the general public   
with respect to such search tools2  7#c7
 improving the processes for searching  
for information relating to potential   
recipients through internal ,department 
sources and sources available through   
other ,federal agencies1 ,state         
government agencies1 and non-government 
entities2 and  7#d7 ensuring the        
,department has sufficient dedicated    
staff whose primary responsibilities are
 identifying1 locating1 and paying      
hard-to-find beneficiaries1 with the    
goal of disbursing by not later than two
 years after the date of the enactment  
of this ,act1 all funds that1 as of the 

date of the enactment of this ,act1 are 
owed to a beneficiary of a life         
insurance policy issued under chapter   
#ai of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4
  7b7 ,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 records1 reports1 and other    
materials that may be required to       
identify1 locate1 and disburse          
undisbursed life insurance benefits to  
hard-to-find beneficiaries4  7c7 ,report
 ,not later than #ahj days after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 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 section4  7d7 ,undisbursed life
 insurance benefits defined ,the term   
undisbursed life insurance benefits--   
7#a7 means any amount of money that is  
owed to a beneficiary of a life         

insurance policy issued under chapter   
#ai of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1
 and that has not been disbursed for a  
period of two years or longer2 and  7#b7
 does not include any amount of money   
that-- 7,a7 has not been disbursed due  
to a contested claim2 or  7,b7 is in    
dispute by two or more parties over who 
is the entitled beneficiary4  #e4       
,determination of budgetary effects ,the
 budgetary effects of this ,act1 for the
 purpose of complying with the          
,statutory ,pay-,as-,you-,go ,act of    
#bjaj1 shall be determined by reference 
to the latest statement titled          
,budgetary ,effects of ,,paygo          
,legislation for this ,act1 submitted   
for printing in the ,congressional      
,record by the ,chairman of the ,house  
,budget ,committee1 provided that such  
statement has been submitted prior to   
the vote on passage4  ,passed the ,house
 of ,representatives ,september #ad1    
#bjbb4;,cheryl ,l4 ,johnson1,clerk4