,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dfdf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bg1     
#bjbb,mr4 ,brown 7for himself and ,mr4  
,boozman7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 to shorten the timeframe 
for claims by beneficiaries and the     
payment of benefits under ,department of
 ,veterans ,affairs life insurance      
programs1 to improve the management 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 claims by 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 ,process for designation of 
beneficiaries under ,department of      
,veterans ,affairs life insurance       
programs  7a7 ,national ,service ,life  
,insurance ,section #aiag of title #ch1 
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
striking subsection 7a7 and inserting   
the following3  7a7 7#a7 ,the insured   
may designate a beneficiary or          

beneficiaries of insurance maturing on  
or after ,august #a1 #aidf4 ,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 
the insured does not designate a        
beneficiary under paragraph 7#a7 before 
the insured dies1 or if a designated    
beneficiary predeceases the insured1 the
 ,secretary shall determine the         
beneficiary in the following order3 7,a7
 ,the surviving spouse of the insured4  
7,b7 ,the children of the insured and   
descendants of deceased children by     
representation4  7,c7 ,the parents of   
the insured or the survivors of the     
parents4  7,d7 ,the duly appointed      
executor or administrator of the estate 
of the insured4  7,e7 ,other next of kin
 of the insured entitled under the laws 
of domicile of the insured at the time  
of the death of the insured4  4  7b7    
,united ,states ,government ,life       

,insurance  7#a7 ,change of beneficiary 
,section #aidi of such title is amended 
by striking ,subject to regulations and 
all that follows through the period and 
inserting the following3 ,the insured   
may designate a beneficiary or          
beneficiaries of a ,united ,states      
,government life insurance policy4      
,subject to regulations1 the insured    
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 beneficiaries44     
7#b7 ,payment to estates ,section #aiej 
of such title is amended to read as     
follows3  #aiej4 ,payment to estates ,if
 the insured does not designate a       
beneficiary under section #aidi of this 
title before the insured dies1 or if a  
designated beneficiary predeceases the  
insured1 the ,secretary shall determine 
the beneficiary in the following order3 
7#a7 ,the surviving spouse of the       
insured4  7#b7 ,the children of the     

insured and descendants of deceased     
children by representation4  7#c7 ,the  
parents of the insured or the survivors 
of the parents4  7#d7 ,the duly         
appointed executor or administrator of  
the estate of the insured4  7#e7 ,other 
next of kin of the insured entitled     
under the laws of domicile of the       
insured at the time of the death of the 
insured4  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 management 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 disbursing undisbursed life         
insurance benefits to 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 of undisbursed life insurance
 benefits 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 disbursing  
undisbursed life insurance benefits to  
hard-to-find beneficiaries1 with the    
goal of disbursing1 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 of ,veterans       
,affairs shall submit to the ,committee 
on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate   
and the ,committee on ,veterans'        
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives a report on the        
progress of the ,secretary in carrying  
out this section4  7d7 ,undisbursed life
 insurance benefits defined ,in this    
section1 the term undisbursed life      

insurance benefits-- 7#a7 means any     
amount of money that-- 7,a7 is owed to a
 beneficiary of a life insurance policy 
issued under chapter #ai of title #ch1  
,united ,states ,code2 and  7,b7 has not
 been disbursed for a period of two     
years or longer2 and  7#b7 does not     
include any amount of money-- 7,a7 that 
has not been disbursed due to a         
contested claim2 or  7,b7 the entitled  
beneficiary of which is in dispute by   
two or more parties4