PUBLIC LAW 105-368 —NOV. 11, 1998
112 STAT. 3333
"(e) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this
section. Such regulations shall include provisions regarding—
"(1) the form and manner in which an application for
an election under this section shall be made; and
"(2) the procedures under which any such application shall
be considered.
"(f)(1) An election to receive a benefit under this section shall
be irrevocable.
"(2) A person may not make more than one election under
this section, even if the election of the person is to receive less
than the maximum amount of the benefit available to the person
under this section.
"(g) If a person insured under Servicemembers' Group Life
Insurance elects to receive a benefit under this section and the
person's Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance is thereafter converted to Veterans' Group Life Insurance as provided in section
1968(b) of this title, the amount of the benefit paid under this
section shall reduce the amount of Veterans' Group Life Insurance
available to the person under section 1977(a) of this title.
"(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amount
of the accelerated death benefit received by a person under this
section shall not be considered income or resources for purposes
of determining eligibility for or the amount of benefits under any
Federal or federally-assisted program or for any other purpose.".
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter
is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1979
the following new item:
"1980. Option to receive accelerated death benefit.".
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— Section 1970(g) is amended
in the first sentence—
(1) by striking "Pajmtients of benefits" and inserting "Any
payments"; and
(2) by inserting "an insured or" after "or on account of,".
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.— The amendments made by this section
shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
Regulations.
38 USC 1970
note.
SEC. 303. ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INSURANCE AND SUR-
VIVOR BENEFITS PROGRAMS FOR SURVIVORS OF VETER-
ANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES.
(a) REPORT ON ASSESSMENT. — Not later than October 1, 1999,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees
on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives
a report containing an assessment of the adequacy of the insurance
and survivor benefits programs of the Department of Veterans
Affairs (including the payment of dependency and indemnity compensation under chapter 13 of title 38, United States Code) in
meeting the needs of survivors of veterans with service-connected
disabilities, including survivors of catastrophically disabled veterans
who cared for those veterans.
(b) REPORT ELEMENTS. —The report on the assessment under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An identification of the characteristics that make a
disabled veteran catastrophically disabled.
Deadline.
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