Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/575

 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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