View all text of Part 9 [§ 9.1 - § 9.24]
§ 9.14 - Accelerated Benefits.
(a) Accelerated Benefit. An Accelerated Benefit is a payment of a portion of SGLI or VGLI to a terminally ill member (i.e., an insured Service member or veteran), or a payment of a portion of Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance to a member on behalf of a terminally ill covered person, before death.
(b) Eligibility to receive an Accelerated Benefit. A member is eligible to receive an Accelerated Benefit if the member has a valid written medical prognosis from a physician of nine months or less to live, and otherwise complies with the provisions of this section.
(c) Applying for an Accelerated Benefit—SGLI Member or VGLI Member. (1) A terminally ill member can apply for an Accelerated Benefit by completing the SGLV 8284 application form. The member's physician is required to complete part of the form by certifying that the member is terminally ill (i.e., has a life expectancy of nine months or less). If the member is covered under Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, the member's uniformed service must also complete part of the form and submit it to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance. If the member is covered under VGLI, the member must submit the completed application form to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.
(2) An alternate applicant can apply for an Accelerated Benefit on behalf of a terminally ill member if the member is medically incapacitated, as defined in paragraph (e) of this section. The alternate applicant can apply by completing the SGLV 8284 application form if all of the following conditions are met:
(i) The member's physician must certify that the member is terminally ill and medically incapacitated;
(ii) The alternate applicant must have power of attorney, guardianship, or conservatorship over the member, or be the member's VA-appointed fiduciary under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; and
(iii) The alternate applicant must sign the SGLV 8284 application form; identify that he or she holds the member's power of attorney to act on the member's behalf or is the member's court-appointed guardian or conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or military trustee; and attach the form to a true and correct copy of the power of attorney, court order establishing the guardianship or conservatorship, or documentation designating the alternate applicant as the member's VA-appointed fiduciary or military trustee.
(iv) If the member is covered under SGLI, the alternate applicant must submit the application to the member's uniformed service, who then must also complete part of the form and submit it to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance. If the member is covered under VGLI, the alternate applicant must submit the completed application form to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.
(d) Applying for an Accelerated Benefit—Member's Spouse. (1) If a member's insured spouse (i.e., member's spouse) is terminally ill (i.e., has a life expectancy of nine months or less), only the member can apply for an Accelerated Benefit by completing the SGLV 8284A application form. The member's spouse's physician is required to complete part of the form by certifying that the member's spouse is terminally ill. The member's uniformed service must also complete part of the form and submit it to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.
(2) If the member's spouse is terminally ill and the member is medically incapacitated, an alternate applicant acting on behalf of such member can apply for the Accelerated Benefit. The alternate applicant can apply by completing the SGLV 8284A application form if all of the following conditions are met:
(i) The member's spouse's physician must certify that the member's spouse is terminally ill;
(ii) The member's physician must certify that the member is medically incapacitated;
(iii) The alternate applicant must have power of attorney, guardianship, or conservatorship over the member, or be the member's VA-appointed fiduciary under 38 U.S.C. chapters 55 and 61 or military trustee under 37 U.S.C. 602; and
(iv) The alternate applicant must sign the SGLV 8284A application form; identify that he or she holds the member's power of attorney to act on the member's behalf or is the member's court-appointed guardian or conservator, VA-appointed fiduciary, or military trustee; and attach the form to a true and correct copy of the power of attorney, court order establishing the guardianship or conservatorship, or documentation designating the alternate applicant as the member's VA-appointed fiduciary or military trustee.
(v) The member's uniformed service must also complete part of the form and submit it to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.
(e) Medically Incapacitated. For the purposes of paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, the term “medically incapacitated” means that a member has been determined by a medical professional to be physically or mentally impaired by physical disability, mental illness, mental deficiency, advanced age, chronic use of drugs or alcohol, or other causes that prevent sufficient understanding or capacity to manage his or her own affairs competently.
(f) Amount of Accelerated Benefit Request. (1) A member can request as an Accelerated Benefit an amount up to a maximum of 50% of the face value of the insurance coverage.
(2) A member's request for an Accelerated Benefit must be $5,000 or a multiple of $5,000 (for example, $10,000, $15,000).
(g) Accelerated Benefit Decision. The Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance will review the application and determine whether a member meets the requirements of this section for receiving an Accelerated Benefit.
(1) They will approve the application if the requirements of this section are met.
(2) If the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance determines that the application form does not fully and legibly provide the information requested by the application form, they will contact the member or their alternate applicant and request that the member or their alternate applicant submit the missing information to them. They will not take action on the application until the information is provided.
(h) Payment of Accelerated Benefit. An Accelerated Benefit will be paid in a lump sum.
(i) Cancellation of Application for Accelerated Benefit. (1) An election to receive the Accelerated Benefit is made at the time the Accelerated Benefit is cashed or deposited. After that time, the Accelerated Benefit cannot be cancelled. Until that time, a request for the Accelerated Benefit may be cancelled by informing the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance in writing and returning payment, if issued by check, or stopping payment before deposit in the member's account, if issued by electronic funds transfer. If a member wants to change the amount of benefits requested or decides to reapply after cancelling a request, the member must file another application requesting either the same or a different amount of benefits.
(2) If a member dies before cashing or depositing an Accelerated Benefit payment, the payment must be returned to the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.