FEDERALhearing transcript

Review of VA Life Insurance Programs

Original title: REVIEW OF VA'S LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAMS

January 1, 2019

veterans affairs life insurance military benefits disability assistance

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing examines whether current VA life insurance programs provide adequate financial protection for veterans and servicemembers who may face difficulty obtaining private coverage due to service-connected disabilities or the nature of their military service.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterans and Servicemembers

They are the primary users of VA life insurance programs and are subject to the coverage limits and premium structures discussed.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The agency is responsible for administering the insurance programs and providing information to eligible veterans.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a hearing to evaluate the effectiveness of five VA-managed life insurance programs. The committee is investigating why participation rates are low, specifically noting that only 4% of eligible veterans applied for in fiscal year 2017.

Key Facts

The Subcommittee is reviewing five distinct life insurance programs managed by the VA.
Only 4% of eligible veterans applied for Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (SDVI) in fiscal year 2017.
The SDVI program currently offers a maximum coverage limit of $10,000.
The hearing aims to determine if low participation is due to lack of awareness, high premiums, or insufficient coverage amounts.
The hearing took place on April 25, 2018, in the Cannon House Office Building.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the government provide life insurance for veterans?

The programs are designed to cover servicemembers and veterans who may be denied private insurance or charged high premiums due to service-connected disabilities or the nature of their military service.

What is the main concern regarding the current VA insurance programs?

The Subcommittee is concerned that participation rates are very low, suggesting the programs may not be meeting the needs of veterans or that information about these benefits is not being effectively communicated.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Low Program Utilization

The committee identified a significant discrepancy between program eligibility and actual enrollment, specifically noting a 4% application rate for SDVI.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Connected Entities

personVincent E. Markey“Director, Insurance Service, VA”Map →

personJeff Steele“Assistant Director, The American Legion”Map →

personElizabeth Esty“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

personKen Wiseman“Associate Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars”Map →

personConor Lamb“Member of the U.S. House of Representatives”Map →

personMike Bost“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs”Map →

organizationDepartment of Veterans Affairs“Federal department managing the insurance programs”Map →

personRobert Reynolds“Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance, VA”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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