Title 50War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§3973 Application for insurance protection

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 50— - SERVICEMEMBERS CIVIL RELIEF › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - LIFE INSURANCE › § 3973

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

To get protection under this law, you must send a written application. The application must be signed by the insured person, the insured’s legal representative, or the insured’s beneficiary. It must say which policy and which insurer it covers. It must also say that the policy’s rights will follow and be changed by the rules in this subchapter. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs can ask the applicant, the insured, or the insurer for more information. After the insurer gets the application, the insurer must send a report about the policy to the Secretary under the Secretary’s rules. Once an application is filed, the insured and the insurer are treated as if they agreed to any policy changes needed to make these rules work.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §3973

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An application for protection under this subchapter shall—
(1)be in writing and signed by the insured, the insured’s legal representative, or the insured’s beneficiary, as the case may be;
(2)identify the policy and the insurer; and
(3)include an acknowledgement that the insured’s rights under the policy are subject to and modified by the provisions of this subchapter.
(b)The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may require additional information from the applicant, the insured and the insurer to determine if the policy is entitled to protection under this subchapter.
(c)Upon receipt of the application of the insured, the insurer shall furnish a report concerning the policy to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs as required by regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(d)Upon application for protection under this subchapter, the insured and the insurer shall have constructively agreed to any policy modification necessary to give this title full force and effect.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 543 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 403 of act Oct. 17, 1940, ch. 888, art. IV, 54 Stat. 1184; Oct. 6, 1942, ch. 581, § 13, 56 Stat. 775; Pub. L. 102–12, § 9(14), Mar. 18, 1991, 105 Stat. 40, related to determination of policies entitled to protection, notice to parties, and lapse of policies for nonpayment of premiums, prior to the general amendment of this Act by Pub. L. 108–189. See section 3974 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable to any case not final before Dec. 19, 2003, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108–189, set out as a note under section 3901 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 3973

Title 50War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73