38 U.S.C. § 1967 — Persons insured; amount

(a) (1) Unless a member^* makes an election under paragraph (2), a policy bought by the Secretary^* under section 1966 automatically insures these people against death:
(A) For a uniformed-service member on active duty^*, other than active duty for training^*: (i) the member; and (ii) each insurable dependent, except a dependent who is also a uniformed-service member and is automatically insured because of that membership.
(B) Any uniformed-service member on active duty for training or on inactive duty training^* scheduled in advance by competent authority.
(C) For a Ready Reserve^* member who meets the qualifications in section 1965(5)(B) or (C): (i) the member; and (ii) each insurable dependent, except a dependent who is also a uniformed-service member and is automatically insured because of that membership.
(2) (A) A member may make a written election not to be insured under this subchapter. (B) A member may make a written election not to insure the member’s spouse^*.
(3) (A) Subject to (B), (C), and (D), the coverage amount is: (i) member—$500,000; (ii) spouse—$100,000; (iii) child^*—$10,000. (B) A member may make a written election for a smaller amount for the member or spouse. The member may not choose less than $10,000 for a child. A member’s chosen amount must be evenly divisible by $50,000; a spouse’s chosen amount must be evenly divisible by $10,000. (C) A spouse’s coverage may never exceed the member’s coverage. (D) If a member elected no coverage or less than the maximum and is deployed to a combat theater, the member has the maximum coverage during the deployment. After the deployment, coverage returns to the elected amount, or ends if the member elected no coverage.
(4) (A) A member’s insurable dependent is not insured unless the member is insured. (B) A child may not be insured at the same time through more than one member. If more than one member could cover the child, the child is covered by the member who first became eligible, unless that member lacks legal custody; then the member with legal custody covers the child.
(5) Coverage begins on the latest of: (A) the first day of active duty or active duty for training; (B) the start of scheduled inactive duty training; (C) the first day a Ready Reserve member meets section 1965(5)(B) or (C); (D) the date the Secretary certifies to the Secretary concerned^* that coverage for the relevant class or group begins; (E) for a spouse, the marriage date; or (F) for a child, the birth date, or, if not the member’s natural child, the date the child becomes an insurable dependent.
(b) A member who has not elected out of coverage is treated as having been on the relevant kind of duty and insured when a disability was incurred or aggravated if: (1) competent authority authorized or required the member to undertake fewer than 31 days of active duty, active duty for training, or scheduled inactive duty training; and (2) the member became uninsurable at standard rates under the Secretary’s approved good-health standards, or died within 120 days afterward, because of a disability incurred while traveling directly to or from that duty. If death occurs within 120 days from that disability, the member is treated as insured at death. The decision considers the call or order, authorizations, travel times, expected arrival or end of duty, travel method and itinerary, how the travel occurred, and the immediate cause of disability or death. A claimant has the burden of proof.
(c) If an eligible person is uninsured, or has less than the maximum because of a member’s election, the person may later receive the maximum or a lesser elected amount if the member applies in writing, each person to be insured other than a child proves good health, and the Secretary’s other conditions are met. A former member who has Veterans’ Group Life Insurance and declines Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance only to keep the former coverage automatically receives Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance when the former coverage ends, if otherwise eligible.
(d) When a member can elect no coverage or less than the maximum, and at other times the Secretary concerned considers appropriate, that Secretary must give the member general life-insurance information. It must cover: (1) life insurance’s purpose and role in financial planning; (2) term versus whole life insurance; (3) commercial life insurance availability; and (4) the relationship between Servicemembers’ and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance.
(e) The effective date and time of a change in Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance benefits use the date and time in the time zone immediately west of the International Date Line.
(f) (1) If a married eligible member elects not to be insured, the Secretary concerned must notify the spouse in writing. (2) If a married insured member’s spouse is a beneficiary and the member first elects less than the maximum for the member, or later makes an election that reduces the coverage from the immediately preceding amount, the Secretary concerned must notify the spouse in writing. (3) If a married insured member names someone other than the spouse or a child as beneficiary, the Secretary concerned must notify the spouse in writing. No new notice is required if the spouse already received notice under this paragraph and was not a beneficiary immediately before the new designation. (4) A good-faith effort to send the information to the spouse’s last address in the Secretary’s records satisfies the notice requirement. Late or missing notice does not invalidate an election or beneficiary designation.