NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Washington, DC – Lane Evans of Illinois, Democratic Leader of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, today commended the Veterans Benefits Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for permitting the public to conduct a search on its web site for VA insurance policyholders and beneficiaries it cannot locate. The web site -- http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/ins/index.htm -- allows such persons to conduct a simple user-friendly database search, and identify themselves as the persons due money returned to VA as undeliverable.

Evans notes that this search is not related to the recurring "VA dividend" hoax, in which rumors circulate about a bogus "special dividend" on government life insurance for all veterans. "These are legitimate payments owed to present and former policyholders and their beneficiaries," Evans says.

To whom are unclaimed insurance funds owed? VA owes money to certain current and former VA life insurance policyholders and their beneficiaries. The money is owed to individuals whom VA has been unable to locate in order to make payment. The insurance policies involved are/were under the following programs:

Insurance Program                          Policy numbers begin with the letters...

United States Government Life             K

National Service Life Insurance            N or V

Veterans Special Life Insurance            RS or W

Veterans Reopened Insurance               J or JR or JS

Why is VA holding this money? This money represents insurance proceeds, dividend checks and premium refunds that were originally mailed to policyholders and beneficiaries and returned to VA as undeliverable by the Post Office. VA holds this money until it can locate the policyholder. Some of these payments have been held for many years.

What information can you get about unclaimed insurance funds from this site? This site contains a record of monies owed to individuals by name only. Searchers can look for debts owed to them or to relatives. However, even if there is a record under the name that is entered, the money may actually belong to someone else with the same name. People who find that there is a record of money owed to someone with the name that they enter will be asked to contact the VA Insurance Center and supply additional identifying information to ensure that the money is definitely theirs before it can be released.

"I’m glad to see this sort of initiative out of VA to clear up its books," Evans says, "and to find veterans and their relatives who have money owed to them. This is a useful service, and an indicator of the Veterans Benefits Administration getting its house in order."