DEATH BENEFITS STUDY.

SEC. 647. DEATH BENEFITS STUDY.(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—(1) the sacrifices made by the members of the Armed Forces are significant and are worthy of meaningful expressions of gratitude by the United States, especially in cases of sacrifice through loss of life;(2) the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and subsequent worldwide combat operations in the Global War on Terrorism and in Operation Iraqi Freedom have highlighted the significant disparity between the financial benefits for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces and the financial benefits for survivors of civilian victims of terrorism;(3) the death benefits system composed of the death gratuity paid by the Department of Defense to survivors of members of the Armed Forces, the subsequently established Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program, and other benefits for survivors of deceased members has evolved over time, but there are increasing indications that the evolution of such benefits has failed to keep pace with the expansion of indemnity and compensation available to segments of United States society outside the Armed Forces, a failure that is especially apparent in a comparison of the benefits for survivors of deceased members with the compensation provided to families of civilian victims of terrorism; and(4) while the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program provides an assured source of life insurance for members of the Armed Forces that benefits the survivors of such members upon death, that program requires servicemembers to pay for that life insurance coverage and does not provide an assured minimum benefit.(b) Study Required.—The Secretary of Defense shall carry out a study of the totality of all current and projected death benefits for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces to determine the adequacy of such benefits. In carrying out the study, the Secretary shall—(1) compare the Federal death benefits for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces with—(A) commercial and other private sector death benefits plans for segments of United States society outside the Armed Forces; and(B) the benefits available under Public Law 107–37 (115 Stat. 219) (commonly known as the “Public Safety Officer Benefits Bill”);(2) assess the personnel policy effects that would result from a revision of the death gratuity benefit to provide a stratified schedule of entitlement amounts that places a premium on deaths resulting from participation in combat or from acts of terrorism;117 STAT. 1521(3) assess the adequacy of the current system of Survivor Benefit Plan annuities under title 10, United States Code, and dependency and indemnity compensation under title 38, United States Code, and the anticipated effects (if any) of an elimination of the offset of Survivor Benefit Plan annuities by dependency and indemnity compensation payments;(4) examine the commercial insurability of members of the Armed Forces in high-risk military occupational specialties; and(5) examine the extent to which private trusts and foundations engage in fundraising or otherwise provide financial benefits for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces.(c) Report.—Not later than March 1, 2004, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the results of the study under subsection (b). The report shall include the following:(1) The assessments, analyses, and conclusions resulting from the study.(2) Proposed legislation to address the deficiencies in the system of Federal death benefits for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces that are identified in the course of the study.(3) An estimate of the costs of the system of death benefits provided for in the proposed legislation.(d) Comptroller General Study.—The Comptroller General shall conduct a study to identify the death benefits that are payable under Federal, State, and local laws for employees of the United States, State governments, and local governments. Not later than March 1, 2004, the Comptroller General shall submit a report containing the results of the study to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives.