(a) What is a premium? A premium is a payment that a policyholder is required to make for an insurance policy.

(b) How can policyholders pay premiums? Premiums can be paid by:

(1) Cash, check, or money order directly to VA.

(2) Allotment from service or retirement pay.

(3) Automatic deduction from VA benefits (pension, compensation or insurance dividends (see §8.4)).

(4) Pre-authorized debit from a checking account.

(c) When should policyholders pay premiums?

(1) Unless premiums are paid in advance, policyholders must pay premiums on the effective date shown on the policy and on the same date of each following month. This is called the “due date.”

(2) Policyholders may pay premiums quarterly, semi-annually, or annually in advance.

(d) What happens if a policyholder does not pay a premium on time?

(1) When a policyholder pays a premium within 31 days from the “due date,” the policy remains in force. This 31-day period is called a “grace period.” If the insured dies within the 31-day grace period, VA deducts the unpaid premium from the amount of insurance payable.

(2) If a policyholder pays a premium after the 31-day grace period, VA will not accept the payment and the policy lapses effective the date the premium was due; Except that VA will accept a premium paid after the 31-day grace period as a timely payment if:

(i) The policyholder pays the premium within 61 days of the due date; and

(ii) The policyholder is alive at the time the payment is mailed.

(3) When a policyholder pays the premium by mail, the postmark date is the date of payment.

(4) When a policyholder pays a premium by check or money order which is not honored and it is shown by satisfactory evidence that:

[65 FR 7437, Feb. 15, 2000]