Sec. 887.204.  RENEWAL OR REINSTATEMENT OF INSURANCE CERTIFICATE.  (a)  If an insurance certificate terminates for any reason and the association's rules provide that a reinstated certificate is regarded as a new certificate, an application for reinstatement must state in at least 10-point type that:
(1)  the same rules that apply to the original certificate apply to the reinstated certificate;  and
(2)  the association may invalidate the certificate within the contestable period for a false statement regarding the applicant's health or physical condition or another matter material to the risk.
(b)  On reinstatement of an insurance certificate, an association shall send to the certificate holder by first class mail a copy of the application for reinstatement.  The burden of proof is on the association to prove that the association mailed the application.
(c)  If a renewal insurance certificate is issued after termination of an insurance certificate, the association shall attach to the renewal insurance certificate a copy of the application for reinstatement.  The application is part of the renewal insurance certificate.
(d)  If an association renews or reinstates an insurance certificate after termination of the certificate, the association shall divide the reinstated member's payments between the funds in the same percentage as is required of regular payments in the association's bylaws, except that if the period between termination and reinstatement is nine months or longer, the association may:
(1)  charge a reinstatement fee not greater than the membership fee;  and
(2)  place the fee in the expense fund.
(e)  A renewal or reinstatement certificate may not be contestable for any cause except nonpayment of assessments for a period longer than six months from the date of renewal or reinstatement, except that if the renewal or reinstatement occurs within the certificate's original two-year contestable period, the contestable period may be extended for six months from the date it would have originally expired.
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1419, Sec. 1, eff. June 1, 2003.