FEES AND EXPENSES

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you will pay when buying, owning, and surrendering the Contract. The first table describes the fees and charges that you will pay at the time you buy the Contract, take a withdrawal from or surrender the Contract, or transfer amounts among the Sub-Accounts and/or the Guaranteed Account. We may also deduct state premium taxes, if applicable.

⁽¹⁾   Protective Life currently does not charge this Transfer Fee, but reserves the right to do so in the future. (See "Charges and Deductions.")

⁽²⁾   Some states impose premium taxes at rates currently ranging up to 3.5%. If premium taxes apply to your Contract, we will deduct them from the Purchase Payment(s) when accepted or from the Contract Value upon a surrender or withdrawal, death or annuitization.

⁽³⁾   The surrender charge is based upon Purchase Payments as of the date each Purchase Payment is applied to the Contract, and decreases over time. The total of surrender charges assessed will not exceed 9% of aggregate Purchase Payments. The surrender charge declines over time. (See "Determining the Surrender Charge.")

The next table describes the fees and expenses that you will pay periodically during the time that you own the Contract, not including Fund fees and expenses.

Optional Benefit Charges

⁽¹⁾   We will waive the annual contract maintenance fee if your Contract Value or aggregate Purchase Payments, reduced by surrenders and surrender charges, is $100,000 or more (See "Charges and Deductions.")

⁽²⁾   There are two death benefits available under the Contract: (1) Contract Value Death Benefit; and (2) the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit. There is no death benefit fee for the Contract Value Death Benefit. For more information on these death benefit values and fees, and how they are calculated, please see the "DEATH BENEFIT" and "Charges and Deductions, Death Benefit Fee" sections of this prospectus. The Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit may not be available through your broker-dealer.

The next table shows the minimum and maximum total operating expenses charged by the Funds that you may pay periodically during the time that you own the Contract. More detail concerning each Fund's fees and expenses is contained in the prospectus for each Fund.

The Fund expenses used to prepare the next table were provided to Protective Life by the Funds. The expenses shown are based on expenses incurred for the year ended December 31, 2013. Current or future expenses may be higher or lower than those shown.

SUMMARY

The Contract

What is the Protective Variable Annuity Investors Series Contract?

The Protective Variable Annuity Investors Series Contract is an individual flexible premium deferred variable and fixed annuity contract issued by Protective Life. (See "The Contract.")

What are the Company's obligations under the Contract?

The benefits under the Contract are paid by us from our general account assets and/or your Contract Value held in the Variable Account. You assume all of the investment risk for Purchase Payments and Contract Value allocated to the Sub-Accounts of the Variable Account, which is not part of our general account. Our general account assets support our insurance and annuity obligations and are subject to our general liabilities from business operations and to claims by our creditors. Because amounts allocated to the Fixed Account and the DCA Accounts, plus any guarantees under the Contract that exceed your Variable Account value (such as those associated with the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit), are paid from our general account, any amounts that we may pay under the Contract in excess of Variable Account value are subject to our financial strength and claims-paying ability.

It is important to note that there is no guarantee that we will always be able to meet our claims-paying obligations, and there are risks to purchasing any insurance product. For this reason, you should consider our financial strength and claims paying ability to meet our obligations under the Contract when purchasing a Contract and making investment decisions under the Contract.

How may I purchase a Contract?

Protective Life sells the Contracts through registered representatives of broker-dealers. We pay commissions and other compensation to the broker-dealers for selling the Contracts. (See "Distribution of the Contracts.")

Protective Life will issue your Contract when it receives and accepts your complete application information and an initial Purchase Payment through the broker-dealer you have selected. (See "Issuance of a Contract.")

What are the Purchase Payments?

The minimum amount that Protective Life will accept as an initial Purchase Payment is $5,000. Purchase Payments may be made at any time prior to the oldest Owner's or Annuitant's 86th birthday. No Purchase Payment will be accepted within 3 years of the Annuity Date then in effect. The minimum subsequent Purchase Payment we will accept is $100, or $50 if the payment is made by electronic funds transfer. The maximum aggregate Purchase Payment(s) we will accept without prior Administrative Office approval is $1,000,000. We may impose conditions for our acceptance of aggregate Purchase Payments greater than $1,000,000, such as limiting the death benefit options that are available under your Contract. We reserve the right not to accept any Purchase Payment or to limit the amounts, frequency or sources of subsequent Purchase Payments into all or certain classes of Contracts following written notice to Contract Owners. (See "Purchase Payments.")

Can I cancel the Contract?

You have the right to return the Contract within a certain number of days (which varies by state and is never less than ten) after you receive it. The returned Contract will be treated as if it were never issued. Protective Life will refund the Contract Value in states where permitted. This amount may be more or less than the Purchase Payments. In states requiring the return of Purchase Payments, we will refund the greater of the Contract Value or the Purchase Payments. (See "Right to Cancel.")

Can I transfer amounts in the Contract?

Before the Annuity Date, you may transfer amounts among the Investment Options. There are, however, limitations on transfers: any transfer must be at least $100; no amounts may be transferred into a DCA Account.

No amounts may be transferred to the Fixed Account within six months after any transfer from the Guaranteed Account to the Variable Account; transfers out of the Fixed Account are limited to the greater of (a) $2,500 or (b) 25% of the value of the Fixed Account in any Contract Year.

We reserve the right to charge a transfer fee of $25 for each transfer after the 12th transfer in any Contract Year; we may restrict or refuse to honor transfers when we determine that they may be detrimental to the Funds or Contract Owners, such as frequent transfers and market timing transfers by or on behalf of an Owner or group of Owners. (See "Transfers.")

Can I surrender the Contract?

Upon Written Notice before the Annuity Date, you may surrender the Contract and receive its surrender value. (See "Surrenders and Withdrawals.") Surrenders may have federal and state income tax consequences, as well as a 10% federal penalty tax if the surrender occurs before the Owner reaches age 59 ¹ / ₂ , and surrender charges may apply. (See "Charges and Deductions, Surrender Charge" and "Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders.")

Can I withdraw my money from the Contract?

Any time before the Annuity Date, you may request by Written Notice a withdrawal from your Contract provided the Contract Value remaining after the withdrawal is at least $5,000. Under certain conditions we may also accept withdrawals requested by facsimile and telephone. You also may elect to participate in our automatic withdrawal plan, which allows you to pre-authorize periodic withdrawals prior to the Annuity Date. (See "Surrenders and Withdrawals.") Withdrawals may be available under certain Annuity Options. (See "Annuity Payments — Annuity Options.") Withdrawals reduce your Contract Value and death benefit. Surrender charges and federal and state income taxes may apply, as well as a 10% federal penalty tax if the withdrawal occurs before the Owner reaches age 59 ¹ / ₂ . (See "Charges and Deductions, Surrender Charge" and "Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders.")

Is there a death benefit?

If any Owner dies before the Annuity Date and while this Contract is in force, a death benefit, less any applicable premium tax, will be payable to the Beneficiary. The death benefit is determined as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive due proof of the Owner's death at our Administrative Office. (See "Death Benefit.")

The Contract Value Death Benefit is included with your Contract at no additional charge. You may select the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit for an additional fee. You must select your death benefit at the time you apply for your Contract, and your selection may not be changed after the Contract is issued. See "Charges and Deductions, Death Benefit Fee."

The Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit may not be available through your broker-dealer.

What is the Allocation Adjustment Program (patent pending)?

Under the Allocation Adjustment Program, we will monitor the performance of each Sub-Account in which you invest (other than certain unmonitored Sub-Accounts). If, on any Monthly Anniversary Date, the Accumulation Unit value of a Sub-Account is the same as or drops below a specified level, the Sub-Account will be temporarily "restricted" from allocations of Purchase Payments and Contract Value and we will transfer all existing Contract Value in the Sub-Account to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account. The Sub-Account will remain restricted until the Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value is greater than the specified level on a future Monthly Anniversary Date. By participating in this risk-mitigating program, you may be less susceptible to the impact of volatile market fluctuations in the value of Sub-Account Accumulation Units. However, we make no guarantee that this program will protect against loss. Also, this program may limit increases in your Contract Value during periods of growth in the market.

The Allocation Adjustment Program is optional and is available at no additional charge. You must elect whether you will or will not participate in the Allocation Adjustment Program when you purchase the Contract. If you do not indicate your election on your application, we will treat the application as incomplete. If you elect not to enroll in the Allocation Adjustment Program on the Issue Date, you may enroll in the Program at any time prior to the Annuity Date by sending us Written Notice. If you are enrolled in the Allocation Adjustment Program, you may subsequently suspend your participation in the Program. For more information on the Allocation Adjustment Program, please see "Allocation Adjustment Program."

What charges do I pay under the Contract?

We assess a surrender charge if you withdraw or surrender your Purchase Payments from the Contract, depending on how long those payments were invested in the Contract. We may waive the surrender charge under certain circumstances. We apply a charge to the daily net asset value of the Variable Account that consists of a mortality and expense risk charge and an administration charge. We do not currently impose a transfer fee, but we reserve the right

to charge a $25 fee for the 13 ^th and each additional transfer during any Contract Year. We also deduct a contract maintenance fee from your Contract Value on each Contract Anniversary prior to the Annuity Date and on any other day that you surrender your Contract. We may waive the contract maintenance fee under certain circumstances. We also deduct from your Contract Value charges for any optional benefits and riders applicable to your Contract, such as the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit.

We will deduct any applicable state premium tax from Purchase Payments or Contract Value if premium taxes apply to your Contract. The Funds' investment management fees and other operating expenses are more fully described in the prospectuses for the Funds.

(See the "Fees and Expenses" tables preceding this Summary and the "Charges and Deductions" section later in this prospectus.)

What Annuity Options are available?

Currently, we apply the Annuity Value to an Annuity Option on the Annuity Date, unless you choose to receive that amount in a lump sum. Annuity Options include: payments for a certain period and life income with or without payments for a certain period. Annuity Options are available on either a fixed or variable payment basis. (See "Annuity Payments".)

Is the Contract available for qualified retirement plans?

You may purchase the Contract for use within certain qualified retirement plans or arrangements that receive favorable tax treatment, such as individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities (IRAs), and pension and profit sharing plans (including H.R. 10 Plans). Many of these qualified plans, including IRAs, provide the same type of tax deferral as provided by the Contract. The Contract, however, provides a number of benefits and features not provided by such retirement plans or arrangements alone. There are costs and expenses under the Contract related to these benefits and features. You should consult a qualified tax or financial adviser for information specific to your circumstances to determine whether the use of the Contract within a qualified retirement plan is an appropriate investment for you. (See "Description of the Contract, The Contract," and "Federal Tax Matters, Qualified Retirement Plans.")

Where may I find financial information about the Sub-Accounts?

You may find financial information about the Sub-Accounts in Appendix D to this prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information.

Other contracts

We offer other types of annuity contracts and insurance policies that also invest in the same Funds in which your Contract invests. These other types of contracts and policies may have different charges that could affect the value of their Sub-Accounts and may offer different benefits than the Contract. To obtain more information about these other contracts and policies, you may contact our Administrative Office in writing or by telephone.

Federal Tax Status

Generally all earnings on the investments underlying the Contract are tax-deferred until withdrawn or until annuity income payments begin. A distribution from a non-Qualified Contract, which includes a surrender or withdrawal or payment of a death benefit, will generally result in taxable income if there has been an increase in the Contract Value. In the case of a Qualified Contract, a distribution generally will result in taxable income even if there has not been an increase in the Contract Value. In certain circumstances, a 10% penalty tax may also apply to distributions from non-Qualified as well as Qualified Contracts. All amounts includable in income with respect to the Contract are taxed as ordinary income; no amounts are taxed at the special lower rates applicable to long term capital gains and corporate dividends. (See "Federal Tax Matters.")

THE COMPANY, VARIABLE ACCOUNT AND FUNDS

Protective Life Insurance Company

The Contracts are issued by Protective Life. Protective Life is a Tennessee corporation and was founded in 1907. Protective Life provides life insurance, annuities, and guaranteed investment contracts. Protective Life is currently licensed to transact life insurance business in 49 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2013, Protective Life had total assets of approximately $68.3 billion. Protective Life is the principal operating subsidiary of Protective Life Corporation ("PLC"), an insurance holding company whose stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. PLC, a Delaware corporation, had total assets of approximately $68.8 billion at December 31, 2013.

The assets of Protective Life's general account support its insurance and annuity obligations and are subject to its general liabilities from business operations and to claims by its creditors. Because amounts allocated to the Fixed Account and the DCA Accounts, plus any guarantees under the Contract that exceed your Variable Account value (such as those associated with the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit), are paid from Protective Life's general account, any amounts that Protective Life may pay under the Contract in excess of Variable Account value are subject to its financial strength and claims-paying ability. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that Protective Life will always be able to meet its claims-paying obligations, and that there are risks to purchasing any insurance product. For this reason, you should consider Protective Life's financial strength and claims paying ability to meet its obligations under the Contract when purchasing a Contract and making investment decisions under the Contract.

Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account

The Protective Variable Annuity Separate Account is a separate investment account of Protective Life. The Variable Account was established under Tennessee law by the Board of Directors of Protective Life on October 11, 1993. The Variable Account is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") as a unit investment trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and meets the definition of a separate account under federal securities laws.

Protective Life owns the assets of the Variable Account. These assets are held separate from other assets and are not part of Protective Life's general account. You assume all of the investment risk for Purchase Payments and Contract Value allocated to the Sub-Accounts. Your Contract Value in the Sub-Accounts is part of the assets of the Variable Account. The portion of the assets of the Variable Account equal to the reserves and other contract liabilities (which is equal to Contract Value) of the Variable Account will not be charged with liabilities that arise from any other business Protective Life conducts. Protective Life may transfer to its general account any assets which exceed the reserves and other contract liabilities (which is equal to Contract Value) of the Variable Account. Protective Life may accumulate in the Variable Account the charge for mortality and expense risks and investment results applicable to those assets that are in excess of the net assets supporting the contracts. The income, gains and losses, both realized and unrealized, from the assets of the Variable Account are credited to or charged against the Variable Account without regard to any other income, gains or losses of Protective Life. The obligations under the Contracts are obligations of Protective Life.

Administration

Protective Life Insurance Company performs the Contract administration at its Administrative Office at 2801 Highway 280 South, Birmingham, Alabama 35223. Contract administration includes processing applications for the Contracts and subsequent Owner requests; processing Purchase Payments, transfers, surrenders and death benefit claims as well as performing record maintenance and disbursing annuity income payments.

The Funds

The assets of each Sub-Account are invested solely in a corresponding Fund. Each Fund is an investment portfolio of one of the following investment companies: Fidelity ^® Variable Insurance Products managed by Fidelity Management & Research Company and subadvised by FMR Co., Inc., Strategic Advisors, Inc., or Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc.; Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds managed by OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; MFS ^® Variable Insurance Trust ^SM managed by MFS Investment Management; MFS ^® Variable Insurance Trust II (the "MFS II Funds") managed by MFS Investment Management; Lord Abbett Series Fund, Inc., managed by Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC; Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC, and sub-advised by ClearBridge Advisors, LLC; PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust advised by Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC, and sub-advised by Research Affiliates, LLC; Royce Capital Fund advised by Royce & Associates, LLC; Guggenheim Variable Fund and Rydex Variable Trust managed by Guggenheim Investments; and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management L.P. or Goldman Sachs Asset Management International. Franklin Advisers, Inc. is the investment adviser for the Franklin Flex Cap Growth VIP Fund, Franklin Income VIP Fund, Franklin Small-Mid Cap Growth VIP Fund, Franklin U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund and the Templeton Global Bond VIP Fund. Franklin Advisory Services, LLC is the investment adviser for Franklin Rising Dividends VIP Fund and the Franklin Small Cap Value VIP Fund. Franklin Mutual Advisers, LLC is the investment adviser for the Franklin Mutual Shares VIP Fund. Templeton Investment Counsel, LLC is investment adviser for Templeton Foreign VIP Fund. Templeton Global Advisors Limited is investment adviser for Templeton Growth VIP Fund. Templeton Asset Management Ltd. is the investment adviser for the Templeton Developing Markets VIP Fund. Invesco Advisers, Inc. is the investment adviser for AIM Variable Insurance Funds (Invesco Variable Insurance Funds). The Invesco V.I. Balanced Risk Allocation Fund is subadvised by Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH. Shares of these funds are offered only to:

(1)  the Variable Account;

(2)  other separate accounts of Protective Life and its affiliates supporting variable annuity contracts or variable life insurance policies;

(3)  separate accounts of other life insurance companies supporting variable annuity contracts or variable life insurance policies; and

(4)  certain qualified retirement plans.

Such shares are not offered directly to investors but are available only through the purchase of such contracts or policies or through such plans. See the prospectus for each Fund for details about that Fund.

Certain Funds employ investment strategies designed to manage exposure to volatility in the equity markets. Allocating Purchase Payments and Contract Value to a Sub-Account investing in one of these Funds may have the effect of mitigating declines in your Contract Value in the event of a significant decline in equity market valuations; however, the strategies followed by the Funds, if successful, will also generally result in your Contract Value increasing to a lesser degree than the equity markets, or decreasing, when the values of equity investments are stable or rising. As a result, you may not benefit from some or all of the increases in equity market values under your Contract and could also result in a decrease in your Contract Value. In addition, there is no guarantee that the Funds' strategies will have their intended effect, or that they will work as effectively as is intended.

There is no guarantee that any Fund will meet its investment objectives. Please refer to the prospectus for each of the Funds you are considering for more information. You may obtain a prospectus for any of the Funds by contacting Protective Life or by asking your investment advisor. You should read the Funds' prospectuses carefully before making any decision concerning the allocation of Purchase Payments or transfers among the Sub-Accounts.

AIM Variable Insurance Funds (Invesco Variable Insurance Funds)

Invesco V.I. American Value Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to provide above-average total return over a market cycle of three to five years by investing in common stocks and other equity securities.

Invesco V.I. Balanced Risk Allocation Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is total return with a low to moderate correlation to traditional financial market indices.

Invesco V.I. Comstock Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital growth and income through investment in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks and securities convertible into common and preferred stocks.

Invesco V.I. Equity and Income Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objectives are both capital appreciation and current income.

Invesco V.I. Growth and Income Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek long-term growth of capital and income.

Invesco V.I. Mid Cap Growth Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital growth.

Invesco V.I. Government Securities Fund, Series II Shares. The Fund's investment objective is total return, comprised of current income and capital appreciation.

Invesco V.I. Global Real Estate Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is total return through growth of capital and current income.

Invesco V.I. Small Cap Equity Fund, Series II Shares. The Fund's investment objective is long-term growth of capital.

Invesco V.I. International Growth Fund, Series II Shares. This Fund's investment objective is long-term growth of capital.

Fidelity ^® Variable Insurance Products

VIP Contrafund ^® Portfolio, Service Class 2. This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

VIP Index 500 Portfolio, Service Class 2. This Fund seeks investment results that correspond to the total return of common stocks publicly traded in the United States, as represented by the S&P 500 ^® Index.

VIP Investment Grade Bond Portfolio, Service Class 2. This Fund seeks as high a level of current income as is consistent with the preservation of capital.

VIP MidCap Portfolio, Service Class 2. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust

Franklin Flex Cap Growth VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin Flex Cap Growth Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests predominantly in equity securities of companies that the investment manager believes have the potential for capital appreciation.

Franklin Income VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin Income Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks to maximize income while maintaining prospects for capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests in both equity and debt securities.

Franklin Rising Dividends VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin Rising Dividends Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation, with preservation of capital as an important consideration. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of financially sound companies that have paid rising dividends.

Franklin Small Cap Value VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin Small Cap Value Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term total return. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in investments of small capitalization companies.

Franklin Small-Mid Cap Growth VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin Small-Mid Cap Growth Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term capital growth. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in investments of small capitalization and mid capitalization companies.

Franklin U.S. Government Securities VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Franklin U.S. Government Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks income. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. government securities.

Franklin Mutual Shares VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Mutual Shares Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks capital appreciation, with income as a secondary goal. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests primarily in U.S. and foreign equity securities that the investment manager believes are undervalued.

Templeton Foreign VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Templeton Foreign Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term capital growth. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in investments of issuers located outside the U.S., including those in emerging markets.

Templeton Developing Markets VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Templeton Developing Markets Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in emerging markets investments.

Templeton Global Bond VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Templeton Global Bond Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks high current income, consistent with preservation of capital, with capital appreciation as a secondary consideration. Under normal market conditions, this Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in bonds, which include debt securities of any maturity, such as bonds, notes, bills and debentures.

Templeton Growth VIP Fund, Class 2 (formerly Templeton Growth Securities Fund, Class 2). This Fund seeks long-term capital growth. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests predominantly in equity securities of companies located anywhere in the world, including emerging markets.

Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust

Strategic Growth Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Global Markets Navigator Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks to achieve investment results that approximate the performance of the GS Global Markets Navigator Index.

Growth Opportunities Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Mid Cap Value Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Strategic International Equity Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Guggenheim Variable Fund

Guggenheim Floating Rate Strategies Series (Series F). This Fund seeks a high level of current income while maximizing total return.

Guggenheim Macro Opportunities Series (Series M). This Fund seeks total return, comprised of current income and capital appreciation.

Guggenheim Multi-Hedge Strategies Fund. This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation with less risk than traditional equity funds.

Guggenheim Global Managed Futures Strategy Fund. This Fund seeks to generate positive total return over time.

Guggenheim US Long Short Equity Fund. This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust

ClearBridge Variable Mid Cap Core Fund, Class II. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Fund, Class II. This fund seeks long-term growth of capital.

Legg Mason Dynamic Multi-Strategy VIT Fund, Class II. The fund seeks the highest total return (that is, a combination of income and long-term capital appreciation) over time consistent with its asset mix. The fund will seek to reduce volatility as a secondary objective.

Lord Abbett Series Fund, Inc.

Fundamental Equity Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is long-term growth of capital and income without excessive fluctuations in market value.

Calibrated Dividend Growth Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is to seek current income and capital appreciation.

Bond-Debenture Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is to seek high current income and the opportunity for capital appreciation to produce a high total return.

Growth Opportunities Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is capital appreciation.

Classic Stock Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is growth of capital and growth of income consistent with reasonable risk.

Mid-Cap Stock Portfolio, Value Class. The Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation through investments, primarily in equity securities, which are believed to be undervalued in the marketplace.

MFS ^® Variable Insurance Trust

MFS Growth Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS Investors Growth Stock Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS Investors Trust Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS New Discovery Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS Research Bond Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund seeks total return with an emphasis on current income, but also considering capital appreciation.

MFS Research Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS Total Return Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek total return.

MFS Utilities Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek total return.

MFS Value Series, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS ^® Variable Insurance Trust II

MFS Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

MFS International Value Portfolio, Service Class Shares. This Fund's investment objective is to seek capital appreciation.

Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds

Capital Appreciation Fund/VA, Service Shares. This Fund seeks capital appreciation.

Global Fund/VA, Service Shares. This Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing a substantial portion of its assets in securities of foreign issuers, "growth type" companies, cyclical industries and special situations that are considered to have appreciation possibilities.

Main Street Fund/VA, Service Shares. This Fund seeks capital appreciation.

Money Fund/VA. This Fund seeks maximum current income from investments in "money market" securities consistent with low capital risk and the maintenance of liquidity. An investment in the Money Fund/VA is not a deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The yield of this Fund may become very low during periods of low interest rates. After deduction of Variable Account charges, the yield in the Sub-Account that invests in this Fund could be negative.

Global Strategic Income Fund/VA, Service Shares. This Fund seeks a high level of current income principally derived from interest on debt securities.

PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust

All Asset Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management.

Global Diversified Allocation Portfolio, Advisor Class. The Portfolio seeks to maximize risk-adjusted total return relative to a blend of 60% MSCI World Index/40% Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index.

Long-Term US Government Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The Portfolio invests under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of fixed income securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises ("U.S. Government Securities"), which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, future contracts, or swap agreements.

Low Duration Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The average portfolio duration of this Portfolio normally varies from one to three years based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") forecast for interest rates. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates.

Real Return Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum real return, consistent with preservation of real capital and prudent investment management. The Portfolio invests under normal circumstances at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-indexed bonds of varying maturities issued by the U.S. and non-U.S. governments, their agencies or instrumentalities and corporations, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, future contracts or swap agreements.

Short-Term Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity. The average portfolio duration of this Portfolio will vary based on Pacific Investment Management Company LLC's ("PIMCO") forecast for interest rates and will normally not exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

Total Return Portfolio, Advisor Class. This Portfolio seeks maximum total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The Portfolio invests under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements.

Royce Capital Fund

Micro-Cap Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital. Invests primarily in equity securities of micro-cap companies, those with market capitalizations of up to $750 million.

Small-Cap Fund, Service Class. This Fund seeks long-term growth of capital. Invests primarily in equity securities of small-cap companies, those with market capitalizations between $750 million and $2.5 billion.

Rydex Variable Trust

Rydex Nova Fund ⁽¹⁾ . This Fund seeks to provide investment results that match the daily performance, before fees and expenses, of the Fund's current benchmark, which is 150% of the performance of the S&P 500 ^® Index.

Rydex Inverse S&P 500 Strategy Fund ⁽¹⁾ . This Fund seeks to provide investment results that match the daily performance, before fees and expenses, of the Fund's current benchmark, which is the inverse (opposite) of the performance of the S&P 500 ^® Index.

Rydex Inverse Government Long Bond Strategy Fund ⁽¹⁾ . This Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond, to the daily performance, before fees and expenses, to the Fund's current benchmark, which is the inverse (opposite) performance of the Long Treasury Bond.

Rydex Commodities Strategy Fund ⁽¹⁾ . This Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond, to the daily performance, before fees and expenses, to the Fund's current benchmark, which is the S&P GSCITM Commodity Index.

⁽¹⁾   Effective May 1, 2014, the Sub-Account investing in this Rydex Fund is only available to Owners invested in that Sub-Account as of that date. Unless you had Contract Value in this Sub-Account as of April 30, 2014, this Sub-Account is no longer available for the allocation of Purchase Payments or transfer of Contract Value. Transfers of Contract Value include transfers made pursuant to the dollar-cost averaging program, but do not include transfers made pursuant to allocation adjustment or portfolio rebalancing programs. If you had Contract Value in this Sub-Account on April 30, 2014, your Contract Value will remain invested in the Sub-Account and you may continue to allocate Purchase Payments and transfer Contract Value to the Sub-Account, but if you submit new allocation instructions to our Administrative Office where your Contract Value will no longer be invested in this Sub-Account, you will no longer be permitted to allocate Purchase Payments and transfer Contract Value to the Sub-Account. If we receive an application for a Contract with an allocation to the Sub-Account investing in this Rydex fund, we will consider the application to be incomplete and we will attempt to contact the applicant to get revised

instructions. If the applicant does not provide us with revised instructions within five Valuation Days after the Valuation Date on which we first received the initial Purchase Payment, we will return the application and initial Purchase Payment, unless the applicant consents to us retaining the initial Purchase Payment until further instructions are provided. If we receive a Purchase Payment for an existing Contract with an allocation to the Sub-Account investing in this Rydex fund, (other than from an Owner currently invested in the Sub-Account), we will return the applicable portion of the payment to you. If you are not currently invested in the Sub-Account investing in this Rydex fund and you request a transfer of Contract Value to that Sub-Account, we will consider your request to not be in good order, and we will not process it. In such cases, we will contact you for further instructions.

There is no assurance that the stated objectives and policies of any of the Funds will be achieved. More detailed information concerning the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Funds, the expenses of the Funds, the risks attendant to investing in the Funds and other aspects of their operations can be found in the current prospectuses for the Funds and the current Statement of Additional Information for each of the Funds. You may obtain a prospectus or a Statement of Additional Information for any of the Funds by contacting Protective Life or by asking your investment advisor. You should read the Funds' prospectuses carefully before making any decision concerning the allocation of Purchase Payments or transfers among the Sub-Accounts.

Certain Funds may have investment objectives and policies similar to other mutual funds (sometimes having similar names) that are managed by the same investment adviser or manager. The investment results of the Funds, however, may be more or less favorable than the results of such other mutual funds. Protective Life does not guarantee or make any representation that the investment results of any Fund is, or will be, comparable to any other mutual fund, even one with the same investment adviser or manager.

Selection of Funds

We select the Funds offered through the Contracts based on several criteria, including the following:

•  asset class coverage,

•  the strength of the investment adviser's (or sub-adviser's) reputation and tenure,

•  brand recognition,

•  performance,

•  the capability and qualification of each investment firm, and

•  whether our distributors are likely to recommend the Funds to Contract Owners.

Another factor we consider during the selection process is whether the Fund, its adviser, its sub-adviser, or an affiliate will make payments to us or our affiliates. For a discussion of these arrangements, see "Certain Payments We Receive with Regard to the Funds." We also consider whether the Fund, its adviser, sub-adviser, or distributor (or an affiliate) can provide marketing and distribution support for sale of the Contracts. We review each Fund periodically after it is selected. Upon review, we may remove a Fund or restrict allocation of additional Purchase Payments and/or transfers of Contract Value to a Fund if we determine the Fund no longer meets one or more of the criteria and/or if the Fund has not attracted significant contract owner assets. We do not recommend or endorse any particular Fund, and we do not provide investment advice.

Asset Allocation Model Portfolios

Four asset allocation models ("Model Portfolios") are available at no additional charge as investment options under your Contract.

Each Model Portfolio invests different percentages of Contract Value in some or all of the Sub-Accounts under your Contract, and these Model Portfolios range from conservative to aggressive. The Model Portfolios are intended to provide a diversified investment portfolio by combining different asset classes to help you reach your investment goal. Also, while diversification may help reduce overall risk, it does not eliminate the risk of losses and it does not protect against losses in a declining market. There can be no assurance that any of the Model Portfolios will achieve their investment objective.

Pursuant to an agreement with Protective Life, Milliman, Inc., a diversified financial services firm and registered investment adviser, determines the composition of the Model Portfolios and is compensated by Protective for doing so. There is no investment advisory relationship between Milliman and Owners. In the future, Protective may modify or discontinue its arrangement with Milliman, in which case Protective may contract with another firm to provide similar asset allocation models, provide its own asset allocation models, or cease offering asset allocation models.

The available Model Portfolios may change from time to time. In addition, the target asset allocations of these Model Portfolios may vary from time to time in response to market conditions and changes in the portfolio holdings of the Funds in the underlying Sub-Accounts. We will not change your existing Contract Value or Purchase Payment allocation or percentages in response to these changes, however. If you desire to change your Contract Value or Purchase Payment allocation or percentages to reflect a revised or different Model Portfolio, you must submit new allocation instructions to our Administrative Office in writing.

The following is a brief description of the four Model Portfolios currently available. They are more fully described in a separate brochure. Your sales representative can provide additional information about the Model Portfolios and help you select which Model Portfolio, if any, may be suitable for you. Please talk to him or her if you have additional questions about these Model Portfolios.

Conservative Growth portfolio is composed of underlying Sub-Accounts representing a target allocation of approximately 45% in equity and 55% in fixed income investments. The largest of the asset class target allocations are in fixed income, large cap value and mortgages.

Moderate Growth portfolio is composed of underlying Sub-Accounts representing a target allocation of approximately 55% in equity and 45% in fixed income investments. The largest asset class target allocations are in fixed income, large cap value, international equity and large cap growth.

Growth and Income portfolio is composed of underlying Sub-Accounts representing a target allocation of approximately 65% in equity and 35% in fixed income investments. The largest asset class target allocations are in fixed income, international equity, large cap value, and large cap growth.

Aggressive Growth portfolio is composed of underlying Sub-Accounts representing a target allocation of approximately 90% in equity and 10% in fixed income investments. The largest asset class target allocations are in international equity, large cap value, large cap growth and mid cap stocks.

Other Information about the Funds

Each Fund sells its shares to the Variable Account in accordance with the terms of a participation agreement between the appropriate investment company and Protective Life. The termination provisions of these agreements vary. If a participation agreement relating to a Fund terminates, the Variable Account may not be able to purchase additional shares of that Fund. In that event, Owners may no longer be able to allocate Variable Account value or Purchase Payments to Sub-Accounts investing in that Fund. In certain circumstances, it is also possible that a Fund may refuse to sell its shares to the Variable Account despite the fact that the participation agreement relating to that Fund has not been terminated. Should a Fund decide to discontinue selling its shares to the Variable Account, Protective Life would not be able to honor requests from Owners to allocate Purchase Payments or transfer Contract Value to the Sub-Account investing in shares of that Fund.

Certain Payments We Receive with Regard to the Funds

We (and our affiliates) may receive payments from the Funds, their advisers, sub-advisers, and their distributors, or affiliates thereof. These payments are negotiated and thus differ by Fund (sometimes substantially), and the amounts we (or our affiliates) receive may be significant. Proceeds from these payments may be used for any corporate purpose, including payment of expenses that we and our affiliates incur in promoting, marketing, distributing, and administering the Contracts, and, in our role as intermediary, the Funds. We (and our affiliates) may profit from these payments.

12b-1 Fees. We and our affiliate, Investment Distributors, Inc. ("IDI"), the principal underwriter for the Contracts, receive 12b-1 fees from the Funds, their advisers, sub-advisers, and their distributors, or affiliates thereof that are based on a percentage of the average daily net assets of the particular Fund attributable to the Contracts and to certain other variable insurance contracts issued or administered by us (or our affiliate). IDI may pay some or all of the 12b-1 fees it receives to us. Rule 12b-1 fees are paid out of Fund assets as part of the Fund's total annual fund operating expenses. Payments made out of Fund assets will reduce the amount of assets that you otherwise would

have available for investment, and will reduce the return on your investment. The chart below shows the maximum 12b-1 fees we and IDI anticipate we will receive from the Funds on an annual basis:

Payments From Advisers and/or Distributors. As of the date of this prospectus, we (or our affiliates) also receive payments from the investment advisers, sub-advisers, or distributors (or affiliates thereof) of all of the Funds. These payments may be derived, in whole or in part, from the investment advisory fee deducted from Fund assets. Owners, through their indirect investment in the Funds, bear the costs of these investment advisory fees (see the Funds' prospectuses for more information). The amount of the payments we receive is based on a percentage of the average daily net assets of the particular Fund attributable to the Contracts and to certain other variable insurance contracts issued or administered by us (or our affiliate). The payments we receive from the investment advisers, sub-advisers or distributors of the Funds currently range from 0.10% to 0.50% of Fund assets attributable to our variable insurance contracts.

Other Payments. A Fund's adviser, sub-adviser, or distributor or its affiliates may provide us (or our affiliates) and/or broker-dealers that sell the Contracts ("selling firms") with marketing support, may pay us (or our affiliates) and/or selling firms amounts to participate in national and regional sales conferences and meetings with the sales desks, and may occasionally provide us (or our affiliates) and/or selling firms with items of relatively small value, such as promotional gifts, meals, tickets, or other similar items in the normal course of business.

For details about the compensation payments we make in connection with the sale of the Contracts, see "Distribution of the Contracts."

Fund, Rydex Variable Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, monitor events related to their Funds to identify possible material irreconcilable conflicts among and between the interests of the Fund's various investors. There are certain risks associated with mixed and shared funding and with the sale of shares to qualified pension and retirement plans, as disclosed in each Fund's prospectus.

Addition, Deletion or Substitution of Investments

Protective Life reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to make additions to, deletions from, or substitutions for the shares that are held in the Variable Account or that the Variable Account may purchase. If the shares of a Fund are no longer available for investment or if in Protective Life's judgment further investment in any Fund should become inappropriate in view of the purposes of the Variable Account, Protective Life may redeem the shares, if any, of that Fund and substitute shares of another registered open-end management company or unit investment trust. The new funds may have higher fees and charges than the ones they replaced. Protective Life will not substitute any shares attributable to a Contract's interest in the Variable Account without notice and any necessary approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission and state insurance authorities.

Protective Life also reserves the right to establish additional Sub-Accounts of the Variable Account, each of which would invest in shares of a new Fund. Subject to applicable law and any required SEC approval, Protective Life may, in its sole discretion, establish new Sub-Accounts or eliminate one or more Sub-Accounts if marketing needs, tax considerations or investment conditions warrant. We may make any new Sub-Accounts available to existing Owner(s) on a basis we determine. All Sub-Accounts and Funds may not be available to all classes of contracts.

If we make any of these substitutions or changes, Protective Life may by appropriate endorsement change the Contract to reflect the substitution or other change. If Protective Life deems it to be in the best interest of Owners and Annuitants, and subject to any approvals that applicable law may require, we may operate the Variable Account as a management company under the 1940 Act, we may de-register it under that Act if registration is no longer required, or we may combine it with other Protective Life separate accounts. Protective Life reserves the right to make any changes to the Variable Account that the 1940 Act or other applicable law or regulation requires or permits.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTRACT

The following sections describe the Contracts currently being offered.

The Contract

The Protective Variable Annuity Investors Series Contract is an individual flexible premium deferred variable and fixed annuity contract issued by Protective Life.

Use of the Contract in Qualified Plans

You may purchase the Contract on a non-qualified basis. You may also purchase it for use within certain qualified retirement plans or in connection with other employee benefit plans or arrangements that receive favorable tax treatment. Such qualified plans include individual retirement accounts and individual retirement annuities (IRAs), and pension and profit sharing plans (including H.R. 10 Plans). Many of these qualified plans, including IRAs, provide the same type of tax deferral as provided by the Contract. The Contract, however, provides a number of benefits and features not provided by such retirement plans and employee benefit plans or arrangements alone. There are costs and expenses under the Contract related to these benefits and features. You should consult a qualified tax and/or financial adviser regarding the use of the Contract within a Qualified Plan or in connection with other employee benefit plans or arrangements. You should carefully consider the benefits and features provided by the Contract in relation to their costs as they apply to your particular situation.

Parties to the Contract

Owner

The Owner is the person or persons who own the Contract and is entitled to exercise all rights and privileges provided in the Contract. Two persons may own the Contract together. In the case of two Owners, provisions relating to action by the Owner means both Owners acting together. However, Protective Life may accept instructions from one Owner on behalf of both Owners. Protective Life will only issue a Contract prior to each Owner's 86 ^th birthday. Individuals as well as nonnatural persons, such as corporations or trusts, may be Owners. In the case of Owners who are nonnatural persons, age restrictions apply to the Annuitant.

The Owner of this Contract may be changed by Written Notice provided:

(1)  each new Owner's 86 ^th birthday is after the Issue Date; and

(2)  each new Owner's 95 ^th birthday is on or after the Annuity Date.

For a period of 1 year after any change of ownership involving a natural person, the death benefit will equal the Contract Value. Naming a nonnatural person as an Owner or changing the Owner may result in a tax liability. (See "Taxation of Annuities in General.")

Beneficiary

The Beneficiary is the person or persons who may receive the benefits of this Contract upon the death of any Owner.

Primary — The Primary Beneficiary is the surviving Owner, if any. If there is no surviving Owner, the Primary Beneficiary is the person or persons designated by the Owner and named in our records.

Contingent — The Contingent Beneficiary is the person or persons designated by the Owner and named in our records to be Beneficiary if the Primary Beneficiary is not living at the time of the Owner's death.

If no Beneficiary designation is in effect or if no Beneficiary is living at the time of an Owner's death, the Beneficiary will be the estate of the deceased Owner. If any Owner dies on or after the Annuity Date, the Beneficiary will become the new Owner.

Unless designated irrevocably, the Owner may change the Beneficiary by Written Notice prior to the death of any Owner. An irrevocable Beneficiary is one whose written consent is needed before the Owner can change the Beneficiary designation or exercise certain other rights. In the case of certain Qualified Contracts, Treasury Department regulations prescribe certain limitations on the designation of a Beneficiary.

Annuitant

The Annuitant is the person or persons on whose life annuity income payments may be based. The first Owner shown on the application for the Contract is the Annuitant unless the Owner designates another person as the Annuitant. The Contract must be issued prior to the Annuitant's 86 ^th birthday. If the Annuitant is not an Owner and dies prior to the Annuity Date, the Owner will become the new Annuitant unless the Owner designates otherwise. However, if the Owner is a nonnatural person, the death of the Annuitant will be treated as the death of the Owner.

The Owner may change the Annuitant by Written Notice prior to the Annuity Date. However, if any Owner is not a natural person, then the Annuitant may not be changed. The new Annuitant's 95 ^th birthday must be on or after the Annuity Date in effect when the change of Annuitant is requested.

Payee

The Payee is the person or persons designated by the Owner to receive the annuity income payments under the Contract. The Annuitant is the Payee unless the Owner designates another party as the Payee. The Owner may change the Payee at any time.

Issuance of a Contract

To purchase a Contract, you must submit certain application information and an initial Purchase Payment to Protective Life through a licensed representative of Protective Life. Any such licensed representative must also be a registered representative of a broker/dealer having a distribution agreement with Investment Distributors, Inc. Protective Life reserves the right to accept or decline a request to issue a Contract. Contracts may be sold to or in connection with retirement plans which do not qualify for special tax treatment as well as retirement plans that qualify for special tax treatment under the Code.

If the necessary application information for a Contract accompanies the initial Purchase Payment, we will allocate the initial Purchase Payment (less any applicable premium tax) to the Investment Options as you direct on the appropriate form within two business days of receiving such Purchase Payment at the Administrative Office. If we do not receive the necessary application information, Protective Life will retain the Purchase Payment for up to five business days while it attempts to complete the information. If the necessary application information is not complete after five business days, Protective Life will inform the applicant of the reason for the delay and return the initial Purchase Payment immediately unless the applicant specifically consents to Protective Life retaining it until the information is complete. Once the information is complete, we will allocate the initial Purchase Payment to the appropriate

Investment Options within two business days. You may transmit information necessary to complete an application to Protective Life by telephone, facsimile, or electronic media.

Purchase Payments

We will only accept Purchase Payments before the earlier of the oldest Owner's and Annuitant's 86 ^th birthday. No Purchase Payment will be accepted within 3 years of the Annuity Date then in effect. The minimum initial Purchase Payment is $5,000. The minimum subsequent Purchase Payment is $100, or $50 if made by electronic funds transfer. We may amend this minimum subsequent Purchase Payment amount at any time. Under certain circumstances, we may be required by law to reject a Purchase Payment.

We reserve the right to limit, suspend, or reject any Purchase Payment at any time, and/or limit the Investment Options to which Contract Owners may direct Purchase Payments, following written notice to Contract Owners. We may do so for all Contracts or only certain classes of Contracts. If we exercise our right to suspend, reject, and/or place limitations on the acceptance and/or allocation of subsequent Purchase Payments, you may be unable to, or limited in your ability to, increase your Contract Value through subsequent Purchase Payments. This could also impact your ability to make annual contributions to certain Qualified Contracts. Before you purchase this Contract and determine the amount of your initial Purchase Payment, you should consider the fact that we may suspend, reject, or limit subsequent Purchase Payments at some point in the future. You should consult with your sales representative prior to purchase.

Purchase Payments are payable at our Administrative Office. You may make them by check payable to Protective Life Insurance Company or by any other method we deem acceptable. We will process Purchase Payments as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive your payment and a completed transaction service form at our Administrative Office. Valuation Periods end at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, which is generally at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. We will process any Purchase Payment received at our Administrative Office after the end of the Valuation Period on the next Valuation Date.

The maximum aggregate Purchase Payment(s) that can be made without prior Administrative Office approval is $1,000,000.

We reserve the right to change the maximum aggregate Purchase Payment(s) that we will accept at any time, and to condition acceptance of Purchase Payments over any established maximum amount upon prior approval by our Administrative Office and to impose conditions upon the acceptance of aggregate Purchase Payments greater than the established maximum, such as limiting the death benefit options that are available under your Contract. We also reserve the right to limit, suspend, or reject any Purchase Payment at any time, and/or limit the Investment Options to which you may direct Purchase Payments. We may do so for all Contracts or only certain classes of Contracts. We will give written notice at least five (5) days before any changes to Purchase Payment limitations go into effect. If we exercise our right to suspend, reject, and/or place limitations on the acceptance and/or allocation of subsequent Purchase Payments, you may be unable to, or limited in your ability to, increase your Contract Value through subsequent Purchase Payments. This could also prevent you from making future contributions to a Qualified Contract, including periodic contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. (See "Qualified Retirement Plans."). Before you purchase this Contract and determine the amount of your initial Purchase Payment, you should consider the fact that we may suspend, reject, or limit subsequent Purchase Payments at some point in the future. You should consult with your sales representative prior to purchase.

Under the current automatic purchase payment plan, you may select a monthly or quarterly payment schedule pursuant to which Purchase Payments will be automatically deducted from a bank account. We currently accept automatic Purchase Payments on the 1 ^st through the 28 ^th day of each month. Each automatic Purchase Payment must be at least $50. You may not allocate payments made through the automatic purchase payment plan to any DCA Account. You may not elect the automatic purchase payment plan and the automatic withdrawal plan simultaneously. (See "Surrenders and Withdrawals".) Upon notification of the death of any Owner the Company will terminate deductions under the automatic purchase payment plan.

We do not always receive your Purchase Payment or your application on the day you send them or give them to your sales representative. In some circumstances, such as when you purchase a Contract in exchange for an existing annuity contract from another company, we may not receive your Purchase Payment from the other company for a substantial period of time after you sign the application and send it to us.

Right to Cancel

You have the right to return the Contract within a certain number of days after you receive it by returning it, along with a written cancellation request, to our Administrative Office or the sales representative who sold it. In the state of

Connecticut, non-written requests are also accepted. The number of days, which is at least ten, is determined by state law in the state where the Contract is delivered. Return of the Contract by mail is effective on being post-marked, properly addressed and postage pre-paid. We will treat the returned Contract as if it had never been issued. Where permitted, Protective Life will refund the Contract Value plus any fees deducted from either Purchase Payments or Contract Value. This amount may be more or less than the aggregate amount of your Purchase Payments up to that time. In states requiring the return of Purchase Payments, we will refund the greater of the Contract Value or the Purchase Payment.

For individual retirement annuities and Contracts issued in states where, upon cancellation during the right-to-cancel period, we return at least your Purchase Payments, we reserve the right to allocate all or a portion of your initial Purchase Payment (and any subsequent Purchase Payment made during the right-to-cancel period) that you allocated to the Sub-Accounts to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account until the expiration of the right-to-cancel period. Thereafter, we will allocate all Purchase Payments according to your allocation instructions then in effect.

Allocation of Purchase Payments

Owners must indicate in the application how their initial and subsequent Purchase Payments are to be allocated among the Investment Options. If your allocation instructions are indicated by percentages, whole percentages must be used.

Owners may change allocation instructions by Written Notice at any time. Owners may also change instructions by telephone, facsimile, automated telephone system or via the Internet at www.protective.com ("non-written instructions"). For non-written instructions regarding allocations, we may require a form of personal identification prior to acting on instructions and we will record any telephone voice instructions. If we follow these procedures, we will not be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. We reserve the right to limit or eliminate any of these non-written communication methods for any Contract or class of Contracts at any time for any reason.

If you elect to participate in the optional Allocation Adjustment program, you may not allocate Purchase Payments into restricted Sub-Accounts. If we receive instructions from you requesting an allocation to a restricted Sub-Account, we will allocate the requested amount to the restricted Sub-Account, and then immediately transfer the amount to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account. See "Allocation Adjustment Program."

Variable Account Value

Sub-Account Value

A Contract's Variable Account value at any time is the sum of the Sub-Account values and therefore reflects the investment experience of the Sub-Accounts to which it is allocated. There is no guaranteed minimum Variable Account value. The Sub-Account value for any Sub-Account as of the Issue Date is equal to the amount of the initial Purchase Payment allocated to that Sub-Account. On subsequent Valuation Dates prior to the Annuity Date, the Sub-Account value is equal to that part of any Purchase Payment allocated to the Sub-Account and any Contract Value transferred to the Sub-Account, adjusted by income, dividends, net capital gains or losses (realized or unrealized), decreased by withdrawals (including any applicable surrender charges and premium tax), Contract Value transferred out of the Sub-Account and fees deducted from the Sub-Account.

The Sub-Account value for a Contract may be determined on any day by multiplying the number of Accumulation Units attributable to the Contract in that Sub-Account by the Accumulation Unit value for the Accumulation Units in that Sub-Account on that day.

Determination of Accumulation Units

Purchase Payments allocated and Contract Value transferred to a Sub-Account are converted into Accumulation Units. An Accumulation Unit is a unit of measure used to calculate the value of a Sub-Account prior to the Annuity Date. We determine the number of Accumulation Units to be credited to a Contract by dividing the dollar amount directed to the Sub-Account by the Accumulation Unit value of the appropriate class of Accumulation Units of that Sub-Account for the Valuation Date as of which the allocation or transfer occurs. Purchase Payments allocated or amounts transferred to a Sub-Account under a Contract increase the number of Accumulation Units of that Sub-Account credited to the Contract. We execute such allocations and transfers as of the end of the Valuation Period in which we receive a Purchase Payment or Written Notice or other instruction requesting a transfer.

Certain events reduce the number of Accumulation Units of a Sub-Account credited to a Contract. The following events result in the cancellation of the appropriate number of Accumulation Units of a Sub-Account:

•  surrenders and applicable surrender charges;

•  withdrawals and applicable surrender charges;

•  automatic withdrawals and applicable surrender charges;

•  transfer from a Sub-Account and any applicable transfer fee;

•  payment of a death benefit claim;

•  application of the Contract Value to an Annuity Option; and

•  deduction of the monthly death benefit fee and the annual contract maintenance fee.

Accumulation Units are canceled as of the end of the Valuation Period in which we receive Written Notice of or other instructions regarding the event. Accumulation Units associated with the monthly death benefit fee and the annual contract maintenance fee are canceled without notice or instruction.

Determination of Accumulation Unit Value

The Accumulation Unit value for each class of Accumulation Units in a Sub-Account at the end of every Valuation Date is the Accumulation Unit value for that class at the end of the previous Valuation Date times the net investment factor.

Net Investment Factor

The net investment factor measures the investment performance of a Sub-Account from one Valuation Period to the next. For each Sub-Account, the net investment factor reflects the investment performance of the Fund in which the Sub-Account invests and the charges assessed against that Sub-Account for a Valuation Period. Each Sub-Account has a net investment factor for each Valuation Period which may be greater or less than one. Therefore, the value of an Accumulation Unit may increase or decrease. The net investment factor for any Sub-Account for any Valuation Period is determined by dividing (1) by (2) and subtracting (3) from the result, where:

(1)  is the result of:

a.  the net asset value per share of the Fund held in the Sub-Account, determined at the end of the current Valuation Period; plus

b.  the per share amount of any dividend or capital gain distributions made by the Funds held in the Sub-Account, if the "ex-dividend" date occurs during the current Valuation Period.

(2)  is the net asset value per share of the Fund held in the Sub-Account, determined at the end of the most recent prior Valuation Period.

(3)  is a factor representing the mortality and expense risk charge and the administration charge for the number of days in the Valuation Period and a charge or credit for any taxes attributed to the investment operations of the Sub-Account, as determined by the Company.

Transfers

Before the Annuity Date, you may instruct us to transfer Contract Value between and among the Investment Options. When we receive your transfer instructions on a completed transaction service form at our Administrative Office, we will allocate the Contract Value you transfer at the next price determined for the Investment Options you indicate. Prices for the Investment Options are determined as of the end of each Valuation Period, which is the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 3:00 p.m. Central Time). Accordingly, transfer requests received in "good order" at our Administrative Office before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange are processed at the price determined as of the close of regular trading on the day the requests are received; transfer requests received at our Administrative Office after the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange are processed at the price determined as of the close of regular trading on the next day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading. A transaction request will be deemed in "good order" if the transaction service form is fully and accurately completed and signed by the Owner(s) and received by us at our Administrative Office. We may defer transfer requests under the same conditions that payment of withdrawals and surrenders may be delayed. (See "Suspension or Delay in Payments.") There are limitations on transfers, which are described below.

After the Annuity Date, when Variable Income Payments are selected, transfers are allowed between Sub-Accounts, but are limited to one transfer per month. Dollar cost averaging and portfolio rebalancing are not allowed. No transfers are allowed within the Guaranteed Account or from a Sub-Account and Guaranteed Account.

How to Request Transfers

Before or after the Annuity Date, owners may request transfers by Written Notice at any time. Owners also may request transfers by telephone, facsimile, automated telephone system or via the Internet at www.protective.com ("non-written instructions"). From time to time and at our sole discretion, we may introduce additional methods for requesting transfers or discontinue any method for making non-written instructions for such transfers. We will require a form of personal identification prior to acting on non-written instructions and we will record telephone requests. We will send you a confirmation of all transfer requests communicated to us. If we follow these procedures, we will not be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent transfer requests.

Reliability of Communications Systems

The Internet and telephone systems may not always be available. Any computer or telephone system, whether it is yours, your service providers', your registered representative's, or ours, can experience unscheduled outages or slowdowns for a variety of reasons. Such outages or delays may delay or prevent our processing of your request. Although we have taken precautions to help our systems handle heavy use, we cannot promise complete reliability under all circumstances. If you experience problems, you can make your transaction by writing to us.

Limitations on Transfers

We reserve the right to modify, limit, suspend or eliminate the transfer privileges (including acceptance of non-written instructions submitted by telephone, automated telephone system, the Internet or facsimile) without prior notice for any Contract or class of Contracts at any time for any reason.

Minimum amounts. You must transfer at least $100 each time you make a transfer. If the entire amount in the Investment Option is less than $100, you must transfer the entire amount. If less than $100 would be left in an Investment Option after a transfer, then we may transfer the entire amount out of that Investment Option instead of the requested amount.

Number of transfers. Currently we do not generally limit the number of transfers that may be made. We reserve the right, however, to limit the number of transfers to no more than 12 per Contract Year. We also reserve the right to charge a transfer fee for each additional transfer over 12 during any Contract Year. The transfer fee will not exceed $25 per transfer. We will deduct any transfer fee from the amount being transferred. (See "Charges and Deductions, Transfer Fee.") We will not include transfers made pursuant to the dollar-cost averaging, allocation adjustment or portfolio rebalancing programs when counting frequent transfer activity or assessing a transfer fee.

Limitations on transfers involving the Guaranteed Account. No amounts may be transferred into a DCA Account. No amounts may be transferred to the Fixed Account within six months after any transfer from the Guaranteed Account to the Variable Account. The maximum amount that may be transferred from the Fixed Account during a Contract Year is the greater of (a) $2,500 or (b) 25% of the Contract Value in the Fixed Account. Due to this limitation, if you want to transfer all of your Contract Value from the Guaranteed Account to the Variable Account, it may take several years to do so. The limitation on transfers from the Fixed Account does not apply, however, to dollar cost averaging transfers from the Fixed Account.

Limitations on Transfers under the Optional Allocation Adjustment Program. If you elect to participate in the optional Allocation Adjustment Program, you may transfer Contract Value among the Investment Options only by submitting a new Contract allocation instruction and you may not transfer Contract Value into restricted Sub-Accounts. If we receive instructions from you requesting a transfer of Contract Value to a restricted Sub-Account, we will transfer the requested amount to the restricted Sub-Account, and then immediately transfer the amount to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account. See "The Allocation Adjustment Program."

Limitations on frequent transfers, including "market timing" transfers. Frequent transfers may involve an effort to take advantage of the possibility of a lag between a change in the value of a Fund's portfolio securities and the reflection of that change in the Fund's share price. This strategy, sometimes referred to as "market timing," involves an attempt to buy shares of a Fund at a price that does not reflect the current market value of the portfolio securities of the Fund, and then to realize a profit when the Fund shares are sold the next Valuation Date or thereafter.

When you request a transfer among the Sub-Accounts, your request triggers the purchase and redemption of Fund shares. Frequent transfers cause frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares. Frequent purchases and

redemptions of Fund shares can cause adverse effects for a Fund, Fund shareholders, the Variable Account, other Owners, beneficiaries, annuitants, or owners of other variable annuity contracts we issue that invest in the Variable Account. Frequent transfers can result in the following adverse effects:

•  Increased brokerage, trading and transaction costs;

•  Disruption of planned investment strategies;

•  Forced and unplanned liquidation and portfolio turnover;

•  Lost opportunity costs; and

•  Large asset swings that decrease the Fund's ability to provide maximum investment return to all Contract Owners.

In order to try to protect our Owners and the Funds from the potential adverse effects of frequent transfer activity, we have implemented certain market timing policies and procedures (the "Market Timing Procedures"). Our Market Timing Procedures are designed to detect and prevent frequent, short-term transfer activity that may adversely affect the Funds, Fund shareholders, the Variable Account, other Owners, beneficiaries, annuitants and owners of other variable annuity contracts we issue that invest in the Variable Account. We discourage frequent transfers of Contract Value between Sub-Accounts.

We monitor transfer activity in the Contracts to identify frequent transfer activity in any Contract. Our current Market Timing Procedures are intended to detect transfer activity in which the transfers exceed a certain dollar amount and a certain number of transfers involving the same Sub-Accounts within a specific time period. We regularly review transaction reports in an attempt to identify transfers that exceed our established parameters. We do not include transfers made pursuant to the allocation adjustment, dollar-cost averaging or portfolio rebalancing programs when monitoring for frequent transfer activity.

When we identify transfer activity exceeding our established parameters in a Contract or group of Contracts that appear to be under common control, we suspend non-written methods of requesting transfers for that Contract or group of Contracts. All transfer requests for the affected Contract or group of Contracts must be made by Written Notice. We notify the affected Owner(s) in writing of these restrictions.

In addition to our Market Timing Procedures, the Funds may have their own market timing policies and restrictions. While we reserve the right to enforce the Funds' policies and procedures, Owners and other persons with interests under the Contracts should be aware that we may not have the contractual authority or the operational capacity to apply the market timing policies and procedures of the Funds, except that, under SEC rules, we are required to: (1) enter into a written agreement with each Fund or its principal underwriter that obligates us to provide to the Fund promptly upon request certain information about the trading activity of individual Owners, and (2) execute instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases or transfers by specific Owners who violate the market timing policies established by the Fund.

Some of the Funds have reserved the right to temporarily or permanently refuse payments or transfer requests from us if, in the judgment of the Fund's investment adviser, the Fund would be unable to invest effectively in accordance with its investment objective or policies, or would otherwise potentially be adversely affected. To the extent permitted by law, we reserve the right to delay or refuse to honor a transfer request, or to reverse a transfer at any time we are unable to purchase or redeem shares of any of the Funds because of the Fund's refusal or restriction on purchases or redemptions. We will notify the Owner(s) of any refusal or restriction on a purchase or redemption by a Fund relating to that Owner's transfer request. Some Funds also may impose redemption fees on short-term trading (i.e., redemptions of mutual Fund shares within a certain number of business days after purchase). We reserve the right to implement, administer, and collect any redemption fees imposed by any of the Funds. You should read the prospectus of each Fund for more information about its ability to refuse or restrict purchases or redemptions of its shares, which may be more or less restrictive than our Market Timing Procedures and those of other Funds, and to impose redemption fees.

We apply our Market Timing Procedures consistently to all Owners without special arrangement, waiver or exception. We reserve the right to change our Market Timing Procedures at any time without prior notice as we deem necessary or appropriate to better detect and deter potentially harmful frequent transfer activity, to comply with state or federal regulatory requirements, or both. We may change our parameters to monitor for different dollar amounts, number of transfers, time period of the transfers, or any of these.

Owners seeking to engage in frequent transfer activity may employ a variety of strategies to avoid detection. Our ability to detect and deter such transfer activity is limited by operational systems and technological limitations.

Furthermore, the identification of Owners determined to be engaged in transfer activity that may adversely affect others involves judgments that are inherently subjective. Accordingly, despite our best efforts, we cannot guarantee that our Market Timing Procedures will detect or deter every potential market timer. In addition, because other insurance companies, retirement plans, or both may invest in the Funds, we cannot guarantee that the Funds will not suffer harm from frequent transfer activity in contracts or policies issued by other insurance companies or by retirement plan participants.

Dollar Cost Averaging

Before the Annuity Date, you may instruct us by Written Notice to transfer automatically, on a monthly basis, amounts from a DCA Account or the Fixed Account to any Sub-Account of the Variable Account. This is known as the "dollar-cost averaging" ("DCA") method of investment. By transferring equal amounts of Contract Value on a regularly scheduled basis, as opposed to allocating a larger amount at one particular time, an Owner may be less susceptible to the impact of market fluctuations in the value of Sub-Account Accumulation Units. Protective Life, however, makes no guarantee that the dollar cost averaging method will result in a profit or protection against loss.

Dollar cost averaging transfers are made monthly; you may choose to make the transfers on the 1 ^st through the 28 ^th day of each month. Upon the death of any Owner, dollar cost averaging transfers will continue until canceled by the Beneficiary(s).

There is no charge for dollar cost averaging. Automatic transfers made to facilitate dollar cost averaging will not count toward the 12 transfers permitted each Contract Year if we elect to limit transfers, or the designated number of free transfers in any Contract Year if we elect to charge for transfers in excess of that number in any Contract Year. We reserve the right to restrict the Sub-Accounts into which you may make DCA transfers or discontinue dollar cost averaging upon written notice to the Owner.

In states where, upon cancellation during the right-to-cancel period, we are required to return your Purchase Payment, we reserve the right to delay commencement of dollar cost averaging transfers until the expiration of the right-to-cancel period.

Transfers from the DCA Accounts. If you allocate a Purchase Payment to one of the DCA Accounts, you must include instructions regarding the day of the month on which the transfers should be made, the period during which the dollar cost averaging transfers should occur, and the Sub-Accounts into which the transferred funds should be allocated.

Currently, the maximum period for dollar cost averaging from the DCA Account 1 is six months and from the DCA Account 2 is twelve months. From time to time, we may offer different maximum periods for dollar cost averaging amounts from a DCA Account. The periodic amount transferred from a DCA Account will be equal to the Purchase Payment allocated to the DCA Account divided by the number of dollar cost averaging transfers to be made.

The interest rates on the DCA Accounts apply to the declining balance in the account. Therefore the amount of interest actually paid with respect to a Purchase Payment allocated to the DCA Account will be substantially less than the amount that would have been paid if the full Purchase Payment remained in the DCA Account for the full period. Interest credited will be transferred from the DCA Account after the last dollar cost averaging transfer.

We will process dollar cost averaging transfers until the earlier of the following: (1) the DCA Account Value equals $0, or (2) the Owner instructs us by Written Notice to cancel the automatic transfers. If you terminate transfers from a DCA Account before the amount remaining in that account is $0, we will immediately transfer any amount remaining in that DCA Account according to your instructions. If you do not provide instructions, we will transfer the remaining amount to the Sub-Accounts according to your dollar cost averaging allocation instruction in effect at that time.

Transfers from the Fixed Account. You may also establish dollar-cost averaging transfers from the Fixed Account; the minimum period for dollar cost averaging transfers from the Fixed Account is twelve months. If you wish to establish dollar-cost averaging transfers from the Fixed Account, you must include instructions regarding the day of the month on which the transfers should be made, the amount of the transfers (you must transfer the same amount each time), the period during which the dollar cost averaging transfers should occur, and the Sub-Accounts into which the transferred funds should be allocated.

Dollar Cost Averaging Transfers under the Optional Allocation Adjustment Program. If you elect to participate in the optional Allocation Adjustment Program, any automatic transfers from the DCA Account to the restricted Sub-Account will be redirected to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account. See "The Allocation Adjustment Program."

Portfolio Rebalancing

Before the Annuity Date, you may instruct Protective Life by Written Notice to periodically transfer your Variable Account value among specified Sub-Accounts to achieve a particular percentage allocation of Variable Account value among such Sub-Accounts ("portfolio rebalancing"). The portfolio rebalancing percentages must be in whole numbers and must allocate amounts only among the Sub-Accounts. Unless you instruct otherwise, portfolio rebalancing is based on your Purchase Payment allocation instructions in effect with respect to the Sub-Accounts at the time of each rebalancing transfer. We deem portfolio rebalancing instructions from you that differ from your current Purchase Payment allocation instructions to be a request to change your Purchase Payment allocation.

You may elect portfolio rebalancing to occur on the 1 ^st through 28 ^th day of a month on either a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis. If you do not select a day, transfers will occur on the same day of the month as your Contract Anniversary, or on the 28 ^th day of the month if your Contract Anniversary occurs on the 29 ^th , 30 ^th or 31 ^st day of the month. You may change or terminate portfolio rebalancing by Written Notice, or by other non-written communication methods acceptable for transfer requests. Upon the death of any Owner portfolio rebalancing will continue until canceled by the Beneficiary(s).

There is no charge for portfolio rebalancing. Automatic transfers made to facilitate portfolio rebalancing will not count toward the 12 transfers permitted each Contract Year if we elect to limit transfers, or the designated number of free transfers in any Contract Year if we elect to charge for transfers in excess of that number in any Contract Year. We reserve the right to discontinue portfolio rebalancing upon written notice to the Owner.

Portfolio Rebalancing under the Optional Allocation Adjustment Program. If you elect to participate in the optional Allocation Adjustment Program, we will "re-balance" your Variable Account value according to your most recent allocation instructions, but will include the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account in place of the restricted Sub-Account. See "The Allocation Adjustment Program."

Surrenders and Withdrawals

At any time before the Annuity Date, you may request a surrender of or withdrawal from your Contract. Federal and state income taxes may apply to surrenders and withdrawals, and a 10% federal penalty tax may apply if the surrender or withdrawal occurs before the Owner reaches age 59 ¹ / ₂ . (See "TAXATION OF ANNUITIES IN GENERAL, Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders.") A surrender charge may also apply to surrenders and withdrawals. (See "Charges and Deductions".) A surrender value may be available under certain Annuity Options. (See "Annuitization.") In accordance with SEC regulations, surrenders and withdrawals are payable within 7 calendar days of our receiving your request in "good order" at our Administrative Office. (See "Suspension or Delay in Payments.") A transaction request will be deemed in "good order" if the transaction service form is fully and accurately completed and signed by the Owner(s) and received by us at our Administrative Office.

Surrenders

At any time before the Annuity Date, you may request a surrender of your Contract for its surrender value either by Written Notice or by facsimile. Surrenders requested by facsimile are subject to limitations. Currently, we accept requests by facsimile for surrenders of Contracts that have a Contract Value of $50,000 or less. For Contracts that have a Contract Value greater than $50,000, we will only accept surrender requests by Written Notice. We may eliminate your ability to request a surrender by facsimile or change the requirements for your ability to request a surrender by facsimile for any Contract at any time without prior notice. We will pay you the surrender value in a lump sum.

Withdrawals

At any time before the Annuity Date, you may request a withdrawal of your Contract Value provided the Contract Value remaining after the withdrawal is at least $5,000. If you request a withdrawal that would reduce your Contract Value below $5,000, then we will consider your request to be not in good order and we will notify you that we will not process your request.

You may request a withdrawal by Written Notice or by facsimile. If we have received your completed telephone withdrawal authorization form, you also may request a withdrawal by telephone. Withdrawals requested by telephone or facsimile are subject to limitations. Currently we accept requests for withdrawals by telephone or by facsimile for amounts not exceeding 25% of Contract Value, up to a maximum of $50,000. For withdrawals exceeding 25% of the Contract Value and/or $50,000 we will only accept withdrawal requests by Written Notice. We may eliminate your ability to make withdrawals by telephone or facsimile or change the requirements for your ability to make withdrawals by telephone or facsimile for any Contract or class of Contracts at any time without prior notice.

You may specify the amount of the withdrawal to be made from any Investment Option. If you do not so specify, or if the amount in the designated Investment Option(s) is inadequate to comply with the request, the withdrawal will be made from each Investment Option based on the proportion that the value of each Investment Option bears to the total Contract Value.

Signature Guarantees

Signature guarantees are required for withdrawals or surrenders of $50,000 or more.

Signature guarantees are relied upon as a means of preventing the perpetuation of fraud in financial transactions, including the disbursement of funds or assets from a victim's account with a financial institution or a provider of financial services. They provide protection to investors by, for example, making it more difficult for a person to take another person's money by forging a signature on a written request for the disbursement of funds.

An investor can obtain a signature guarantee from more than 7,000 financial institutions across the United States and Canada that participate in a Medallion signature guarantee program. The best source of a signature guarantee is a bank, savings and loan association, brokerage firm, or credit union with which you do business. Guarantor firms may, but frequently do not, charge a fee for their services.

A notary public cannot provide a signature guarantee. Notarization will not substitute for a signature guarantee.

Surrender Value

The surrender value of any surrender or withdrawal request is equal to the Contract Value surrendered or withdrawn minus any applicable surrender charge, contract maintenance fee and premium tax. We will determine the surrender value as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive your request in "good order" at our Administrative Office. A transaction request will be deemed in "good order" if the transaction service form is fully and accurately completed and signed by the Owner(s) and received by us at our Administrative Office. Valuation Periods end at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, which is generally at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. We will process any request received at our Administrative Office after the end of the Valuation Period on the next Valuation Date.

The amount we will pay you if you request a withdrawal depends on whether you request a "gross" withdrawal or a "net" withdrawal. For a "gross" withdrawal, this amount is equal to the Contract Value withdrawn minus any applicable surrender charge and premium tax. For a "net" withdrawal, this amount is equal to the Contract Value withdrawn (we will deduct the surrender charge from your remaining Contract Value after we process the withdrawal). (See Charges and Deductions — Surrender Charge (Contingent Deferred Sales Charge)).

Cancellation of Accumulation Units

Surrenders and withdrawals, including any surrender charges, will result in the cancellation of Accumulation Units from each applicable Sub-Account(s) and/or in a reduction of the Guaranteed Account value.

Surrender and Withdrawal Restrictions

The Owner's right to make surrenders and withdrawals is subject to any restrictions imposed by applicable law or employee benefit plan.

In the case of certain Qualified Plans, federal tax law imposes restrictions on the form and manner in which benefits may be paid. For example, spousal consent may be needed in certain instances before a distribution may be made.

Automatic Withdrawals

Currently, we offer an automatic withdrawal plan. This plan allows you to pre-authorize periodic withdrawals before the Annuity Date. You may elect to participate in this plan at the time of application or at a later date by properly completing an election form. Payments to you under this plan will be made by electronic fund transfer. To participate in the plan you must have:

(1)  made an initial Purchase Payment of at least $5,000; or

(2)  a Contract Value as of the previous Contract Anniversary of at least $5,000.

The automatic withdrawal plan and the automatic purchase payment plan may not be elected simultaneously. (See "Purchase Payments".) There may be federal and state income tax consequences to automatic withdrawals from the

Contract, including the possible imposition of a 10% federal penalty tax if the withdrawal occurs before the Owner reaches age 59 ¹ / ₂ . You should consult your tax advisor before participating in any withdrawal program. (See "Taxation of Surrenders and Withdrawals".)

When you elect the automatic withdrawal plan, you will instruct Protective Life to withdraw a level dollar amount from the Contract on a monthly or quarterly basis. Automatic withdrawals may be made on the 1 ^st through the 28 ^th day of each month. The amount requested must be at least $100 per withdrawal. We will process withdrawals for the designated amount until you instruct us otherwise. If, during any Contract Year, the amount of the withdrawals exceeds the "free withdrawal amount" described in the "Surrender Charge" section of this prospectus, we will deduct a surrender charge where applicable. (See "Surrender Charge.") Automatic withdrawals will be taken pro-rata from the Investment Options in proportion to the value each Investment Option bears to the total Contract Value. We will pay you the amount requested each month or quarter as applicable and cancel the applicable Accumulation Units.

If any automatic withdrawal transaction would result in a Contract Value of less than $5,000 after the withdrawal, the transaction will not be completed and the automatic withdrawal plan will terminate. Once automatic withdrawals have terminated due to insufficient Contract Value, they will not be automatically reinstated in the event that your Contract Value should reach $5,000 again. Upon notification of the death of any Owner, we will terminate the automatic withdrawal plan. The automatic withdrawal plan may be discontinued by the Owner at any time by Written Notice.

There is no charge for the automatic withdrawal plan. We reserve the right to discontinue the automatic withdrawal plan upon written notice to you.

THE GUARANTEED ACCOUNT

The Guaranteed Account has not been, and is not required to be, registered with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, and neither these accounts nor the Company's general account have been registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act. Therefore, neither the Guaranteed Account, the Company's general account, nor any interests therein are generally subject to regulation under the 1933 Act or the 1940 Act. The disclosures relating to the Guaranteed Account included in this prospectus are for the Owner's information and have not been reviewed by the SEC. However, such disclosures are subject to certain generally applicable provisions of federal securities law relating to the accuracy and completeness of statements made in prospectuses.

The Guaranteed Account consists of the Fixed Account and the DCA Accounts. We may not always offer the Fixed Account or the DCA Accounts in new Contracts. If we are offering the Fixed Account or any of the DCA Accounts in your state at the time you purchase your Contract, however, those accounts will always be available in your Contract. Please ask your sales representative whether the Fixed Account or any DCA Accounts are available in your Contract.

From time to time and subject to regulatory approval, we may offer Fixed Accounts or DCA Accounts with different interest guaranteed periods. We, in our sole discretion, establish the interest rates for each account in the Guaranteed Account. We will not declare a rate that yields values less than those required by the state in which the Contract is delivered. You bear the risk that we will not declare a rate that is higher than the minimum rate. Because these rates vary from time to time, allocations made to the same account within the Guaranteed Account at different times may earn interest at different rates.

Our General Account

The Guaranteed Account is part of our general account. Unlike Purchase Payments and Contract Value allocated to the Variable Account, we assume the risk of investment gain or loss on amounts held in the Fixed Account and the DCA Accounts.

The assets of our general account support our insurance and annuity obligations and are subject to our general liabilities from business operations and to claims by our creditors. Because amounts allocated to the Fixed Account and the DCA Accounts, plus any guarantees under the Contract that exceed your Variable Account value (such as those associated with the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit), are paid from our general account, any amounts that we may pay under the Contract in excess of Variable Account value are subject to our financial strength and claims-paying ability. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that we will always be able to meet our claims-paying obligations, and that there are risks to purchasing any insurance product. For this reason, you should consider our financial strength and claims-paying ability to meet our obligations under the Contract when purchasing a Contract and making investment decisions under the Contract.

We encourage both existing and prospective contract owners to read and understand our financial statements. We prepare our financial statements on both a statutory basis, as required by state regulators, and according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Our audited GAAP financial statements are included in the Statement of Additional Information (which is available at no charge by calling us at 1-800-456-6330 or writing us at the address shown on the cover page of this prospectus). In addition, the Statement of Additional Information is available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.

You also will find on our website information on ratings assigned to us by one or more independent rating organizations. These ratings are opinions of our financial capacity to meet the obligations of our insurance and annuity contracts based on our financial strength and/or claims-paying ability.

The Fixed Account

You generally may allocate some or all of your Purchase Payments and may transfer some or all of your Contract Value to the Fixed Account. Amounts allocated or transferred to the Fixed Account earn interest from the date the funds are credited to the account. There are limitations on transfers involving the Fixed Account. Due to this limitation, if you want to transfer all of your Contract Value from the Fixed Account to the Variable Account, it may take several years to do so. You should carefully consider whether the Fixed Account meets your investment needs. (See "Transfers.")

The interest rates we apply to Purchase Payments and transfers into the Fixed Account are guaranteed for one year from the date the Purchase Payment or transfer is credited to the account. When an interest rate guarantee expires, we will set a new interest rate, which may not be the same as the interest rate then in effect for Purchase Payments and transfers allocated to the Fixed Account. The new interest rate is also guaranteed for one year.

The DCA Accounts

DCA Accounts are designed to systematically transfer amounts to the Sub-Accounts of the Variable Account over a designated period. (See "Transfers, Dollar Cost Averaging.") We currently offer two DCA Accounts. The maximum period for dollar cost averaging transfers from DCA Account 1 is six months and from DCA Account 2 is twelve months.

The DCA Accounts are available only for Purchase Payments designated for dollar cost averaging. Purchase Payments may not be allocated into any DCA Account when that DCA Account value is greater than $0, and all funds must be transferred from a DCA Account before allocating a Purchase Payment to that DCA Account. Where we agree, under current administrative procedures, to allocate a Purchase Payment to any DCA Account in installments from more than one source, we will credit each installment with the interest rate applied to the first installment we receive. The interest rate we apply to Purchase Payments allocated to a DCA Account is guaranteed for the period over which dollar cost averaging transfers are allowed from that DCA Account.

Guaranteed Account Value

Any time prior to the Annuity Date, the Guaranteed Account value is equal to the sum of:

(1)  Purchase Payments allocated to the Guaranteed Account; plus

(2)  amounts transferred into the Guaranteed Account; plus

(3)  interest credited to the Guaranteed Account; minus

(4)  amounts transferred out of the Guaranteed Account including any transfer fee; minus

(5)  the amount of any surrenders removed from the Guaranteed Account, including any premium tax and surrender charges; minus

(6)  fees deducted from the Guaranteed Account, including the monthly death benefit fee and the annual contract maintenance fee.

For the purposes of interest crediting, amounts deducted, transferred or withdrawn from accounts within the Guaranteed Account will be separately accounted for on a "first-in, first-out" (FIFO) basis.

DEATH BENEFIT

If any Owner dies before the Annuity Date and while the Contract is in force, we will pay a death benefit, less any applicable premium tax, to the Beneficiary. The death benefit terminates on the Annuity Date.

We will determine the death benefit as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive due proof of death at our Administrative Office. Valuation Periods end at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, which is generally at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. If we receive due proof of death after the end of the Valuation Period, we will determine the death benefit on the next Valuation Date. Only one death benefit is payable under the Contract, even though the Contract may, in some circumstances, continue beyond the time of an Owner's death. If any Owner

is not a natural person, the death of the Annuitant is treated as the death of an Owner. In the case of certain Qualified Contracts, Treasury Department regulations prescribe certain limitations on the designation of a Beneficiary. The following discussion generally applies to Qualified Contracts and non-Qualified Contracts, but there are some differences in the rules that apply to each.

The death benefit provisions of the Contract shall be interpreted to comply with the requirements of Section 72(s) of the Code. We reserve the right to endorse the Contract, as necessary, to conform with regulatory requirements. We will send you a copy of any endorsement containing such Contract modifications.

Please note that any death benefit payment we make in excess of the Contract Value is subject to our financial strength and claims-paying ability.

Payment of the Death Benefit

The Beneficiary may take the death benefit in one sum immediately, in which event the Contract will terminate. If the death benefit is not taken in one sum immediately, the death benefit will become the new Contract Value as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive due proof of death, and the entire interest in the Contract must be distributed under one of the following options:

(1)  the entire interest must be distributed over the life of the Beneficiary, or over a period not extending beyond the life expectancy of the Beneficiary, with distributions beginning within one year of the Owner's death; or,

(2)  the entire interest must be distributed within 5 years of the Owner's death.

If no option is elected, we will distribute the entire interest within 5 years of the Owner's death.

If there is more than one Beneficiary, the foregoing provisions apply to each Beneficiary individually.

Continuation of the Contract by a Surviving Spouse

In the case of non-Qualified Contracts and Contracts that are individual retirement annuities within the meaning of Code Section 408(b), if the Beneficiary is the deceased Owner's spouse, the surviving spouse may elect, in lieu of receiving a death benefit, to continue the Contract and become the new Owner. This election is only available, however, if the deceased Owner's spouse's 86 ^th birthday is after the Issue Date and 95 ^th birthday is on or after the Annuity Date then in effect. The Contract will continue with the value of the death benefit having become the new Contract Value as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we received due proof of death. The death benefit is not terminated by a surviving spouse's continuation of the contract. The surviving spouse may select a new Beneficiary. Upon this spouse's death, the death benefit may be taken in one sum immediately and the Contract will terminate. If the death benefit is not taken in one sum immediately, the death benefit will become the new Contract Value as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive due proof of death and must be distributed to the new Beneficiary according to option (1) or (2), above.

A Contract may be continued by a surviving spouse only once. This benefit will not be available to any subsequent surviving spouse under the continued Contract.

The beneficiary of an annuity contract who is recognized as a spouse of a deceased owner for federal tax purposes is treated more favorably than a beneficiary who is not recognized as a spouse for federal tax purposes. Specifically, a beneficiary who is recognized as a spouse of the deceased owner for federal tax purposes may continue the Contract and become the new Owner as described above. In contrast, a beneficiary who is not recognized as a spouse of the deceased owner for federal tax purposes must surrender the Contract within 5 years of the owner's death or take distributions from the Contract over the beneficiary's life or life expectancy beginning within one year of the owner's death.

The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that for federal tax purposes, the term "spouse" does not include individuals (whether of the opposite sex or the same sex) who have entered into a registered domestic partnership, civil union, or other similar formal relationship recognized under state law that is not denominated as a marriage under the laws of that state. As a result, if a beneficiary of a deceased owner and the owner were parties to such a relationship, the beneficiary will be required by federal tax law to take distributions from the Contract in the manner applicable to non-spouse beneficiaries and will not be able to continue the Contract.

If you have questions concerning your status as a spouse for federal tax purposes and how that status might affect your rights under the Contract, you should consult your legal adviser.

Selecting a Death Benefit

We offer two different death benefits: (1) the Contract Value Death Benefit and (2) the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit. These death benefits are described more completely below. The Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit may not be available through your broker-dealer.

You must determine the type of death benefit you want when you apply for your Contract. You may not change your death benefit selection after your Contract is issued. The Contract Value Death Benefit is included with your Contract at no additional charge. You may select the optional Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit for an additional fee.

You should carefully consider each of these death benefits and consult a qualified financial adviser to help you carefully consider the two death benefits offered with the Contract, and if you select the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit, the relative costs, benefits and risks of the fee options in your particular situation.

Contract Value Death Benefit

The Contract Value Death Benefit will equal the Contract Value.

Optional Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit

The Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit will equal the greater of (1) the Contract Value, or (2) the aggregate Purchase Payments less an adjustment for each withdrawal provided however , that the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit will never be more than the Contract Value plus $1,000,000. The adjustment for each withdrawal in item (2) is the amount that reduces the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit at the time of the withdrawal in the same proportion that the amount withdrawn, including any associated surrender charges, reduces the Contract Value. If the value of the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit is greater than the Contract Value at the time of the withdrawal, the downward adjustment to the death benefit will be larger than the amount withdrawn. See Appendix A for an example of the calculation of the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit.

It is possible that, at the time of an Owner's death, the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit will be no greater than the Contract Value Death Benefit. You should consult a qualified financial advisor to carefully consider this possibility and the cost of the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit before you decide whether the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit is right for you.

Suspension of Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit. For a period of one year after any change of ownership involving a natural person, the death benefit will equal the Contract Value, less any applicable premium tax, regardless of the type of death benefit that was selected. We will, however, continue to assess the death benefit fee during this period. During the one-year suspension period, we will continue to calculate the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit; however, if any Owner dies during this period we will only pay the Contract Value less any applicable premium tax as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive due proof of death at our Administrative Office. This means if death occurs after the one-year period has ended, we will include Purchase Payments received and withdrawals made during the one-year suspension when calculating the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit.

Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit Fee

We assess a fee for the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit. If you select this death benefit, you must pay a fee based on the value of the death benefit on the day the fee is assessed. This fee is assessed on a monthly basis. (See "Charges and Deductions, Death Benefit Fee.") It is possible that this fee (or some portion thereof) could be treated for federal tax purposes as a withdrawal from the Contract. (See "Federal Tax Matters.")

Escheatment of Death Benefit

Every state has unclaimed property laws which generally declare annuity contracts to be abandoned after a period of inactivity of 3 to 5 years from the contract's annuity commencement date or date the death benefit is due and payable. For example, if the payment of a death benefit has been triggered, but, if after a thorough search, we are still unable to locate the beneficiary of the death benefit, or the beneficiary does not come forward to claim the death benefit in a timely manner, the death benefit will be paid to the abandoned property division or unclaimed property office of the state in which the beneficiary or the Owner last resided, as shown on our books and records, or to our state of domicile. Once the death benefit has been paid or "escheated" to the state, however, your designated beneficiary may submit a claim to the state for payment of those funds. The state is obligated to pay the death benefit (without interest) if your beneficiary steps forward to claim the death benefit with the proper documentation. To prevent such

escheatment, it is important that you update your beneficiary designations, including addresses, if and as they change. Such updates should be communicated in writing, by telephone, or other approved electronic means to our Administrative Office.

THE ALLOCATION ADJUSTMENT PROGRAM (PATENT PENDING)

Under the Allocation Adjustment Program, we will monitor the performance of each Sub-Account in which you invest other than the Unmonitored Sub-Accounts identified below. If, on any Monthly Anniversary Date, the Accumulation Unit value of a Sub-Account is the same as or drops below a specified level, the Sub-Account will be temporarily "restricted" from allocations of Purchase Payments and Contract Value and we will transfer all existing Contract Value in the Sub-Account to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account. The Sub-Account will remain restricted until the Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value is greater than the specified level on a future Monthly Anniversary Date. By participating in this risk-mitigating program, you may be less susceptible to the impact of volatile market fluctuations in the value of Sub-Account Accumulation Units. However, we make no guarantee that this program will protect against loss. Also, this program may limit increases in your Contract Value during periods of growth in the market.

The Allocation Adjustment Program is optional and is available at no additional charge. You must elect whether you will or will not participate in the Allocation Adjustment Program when you purchase the Contract. If you do not indicate your election on your application, we will treat the application as incomplete. If you are enrolled in the Allocation Adjustment Program, you may subsequently suspend your participation in the Program.

Calculating the Simple Moving Average (SMA)

Under the Allocation Adjustment Program, we calculate a 12-month Simple Moving Average ("SMA") for each Sub-Account on each Monthly Anniversary Date. Each Sub-Account's SMA is the average Accumulation Unit value for that Sub-Account based on its Accumulation Unit value on the Monthly Anniversary Date and each of the last 11 Monthly Anniversary Dates.

•  For example, assume a Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit values were $4.19, 3.81, 3.29, 2.98, 3.15, 3.33, 2.94, 3.73, 4.53, 5.35, 5.41, and 5.76 on each of the 12 most recent Monthly Anniversary Dates. Based on these Accumulation Unit values, its SMA on the most recent Monthly Anniversary Dates would be $4.04 (the sum of the 12 most recent Monthly Anniversary Dates' Accumulation Unit values divided by 12).

If a Sub-Account has not been in existence for 12 months, we will calculate the SMA using the net asset value of the Fund in which the Sub-Account invests, adjusted for Contract charges and expenses, for each month no Accumulation Unit value is available.

If any Monthly Anniversary Date is not a Valuation Date, we will effect the changes described herein as of the next Valuation Date.

Restricting Access to a Sub-Account

Once we calculate a Sub-Account's SMA on a Monthly Anniversary Date, we then compare that SMA to the Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value on that Monthly Anniversary Date. If the Sub-Account's current Accumulation Unit value is equal to or less than the Sub-Account's SMA on that date, then we will consider the Sub-Account to be temporarily restricted. This means:

•  On that Monthly Anniversary Date, we will transfer any Contract Value you have in the restricted Sub-Account to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account;

•  You may not allocate Purchase Payments or transfer Contract Value into a restricted Sub-Account;

•  If we receive instructions from you on or after that Monthly Anniversary Date requesting an allocation or transfer to the restricted Sub-Account, we will allocate or transfer the requested amount to the restricted Sub-Account, and then immediately transfer the amount to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account;

•  When effecting periodic portfolio rebalancing (if elected), we will "re-balance" your Variable Account value according to your most recent allocation instructions, but will include the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account in place of the restricted Sub-Account; and

•  Any automatic transfers from the DCA Account to the restricted Sub-Account will be redirected to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account.

You may submit new allocation instructions to allocate additional Purchase Payments, rebalance your Contract Value, and apply automatic DCA transfers to any non-restricted Sub-Accounts.

If you wish to transfer all or part of your Contract Value in the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account to an unrestricted Sub-Account, you must submit new allocation instructions. If we receive a transfer request that does not include allocation instructions, then we will consider the request to not be in good order and we will not process the transfer. When we receive a transfer request in good order, we will effect a one-time reallocation of your Contract Value in accordance with these instructions (in other words, we will allocate your Contract Value among the Investment Options in the percentages you specify). To the extent your new allocation instructions include allocations to a restricted Sub-Account, that portion of your contract value will remain in the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account until the Sub-Account is no longer restricted under the Allocation Adjustment Program. Following this reallocation, we will consider these instructions to be the Contract's allocation instructions, and use them when allocating additional Purchase Payments and rebalancing your Contract Value (if you have elected portfolio rebalancing), unless you submit new allocation instructions.

Restoring Access to a Sub-Account

We will no longer consider a Sub-Account to be restricted when, on a subsequent Monthly Anniversary Date, the Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value is greater than its 12-month SMA. When that occurs, we will immediately transfer any Contract Value in the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account attributable to the previously restricted Sub-Account back to the previously restricted Sub-Account based on your current allocation percentages. At this time you also may resume allocating Purchase Payments and transferring Contract Value into the previously restricted Sub-Account, and we will resume any automated transactions involving the previously restricted Sub-Account.

Electing the Program

You must elect whether you will or will not participate in the Allocation Adjustment Program when you purchase the Contract. If you do not indicate your election on your application, we will treat the application as incomplete. We will not issue your Contract unless we have this information (see "Issuance of a Contract"). If you elect not to participate in the Allocation Adjustment Program when you purchase your Contract, you may enroll in the Program at any time before the Annuity Date by sending us Written Notice. If you participate in the Allocation Adjustment Program, we will monitor the performance of all Sub-Accounts in which you invest, other than any Unmonitored Sub-Accounts.

Your participation in the program will begin as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive your Written Notice to enroll in the program. If that day is a Monthly Anniversary Date, we will compare each Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value as of that date to its 12-month SMA as of that date. If that day is not a Monthly Anniversary Date, we will compare each Sub-Account's Accumulation Unit value to its 12-month SMA as of the most recent prior Monthly Anniversary Date. If necessary, the 12-month SMA calculation will include months that occur prior to the Issue Date. If after making these comparisons we determine that a Sub-Account in which you are currently invested is restricted, we will take the actions described above, including transferring any Contract Value in that Sub-Account to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account.

Note:   Investing in Sub-Accounts that experience higher volatility, and therefore more volatile Accumulation Unit values, may increase the likelihood of those Sub-Accounts being restricted from investment. Therefore, the Allocation Adjustment Program may not be consistent with an aggressive investment strategy. You should consult with your registered representative to determine if this program is consistent with your investment objectives.

You should not view the Allocation Adjustment Program as a "market timing" or other type of investment program designed to enhance your earnings under the Contract. If we transfer Contract Value from one or more Sub-Accounts to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account during a market downturn, your Contract Value will not be available to participate in any upside potential if there is a subsequent recovery until the next Monthly Anniversary when the Accumulation Unit Value of the Sub-Account rises above the SMA. Please see Appendix E in this prospectus for an example of the Allocation Adjustment Program.

We will not assess a transfer charge on transfers made pursuant to the Allocation Adjustment Program or count such transfers towards the 12 transfers allowed each Contract Year without charge. We will provide a written confirmation to you of any transfer or other allocation made pursuant to the Allocation Adjustment Program.

We reserve the right to use a different mathematical model for Contracts we issue in the future. We reserve the right to terminate the Allocation Adjustment Program at any time in our sole discretion by prior written notice.

We may change the list of Unmonitored Sub-Accounts at any time, in our sole discretion. We will provide you with written notice of any such changes.

Suspending Participation in the Program

You may instruct us by Written Notice to suspend your participation in the Allocation Adjustment Program at any time. We will end your participation in the program and remove any restrictions on Sub-Accounts as of the end of the Valuation Period during which we receive your Written Notice. You must provide Written Notice requesting the transfer of any Contract Value in the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account to another Investment Option. If you do not provide us with such instructions, any Contract Value allocated to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account on the suspension date will remain there until you instruct us otherwise. You may later elect to begin participating in the Allocation Adjustment Program at any time prior to the Annuity Date if the program is available at that time. We reserve the right to limit the number of times you may begin participating in the Allocation Adjustment Program following suspension.

Termination of the Program

We will terminate your participation in the Allocation Adjustment Program and remove any restrictions on Sub-Accounts upon the earliest of:

1.  the Valuation Date the Contract is surrendered or terminated;

2.  the Annuity Date;

3.  the Valuation Date a rider that includes an allocation adjustment program is made a part of your Contract; or

4.  the Valuation Date we decide to no longer offer the Allocation Adjustment Program.

Following termination of the Allocation Adjustment Program, you must provide Written Notice requesting the transfer of any Contract Value in the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account to another Investment Option. If you do not provide us with such instructions, any Contract Value allocated to the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account on the termination date will remain there until you instruct us otherwise.

SUSPENSION OR DELAY IN PAYMENTS

Payments of a withdrawal or surrender of the Variable Account value or death benefit are usually made within seven (7) calendar days. However, we may delay such payment of a withdrawal or surrender of the Variable Account value or death benefit for any period in the following circumstances where permitted by state law:

(1)  when the New York Stock Exchange is closed; or

(2)  when trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted; or

(3)  when an emergency exists (as determined by the SEC as a result of which (a) the disposal of securities in the Variable Account is not reasonably practical; or (b) it is not reasonably practical to determine fairly the value of the net assets of the Variable Account); or

(4)  when the SEC, by order, so permits for the protection of security holders; or

(5)  your premium check has not cleared your bank.

If, pursuant to SEC rules, the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA suspends payment of redemption proceeds in connection with a liquidation of the Fund, we will delay payment of any transfer, withdrawal, surrender, or death benefit from the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account until the Fund is liquidated.

We may delay payment of a withdrawal or surrender from the Guaranteed Account for up to six months where permitted.

SUSPENSION OF CONTRACTS

If mandated under applicable law, we may be required to reject a Purchase Payment. We also may be required to provide additional information about your account to government regulators or law enforcement authorities. In addition, we may be required to block an Owner's account and thereby refuse to pay any request for transfers, withdrawals, surrenders, or death benefits until instructions are received from the appropriate regulator or law enforcement authorities.

CHARGES AND DEDUCTIONS

Surrender Charge (Contingent Deferred Sales Charge)

General

We do not deduct any charge for sales expenses from Purchase Payments at the time you make them. However, within certain time limits described below, we deduct a surrender charge (contingent deferred sales charge) from the Contract Value when you make a surrender or withdrawal before the Annuity Date or when you fully or partially surrender your Contract for a commuted value while variable income payments under Annuity Option A (payments for a certain period) are being made. (See "Annuitization, Annuity Date."). We do not apply the surrender charge to the payment of a death benefit or when we apply your Annuity Value to an Annuity Option.

The surrender charge reimburses us for expenses related to sales and distribution of the Contract, including commissions, marketing materials, and other promotional expenses. In the event surrender charges are not sufficient to cover sales expenses, we will bear the loss; conversely, if the amount of such charges provides more than enough to cover such expenses, we will retain the excess. Protective Life does not currently believe that the surrender charges imposed will cover the expected costs of distributing the Contracts. Any shortfall will be made up from Protective Life's general assets, which may include amounts derived from the mortality and expense risk charge.

Free Withdrawal Amount

Each Contract Year you may withdraw a specified amount, called the "free withdrawal amount", from your Contract without incurring a surrender charge. During the first Contract Year the free withdrawal amount is equal to 10% of your initial Purchase Payment. In any subsequent Contract Year the free withdrawal amount is equal to the greatest of: (1) the earnings in your Contract as of the prior Contract Anniversary; (2) 10% of your cumulative Purchase Payments as of the prior Contract Anniversary; or (3) 10% of the Contract Value as of the prior Contract Anniversary. For the purpose of determining the free withdrawal amount, earnings equal the Contract Value minus the Purchase Payments not previously assessed with a surrender charge, both measured as of the Contract Anniversary for which values are being determined. Withdrawals in excess of the free withdrawal amount in any Contract Year may be subject to surrender charges. Withdrawals, including withdrawals of the free withdrawal amount, may be subject to income taxation and may be subject to a 10% federal penalty tax if taken before the Owner reaches age 59 ¹ / ₂ . (See "Taxation of Annuities in General, Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders.")

Determining the Surrender Charge

We calculate the surrender charge in the following manner:

1.  We deduct any available free withdrawal amount from the requested withdrawal amount;

2.  We allocate any withdrawal amount in excess of any free withdrawal amount to Purchase Payments (or portions of Purchase Payments) not previously assessed a surrender charge on a "first-in, first-out" (FIFO) basis; and

3.  If there is still a portion of the withdrawal amount that has not been allocated (which may occur if the amount withdrawn exceeds the free withdrawal amount plus Purchase Payments not previously assessed a surrender charge, for example, if there has been gain in the Contract Value since the previous Contract Anniversary), then we will allocate this remaining amount pro-rata to such Purchase Payments.

The surrender charge is the total of each of these allocated amounts multiplied by its applicable surrender charge percentage, as shown below. If, at the time of withdrawal, all Purchase Payments have already been withdrawn from the Contract, then we will apply the surrender charge percentage associated with the most recent Purchase Payment we accepted to the amount withdrawn (in excess of any free withdrawal amount).

Refer to Appendix B for an example of how the surrender charge is calculated.

We will monitor the amount of the surrender charge we assess such that the amount of any surrender charge we impose, when added to any surrender charge previously paid on the Contract, will not exceed nine percent (9%) of aggregate Purchase Payments made to date for your Contract.

Deduction of the Surrender Charge on Withdrawals

We will deduct the surrender charge associated with a withdrawal either from the amount withdrawn (a "gross" withdrawal) or from your remaining Contract Value (a "net" withdrawal), based on your instructions.

•  In a "gross" withdrawal, you request a specific withdrawal amount, and we reduce that amount by the amount of the surrender charge. Therefore, you will receive less than the dollar amount of the withdrawal you requested.

•  In a "net" withdrawal, you request a specific withdrawal amount, and we deduct the surrender charge from your remaining Contract Value by withdrawing the charge from the Investment Options in which you invest in the same proportion as the withdrawal upon which the charge is assessed. Therefore, we will deduct a larger amount from your Contract Value than the withdrawal amount you specified.

If you choose to have us withhold for taxes, we will reduce the amount we pay you by the amount we withhold.

If you do not indicate whether you would like a "gross" or a "net" withdrawal when you submit your withdrawal request, then we will process your withdrawal request as a gross withdrawal.

Waiver of Surrender Charges

We will waive any applicable surrender charge if, at any time after the first Contract Year:

(1)  you are first diagnosed as having a terminal illness by a physician who is not related to you or the Annuitant; or,

(2)  you enter, for a period of at least ninety (90) days, a facility which is both

(a)  licensed by the state or operated pursuant to state law; and

(b)  qualified as a skilled nursing home facility under Medicare or Medicaid.

The term "terminal illness" means that you are diagnosed as having a non-correctable medical condition that, with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, will result in your death in 12 months or less. A "physician" is a medical doctor licensed by a state's Board of Medical Examiners, or similar authority in the United States, acting within the scope of his or her license. You must submit written proof satisfactory to us of a terminal illness or nursing home confinement. We reserve the right to require an examination by a physician of our choice at our expense.

Once we have granted the waiver of surrender charges under the provision described above, no surrender charges will apply to the Contract in the future and we will accept no additional Purchase Payments. If any Owner is not an individual, the waiver of surrender charge provision described above will apply to the Annuitant. For a period of one year after any change of ownership involving a natural person, we will not waive the surrender charges under the provision described above. If the surrender charge is waived, payments will still be treated as withdrawals for tax purposes. (See "Federal Tax Matters.")

We will not apply a surrender charge if you fully surrender your Contract when the Contract Value is 25% or less of the value of the death benefit.

We may decrease or waive surrender charges on Contracts issued to a trustee, employer or similar entity pursuant to a retirement plan or when sales are made in a similar arrangement where offering the Contracts to a group of individuals under such a program results in savings of sales expenses. We will determine the entitlement to such a reduction in surrender charge.

We may also waive surrender charges on withdrawals taken as a minimum distribution required under federal or state tax laws on amounts attributable to Protective Life annuity contracts. (See "Qualified Retirement Plans".) During any Contract Year, the total amount of such withdrawals will reduce the free withdrawal amount available on any subsequent withdrawal.

We also may waive surrender charges (1) for Contracts issued in connection with fee-only arrangements between the purchaser and the registered representative of the selling broker-dealer and (2) for Contracts issued to employees and registered representatives of any member of the selling group, or to officers, directors, trustees or bona-fide full time employees of Protective Life or the investment advisors of any of the Funds or their affiliated companies (based upon the Owner's status at the time the Contract is purchased). In either case, no marketing expenses or sales commissions are associated with such Contracts.

Mortality and Expense Risk Charge

To compensate Protective Life for assuming mortality and expense risks, we deduct a daily mortality and expense risk charge. We deduct the mortality and expense risk charge only from the Variable Account. The charge is equal, on an annual basis, to 0.90% of the average daily net assets of the Variable Account attributable to your Contract.

The mortality risk Protective Life assumes is that Annuitant(s) may live for a longer period of time than estimated when the guarantees in the Contract were established. Because of these guarantees, each Payee is assured that longevity will not have an adverse effect on the annuity payments received. The expense risk that Protective Life assumes is the risk that the administration charge, contract maintenance fee and transfer fees may be insufficient to cover actual future expenses. We expect to make a reasonable profit with respect to the Contracts. We may make a profit or incur a loss from the mortality and expense risk charge. Any profit, including profit from the mortality and expense risk charge, may be used to finance distribution and other expenses.

Administration Charge

We will deduct an administration charge equal, on an annual basis, to 0.10% of the daily net asset value of the Variable Account attributable to your Contract. We make this deduction to reimburse Protective Life for expenses incurred in the administration of the Contract and the Variable Account. We deduct the administration charge only from the Variable Account value.

Death Benefit Fee

If you select the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit, we assess a death benefit fee to compensate us for the cost of providing this death benefit. (There is no fee for the Contract Value Death Benefit.) We calculate the death benefit fee as of each Monthly Anniversary Date on which the fee is assessed, and we deduct it from your Contract Value on the next Valuation Date. We will deduct the death benefit fee pro-rata from the Investment Options ( e.g., in the same proportion that each Investment Option has to Contract Value). The deduction of the death benefit fee will reduce your Contract Value, but it will not otherwise reduce the value of your Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit. We deduct this fee whether or not the value of the death benefit is greater than the Contract Value on the Contract Anniversary the fee is deducted. It is possible that this fee (or some portion thereof) could be treated for federal tax purposes as a withdrawal from the Contract. (See "Federal Tax Matters.") We do not assess the death benefit fee after the Annuity Date.

The fee is equal, on an annualized basis, to 0.20% of your annualized death benefit value measured on each Monthly Anniversary Date. The value of your Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit on any Monthly Anniversary Date is

the greater of (1) your Contract Value or (2) your adjusted aggregate Purchase Payments, less an adjustment for each withdrawal, provided however, that the Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit will never be more than the Contract Value plus $1,000,000. ( See "DEATH BENEFIT, Return of Purchase Payments Death Benefit " for a more complete description.) For example, if on a Monthly Anniversary Date your Contract Value equals $125,000 and your adjusted aggregate Purchase Payments equal $100,000, the fee we deduct on that day will be based on your Contract Value of $125,000. Alternatively, if your Contract Value equals only $95,000 and your adjusted aggregate Purchase Payments equal $100,000, the fee we deduct on that day will be based on your adjusted aggregate Purchase Payments of $100,000.

Transfer Fee

Currently, there is no charge for transfers. Protective Life reserves the right, however, to charge $25 for each transfer after the first 12 transfers in any Contract Year. For the purpose of assessing the fee, we would consider each request to be one transfer, regardless of the number of Investment Options affected by the transfer in one day. We would deduct the fee from the amount being transferred.

Contract Maintenance Fee

Prior to the Annuity Date, we deduct a contract maintenance fee of $35 from the Contract Value on each Contract Anniversary, and on any day that you surrender the Contract other than the Contract Anniversary. We will deduct the contract maintenance fee from the Investment Options in the same proportion as their values are to the Contract Value. We will waive the contract maintenance fee in the event the Contract Value or the aggregate Purchase Payments reduced by surrenders and associated surrender charges (if applicable) equals or exceeds $100,000 on the date we are to deduct the contract maintenance fee.

Changing the Annuity Date

The Owner may change the Annuity Date by Written Notice. The new Annuity Date must be at least 30 days after the date we receive the written request and no later than the oldest Owner's or Annuitant's 95 ^th birthday. You may not choose a new Annuity Date that is less than 3 years after the most recent Purchase Payment. You also must elect as your Annuity Option either payments for the life of the Annuitant with no certain period or for a certain period of no less than 10 years.

Annuity Value

The Annuity Value is the amount we will apply to the Annuity Option you have selected. Generally the Annuity Value is your Contract Value on the Annuity Date, less any applicable fees, charges and premium tax on that date. In the circumstances described below, however, we may use an Annuity Value that is higher than the Contract Value.

PayStream Plus ^® Annuitization Benefit

(not available in New Hampshire or Utah)

If your Annuity Date is on or after your 10 ^th Contract Anniversary and you select Annuity Option B (life income with or without a certain period) with a certain period of at least 10 years, your Annuity Value will be your Contract Value on the Annuity Date plus 2% of the Contract Value on that date, less any applicable fees, charges and premium tax.

Annuity Income Payments

On the Annuity Date, we will apply your Annuity Value to the Annuity Option you have selected to determine your annuity income payment. You may elect to receive a fixed income payment, a variable income payment, or a combination of both using the same Annuity Option and certain period.

Fixed Income Payments

Fixed income payments are periodic payments from Protective Life to the designated Payee, the amount of which is fixed and guaranteed by Protective Life. Fixed income payments are not in any way dependent upon the investment experience of the Variable Account. Once fixed income payments have begun, they may not be surrendered.

Variable Income Payments

Variable income payments are periodic payments from Protective Life to the designated Payee, the amount of which varies from one payment to the next as a reflection of the net investment experience of the Sub-Account(s) you select to support the payments. You may fully or partially surrender variable income payments for a commuted value if those payments are being made under Annuity Option A (payments for a certain period). Refer to Appendix C for an explanation of the commuted value calculation. You may not surrender variable income payments if those payments are being made under Annuity Option B (life income with or without a certain period).

A surrender charge will apply if you fully or partially surrender variable income payments within 7 years after our receipt of any Purchase Payment. In this case, the surrender charge will be determined as described in the "Charges and Deductions, Surrender Charge" section of this prospectus, but without regard to any free withdrawal amount that may have otherwise been available.

Annuity Units

On the Annuity Date, we will apply the Annuity Value you have allocated to variable income payments (less applicable charges and premium taxes) to the variable Annuity Option you have selected. Using an interest assumption of 5%, we will determine the dollar amount that would equal a variable income payment if a payment were made on that date. (No payment is actually made on that date.) We will then allocate that dollar amount among the Sub-Accounts you selected to support your variable income payments, and we will determine the number of Annuity Units in each of those Sub-Accounts that is credited to your Contract. We will make this determination based on the Annuity Unit values established at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the Annuity Date. If the Annuity Date is a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, we will determine the number of Annuity Units on the next day the New York Stock Exchange is open. The number of Annuity Units attributable to each Sub-Account under a Contract generally remains constant unless there is an exchange of Annuity Units between Sub-Accounts.

Determining the Amount of Variable Income Payments

We will determine the amount of your variable income payment no earlier than five Valuation Dates before the date on which a payment is due, using values established at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange that day.

We determine the dollar amount of each variable income payment attributable to each Sub-Account by multiplying the number of Annuity Units of that Sub-Account credited to your Contract by the Annuity Unit value (described below) for that Sub-Account on the Valuation Period during which the payment is determined. The dollar value of each variable income payment is the sum of the variable income payments attributable to each Sub-Account.

The Annuity Unit value of each Sub-Account for any Valuation Period is equal to (a) multiplied by (b) divided by (c) where:

(a)  is the net investment factor for the Valuation Period for which the Annuity Unit value is being calculated;

(b)  is the Annuity Unit value for the preceding Valuation Period; and

(c)  is a daily Assumed Investment Return (AIR) factor adjusted for the number of days in the Valuation Period.

The AIR is equal to 5%.

If the net investment return of the Sub-Account for a variable income payment period is equal to the AIR during that period, the variable income payment attributable to that Sub-Account for that period will equal the payment for the prior period. To the extent that such net investment return exceeds the AIR for that period, the payment for that period will be greater than the payment for the prior period; to the extent that such net investment return falls short of the AIR for that period, the payment for that period will be less than the payment for the prior period.

Refer to Appendix C for an explanation of the variable income payment calculation.

Exchange of Annuity Units

After the Annuity Date, you may exchange the dollar amount of a designated number of Annuity Units of a particular Sub-Account for an equivalent dollar amount of Annuity Units of another Sub-Account. On the date of the exchange, the dollar amount of a variable income payment generated from the Annuity Units of either Sub-Account would be the same. We allow only one exchange between Sub-Accounts in any calendar month, and allow no exchanges between the Guaranteed Account and the Variable Account.

Annuity Options

You may select an Annuity Option, or change your selection by Written Notice that Protective Life receives no later than 30 days before the Annuity Date. You may not change your selection of an Annuity Option less than 30 days before the Annuity Date. We will send you a notice in advance of your Annuity Date which asks you to select your Annuity Option. If you have not selected an Annuity Option within 30 days of the Annuity Date, we will apply your Annuity Value to Option B — Life Income with Payments for a 10 Year Certain Period, with the Variable Account value used to purchase variable income payments and the Guaranteed Account value used to purchase fixed income payments.

You may select from among the following Annuity Options:

Option A — Payments For a Certain Period:

We will make payments for the period you select. No certain period may be longer than 30 years. Payments under this Annuity Option do not depend on the life of an Annuitant.

Option B — Life Income With Or Without A Certain Period:

Payments are based on the life of the named Annuitant(s). If you elect to include a certain period, we will make payments for the lifetime of the Annuitant(s), with payments guaranteed for the certain period you select. No certain period may be longer than 30 years. Payments stop at the end of the selected certain period or when the Annuitant(s) dies, whichever is later. We reserve the right to demand proof that the Annuitant(s) is living prior to making any payment under Option B. If no certain period is selected, no payments will be made after the death of the Annuitant(s), no matter how few or how many payments have been made. This means the Payee will receive no annuity payments if the Annuitant(s) dies before the first scheduled payment, will receive only one payment if death occurs before the second scheduled payment, and so on.

Additional Option:

You may use the Annuity Value to purchase any annuity contract that we offer on the date you elect this option.

When selecting an Annuity Option, you should bear in mind that the amount of each payment for a certain period compared to the amount of each payment for life (either with or without a certain period) depends on the length of the certain period chosen and the life expectancy of the Annuitant(s). The longer the life expectancy, the lower the payments. Generally, the shorter the certain period chosen, the higher the payments. You also should consider that, assuming Annuitants with the same life expectancy, choosing Option B — Life Income Without a Certain Period will result in larger annuity payments than Option B — Life Income with a Certain Period (although the Payee will receive more payments under Option B — Life Income with a Certain Period if the Annuitant dies before the end of the certain period). You should consult your sales representative to discuss which Annuity Option would be most appropriate for your circumstances.

At this time Protective does not allow a "partial annuitization," i.e. , we do not allow you to apply a portion of your Contract Value to an annuity option while maintaining the remaining Contract Value available for withdrawals or a surrender. However, in the future we may allow a partial annuitization subject to our then applicable rules and procedures.

Minimum Amounts

If your Annuity Value is less than $2,000 on the Annuity Date, we reserve the right to pay the Annuity Value in one lump sum. If at any time your annuity income payments are less than the minimum payment amount according to the Company's rules then in effect, we reserve the right to change the frequency to an interval that will result in a payment at least equal to the minimum.

Death of Annuitant or Owner After Annuity Date

In the event of the death of any Owner on or after the Annuity Date, the Beneficiary will become the new Owner. If any Owner or Annuitant dies on or after the Annuity Date and before all benefits under the Annuity Option you selected have been paid, we will pay any remaining portion of such benefits at least as rapidly as under the Annuity Option in effect when the Owner or Annuitant died. After the death of the Annuitant, any remaining payments shall be payable to the Beneficiary unless you specified otherwise before the Annuitant's death.

YIELDS AND TOTAL RETURNS

From time to time, Protective Life may advertise or include in sales literature yields, effective yields, and total returns for the Sub-Accounts. These figures are based on historic results and do not indicate or project future performance.

Yields, effective yields, and total returns for the Sub-Accounts are based on the investment performance of the corresponding Funds. The Funds' performance also reflects the Funds' expenses, including any 12b-1 fees. Certain of the expenses of each Fund may be reimbursed by the investment manager. (See the Prospectuses for the Funds.)

Yields

The yield of the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account refers to the annualized income generated by an investment in the Sub-Account over a specified seven-day period. The yield is calculated by assuming that the income generated for that seven-day period is generated each seven day period over a 52 week period and is shown as a percentage of the investment. The effective yield is calculated similarly but when annualized the income earned by an investment in the Sub-Account is assumed to be reinvested. The effective yield will be slightly higher than the yield because of the compounding effect of this assumed reinvestment.

The yield of a Sub-Account (except the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account) refers to the annualized income generated by an investment in the Sub-Account over a specified 30 day or one-month period. The yield is calculated by assuming that the income generated by the investment during that 30 day or one month period is generated each period over a 12 month period and is shown as a percentage of the investment.

Total Returns

The total return of a Sub-Account refers to return quotations assuming an investment under a Contract has been held in the Sub-Account for various periods of time including a period measured from the date the Sub-Account commenced operations. Average annual total return refers to total return quotations that are based on an average return over various periods of time.

Certain Funds have been in existence prior to the investment by the Sub-Accounts in such Funds. Protective Life may advertise and include in sales literature the performance of the Sub-Accounts that invest in these Funds for these prior periods. The performance information of any period prior to the investments by the Sub-Accounts is calculated as if the Sub-Accounts had invested in those Funds during those periods, using current charges and expenses associated with the Contract.

Standardized Average Annual Total Returns

The average annual total return quotations represent the average annual compounded rates of return that would equate an initial investment of $1,000 under a Contract to the redemption value of that investment as of the last day of each of the periods for which the quotations are provided. Average annual total return information shows the average percentage change in the value of an investment in the Sub-Account from the beginning date of the measuring period to the end of that period. This standardized version of average annual total return reflects all historical investment results, less all charges and deductions applied under the Contract and any surrender charges that would apply if you terminated the Contract at the end of each indicated period, but excluding any deductions for premium taxes.

When a Sub-Account has been in operation prior to the commencement of the offering of the Contract described in this prospectus, Protective Life may advertise and include in sales literature the performance of the Sub-Accounts for these prior periods. The Sub-Account performance information of any period prior to the commencement of the offering of the Contract is calculated as if the Contract had been offered during those periods, using current charges and expenses.

Until a Sub-Account (other than the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account) has been in operation for 10 years, Protective Life will always include quotes of standard average annual total return for the period measured from the date that Sub-Account began operations. When a Sub-Account (other than the Oppenheimer Money Fund/VA Sub-Account) has been in operation for one, five and ten years, respectively, the standard version average annual total return for these periods will be provided.

Non-Standard Average Annual Total Returns

In addition to the standard version of average annual total return described above, total return performance information computed on non-standard bases may be used in advertisements or sales literature. Non-standard average annual total return information may be presented, computed on the same basis as the standard version except deductions may not include the surrender charges or the contract maintenance fee. In addition, Protective Life may from time to time disclose average annual total return in other non-standard formats and cumulative total return for Contracts funded by the Sub-Accounts.

Protective Life may, from time to time, also disclose yield, standard average annual total returns, and non-standard total returns for the Funds.

Non-standard performance data will only be disclosed if the standard performance data for the periods described in "Standardized Average Annual Total Returns," above, is also disclosed.

Performance Comparisons

Protective Life may, from time to time, advertise or include in sales literature Sub-Account performance relative to certain performance rankings and indices compiled by independent organizations. In advertising and sales literature, the performance of each Sub-Account may be compared to the performance of other variable annuity issuers in general or to the performance of particular types of variable annuities investing in mutual funds, or investment portfolios of mutual funds with investment objectives similar to each of the Sub-Accounts. Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. ("Lipper"), the Variable Annuity Research Data Service ("VARDS"), and Morningstar Inc. ("Morningstar") are independent services which monitor and rank the performance of variable annuity issuers in each of the major categories of investment objectives on an industry-wide basis.

Lipper and Morningstar rankings include variable life insurance issuers as well as variable annuity issuers. VARDS rankings compare only variable annuity issuers. The performance analyses prepared by Lipper, Morningstar and VARDS each rank such issuers on the basis of total return, assuming reinvestment of distributions, but do not take sales charges, redemption fees, or certain expense deductions at the separate account level into consideration. In addition, VARDS prepares risk adjusted rankings, which consider the effects of market risk on total return performance. This type of ranking provides data as to which funds provide the highest total return within various categories of funds defined by the degree of risk inherent in their investment objectives.

Advertising and sales literature may also compare the performance of each Sub-Account to the Standard & Poor's Index of 500 Common Stocks, a widely used measure of stock performance. This unmanaged index assumes the reinvestment of dividends but does not reflect any "deduction" for the expense of operating or managing an investment portfolio. Other independent ranking services and indices may also be used as a source of performance comparison.

Other Matters

Protective Life may also report other information including the effect of tax-deferred compounding on a Sub-Account's investment returns, or returns in general, which may be illustrated by tables, graphs, or charts.

All income and capital gains derived from Sub-Account investments are reinvested and can lead to substantial long-term accumulation of assets, provided that the underlying Fund's investment experience is positive.

FEDERAL TAX MATTERS

Introduction

The following discussion of the federal income tax treatment of the Contract is not exhaustive, does not purport to cover all situations, and is not intended as tax advice. The federal income tax treatment of the Contract is unclear in certain circumstances, and you should always consult a qualified tax adviser regarding the application of law to individual circumstances. This discussion is based on the Code, Treasury Department regulations, and interpretations existing on the date of this Prospectus. These authorities, however, are subject to change by Congress, the Treasury Department, and judicial decisions.

This discussion does not address state or local tax consequences associated with the purchase of the Contract. In addition, Protective Life makes no guarantee regarding any tax treatment — federal, state or local — of any Contract or of any transaction involving a Contract.

The Company's Tax Status

Protective Life is taxed as a life insurance company under the Code. Since the operations of the Variable Account are a part of, and are taxed with, the operations of the Company, the Variable Account is not separately taxed as a "regulated investment company" under the Code. Under existing federal income tax laws, investment income and capital gains of the Variable Account are not taxed to the extent they are applied under a Contract. Protective Life does not anticipate that it will incur any federal income tax liability attributable to such income and gains of the Variable Account, and therefore does not intend to make provision for any such taxes. If Protective Life is taxed on investment income or capital gains of the Variable Account, then Protective Life may impose a charge against the Variable Account in order to make provision for such taxes.

TAXATION OF ANNUITIES IN GENERAL

Tax Deferral During Accumulation Period

Under existing provisions of the Code, except as described below, any increase in an Owner's Contract Value is generally not taxable to the Owner until received, either in the form of annuity payments as contemplated by the Contracts, or in some other form of distribution. However, this rule applies only if:

(1)  the investments of the Variable Account are "adequately diversified" in accordance with Treasury Department regulations;

(2)  the Company, rather than the Owner, is considered the owner of the assets of the Variable Account for federal income tax purposes; and

(3)  the Owner is an individual (or an individual is treated as the Owner for tax purposes).

Diversification Requirements

The Code and Treasury Department regulations prescribe the manner in which the investments of a segregated asset account, such as the Variable Account, are to be "adequately diversified." If the Variable Account fails to comply with these diversification standards, the Contract will not be treated as an annuity contract for federal income tax purposes and the Owner would generally be taxable currently on the excess of the Contact Value over the premiums paid for the Contract. Protective Life expects that the Variable Account, through the Funds, will comply with the diversification requirements prescribed by the Code and Treasury Department regulations.

Ownership Treatment

In certain circumstances, variable annuity contract owners may be considered the owners, for federal income tax purposes, of the assets of a segregated asset account, such as the Variable Account, used to support their contracts. In those circumstances, income and gains from the segregated asset account would be currently includable in the contract owners' gross income. The Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") has stated in published rulings that a variable contract owner will be considered the owner of the assets of a segregated asset account if the owner possesses incidents of ownership in those assets, such as the ability to exercise investment control over the assets.

The ownership rights under the Contract are similar to, but differ in certain respects from, the ownership rights described in certain IRS rulings where it was determined that contract owners were not owners of the assets of a segregated asset account (and thus not currently taxable on the income and gains). For example, the Owner of this Contract has the choice of more investment options to which to allocate purchase payments and Variable Account values than were addressed in such rulings. These differences could result in the Owner being treated as the owner of the assets of the Variable Account and thus subject to current taxation on the income and gains from those assets. In addition, the Company does not know what standards will be set forth in any further regulations or rulings which the Treasury Department or IRS may issue. Protective Life therefore reserves the right to modify the Contract as necessary to attempt to prevent Contract Owners from being considered the owners of the assets of the Variable Account. However, there is no assurance such efforts would be successful.

Nonnatural Owner

As a general rule, Contracts held by "nonnatural persons" such as a corporation, trust or other similar entity, as opposed to a natural person, are not treated as annuity contracts for federal tax purposes. The income on such Contracts (as defined in the tax law) is taxed as ordinary income that is received or accrued by the Owner of the Contract during the taxable year. There are several exceptions to this general rule for nonnatural Owners. First, Contracts will generally be treated as held by a natural person if the nominal owner is a trust or other entity which holds the Contract as an agent for a natural person. Thus, if a group Contract is held by a trust or other entity as an agent for certificate owners who are individuals, those individuals should be treated as owning an annuity for federal income tax purposes. However, this special exception will not apply in the case of any employer who is the nominal owner of a Contract under a non-qualified deferred compensation arrangement for its employees.

In addition, exceptions to the general rule for nonnatural Owners will apply with respect to:

(1)  Contracts acquired by an estate of a decedent by reason of the death of the decedent;

(2)  Certain Qualified Contracts;

(3)  Contracts purchased by employers upon the termination of certain Qualified Plans;

(4)  Certain Contracts used in connection with structured settlement agreements; and

(5)  Contracts purchased with a single purchase payment when the annuity starting date is no later than a year from purchase of the Contract and substantially equal periodic payments are made, not less frequently than annually, during the annuity period.

Delayed Annuity Dates

If the Contract's Annuity Date occurs (or is scheduled to occur) at a time when the Annuitant has reached an advanced age ( e.g., past age 95), it is possible that the Contract would not be treated as an annuity for federal income tax purposes. In that event, the income and gains under the Contract could be currently includable in the Owner's income.

The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Contract will be treated as an annuity contract for federal income tax purposes.

Taxation of Withdrawals and Surrenders

In the case of a withdrawal, amounts you receive are generally includable in income to the extent your Contract Value before the surrender exceeds your "investment in the contract" (defined below). All amounts includable in income with respect to the Contract are taxed as ordinary income; no amounts are taxed at the special lower rates applicable to long term capital gains and corporate dividends. Amounts received under an automatic withdrawal plan are treated for tax purposes as withdrawals, not annuity payments. In the case of a surrender, amounts received are includable in income to the extent they exceed the "investment in the contract." For these purposes, the "investment in the contract"

at any time equals the total of the Purchase Payments made under the Contract to that time (to the extent such payments were neither deductible when made nor excludable from income as, for example, in the case of certain contributions to Qualified Contracts) less any amounts previously received from the Contract which were not includable in income.

Under the Waiver of Surrender Charges provision of the Contract, amounts we distribute may not be subject to surrender charges if you have a terminal illness or enter, for a period of at least 90 days, certain nursing home facilities. However, such distributions will still be treated as withdrawals for federal income tax purposes.

Withdrawals and surrenders may be subject to a 10% penalty tax. (See "Penalty Tax on Premature Distributions.") Withdrawals and surrenders may also be subject to federal income tax withholding requirements. (See "Federal Income Tax Withholding.")

As described elsewhere in this prospectus, the Company assesses a fee with respect to the Return of Purchase Payments death benefit. It is possible that this fee (or some portion thereof) could be treated for federal tax purposes as a withdrawal from the Contract.

Taxation of Annuity Payments

Normally, the portion of each annuity income payment taxable as ordinary income equals the excess of the payment over the exclusion amount. In the case of variable income payments, the exclusion amount is the "investment in the contract" (defined above) you allocate to the variable Annuity Option when payments begin, adjusted for any period certain or refund feature, divided by the number of payments expected (as determined by Treasury Department regulations which take into account the Annuitant's life expectancy and the form of annuity benefit selected). In the case of fixed income payments, the exclusion amount is determined by multiplying (1) the payment by (2) the ratio of the investment in the contract you allocate to the fixed Annuity Option, adjusted for any period certain or refund feature, to the total expected amount of annuity income payments for the term of the Contract (determined under Treasury Department regulations).

Once the total amount of the investment in the contract is excluded using the above formulas, annuity income payments will be fully taxable. If annuity income payments cease because of the death of the Annuitant and before the total amount of the investment in the contract is recovered, the unrecovered amount generally will be allowed as a deduction.

There may be special income tax issues present in situations where the Owner and the Annuitant are not the same person and are not married to one another within the meaning of federal tax law. You should consult a tax adviser in those situations.

Annuity income payments may be subject to federal income tax withholding requirements. (See "Federal Income Tax Withholding.")

Taxation of Death Benefit Proceeds

Prior to the Annuity Date, we may distribute amounts from a Contract because of the death of an Owner or, in certain circumstances, the death of the Annuitant. Such death benefit proceeds are includable in income as follows:

(1)  if distributed in a lump sum, they are taxed in the same manner as a surrender, as described above; or

(2)  if distributed under an Annuity Option, they are taxed in the same manner as annuity income payments, as described above.

After the Annuity Date, if a guaranteed period exists under a life income Annuity Option and the Annuitant dies before the end of that period, payments we make to the Beneficiary for the remainder of that period are includable in income as follows:

(1)  if received in a lump sum, they are included in income to the extent that they exceed the unrecovered investment in the contract at that time; or

(2)  if distributed in accordance with the existing Annuity Option selected, they are fully excluded from income until the remaining investment in the contract is deemed to be recovered, and all annuity income payments thereafter are fully includable in income.

Proceeds payable on death may be subject to federal income tax withholding requirements. (See "Federal Income Tax Withholding.")

Assignments, Pledges, and Gratuitous Transfers

Other than in the case of Qualified Contracts (which generally cannot be assigned or pledged), any assignment or pledge of (or agreement to assign or pledge) any portion of the Contract Value is treated for federal income tax purposes as a surrender of such amount or portion. The investment in the contract is increased by the amount includable as income with respect to such assignment or pledge, though it is not affected by any other aspect of the assignment or pledge (including its release). If an Owner transfers a Contract without adequate consideration to a person other than the Owner's spouse (or to a former spouse incident to divorce), the Owner will be required to include in income the difference between the "cash surrender value" and the investment in the contract at the time of transfer. In such case, the transferee's "investment in the contract" will increase to reflect the increase in the transferor's income. The exceptions for transfers to the Owner's spouse (or to a former spouse) are limited to individuals that are treated as spouses under federal tax law.

You should consult your tax advisor in connection with an exchange of all or part of an annuity contract for the Contract, especially if you may make a withdrawal from either contract within 180 days after the exchange.

These exceptions generally apply to taxable distributions from other Qualified Plans (although, in the case of plans qualified under Section 401, exception "c" above for substantially equal periodic payments applies only if the Owner has separated from service). In addition, the penalty tax does not apply to certain distributions from IRAs which are used for qualified first time home purchases or for higher education expenses. You must meet special conditions to be eligible for these two exceptions to the penalty tax. Those wishing to take a distribution from an IRA for these purposes should consult their tax adviser. Certain other exceptions to the 10% penalty tax not described herein also may apply.

When issued in connection with a Qualified Plan, we will amend a Contract as generally necessary to conform to the requirements of the plan. However, Owners, Annuitants, and Beneficiaries are cautioned that the rights of any person to any benefits under Qualified Plans may be subject to the terms and conditions of the plans themselves, regardless of the terms and conditions of the Contract. In addition, the Company shall not be bound by terms and conditions of Qualified Plans to the extent such terms and conditions contradict the Contract, unless the Company consents.

Following are brief descriptions of various types of Qualified Plans in connection with which the Company may issue a Contract.

Individual Retirement Accounts and Annuities

Section 408 of the Code permits eligible individuals to contribute to an individual retirement program known as an IRA. If you use this Contract in connection with an IRA, the Owner and Annuitant generally must be the same individual and generally may not be changed. IRAs are subject to limits on the amounts that may be contributed and deducted and on the time when distributions must commence. Also, subject to the direct rollover and mandatory withholding requirements (discussed below), you may "roll over" distributions from certain Qualified Plans on a tax-deferred basis into an IRA.

However, you may not use the Contract in connection with a "Coverdell Education Savings Account" (formerly known as an "Education IRA") under Section 530 of the Code, a "Simplified Employee Pension" under Section 408(k) of the Code, or a "Simple IRA" under Section 408(p) of the Code.

Roth IRAs

Section 408A of the Code permits eligible individuals to contribute to a type of IRA known as a "Roth IRA." Roth IRAs are generally subject to the same rules as non-Roth IRAs, but differ in several respects. Among the differences is that, although contributions to a Roth IRA are not deductible, "qualified distributions" from a Roth IRA will be excludable from income.

A qualified distribution is a distribution that satisfies two requirements. First, the distribution must be made in a taxable year that is at least five years after the first taxable year for which a contribution to any Roth IRA established for the Owner was made. Second, the distribution must be either (1) made after the Owner attains the age of 59 ¹ / ₂ ; (2) made after the Owner's death; (3) attributable to the Owner being disabled; or (4) a qualified first-time homebuyer distribution within the meaning of Section 72(t)(2)(F) of the Code. In addition, distributions from Roth IRAs need not commence when the Owner attains age 70 ¹ / ₂ . A Roth IRA may accept a "qualified rollover contribution" from a (1) non-Roth IRA, (2) a "designated Roth account" maintained under a Qualified Plan, and (3) certain Qualified Plans of eligible individuals. Special rules apply to rollovers to Roth IRAs from Qualified Plans and from designated Roth accounts under Qualified Plans. You should seek competent advice before making such a rollover.

Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans

Section 401(a) of the Code permits employers to establish various types of tax-favored retirement plans for employees. The Self-Employed Individuals' Tax Retirement Act of 1962, as amended, commonly referred to as "H.R. 10" or "Keogh," permits self-employed individuals also to establish such tax-favored retirement plans for themselves and their employees. Such retirement plans may permit the purchase of the Contract in order to provide benefits under the plans. These types of plans may be subject to rules under Sections 401(a)(11) and 417 of the Code that provide rights to a spouse or former spouse of a participant. In such a case, the participant may need the consent of the spouse or former spouse to change annuity options, to elect a partial automatic withdrawal option, or to make a partial or full surrender of the Contract.

Pension and profit sharing plans are subject to nondiscrimination rules. The nondiscrimination rules generally require that benefits, rights or features of the plan not discriminate in favor of highly compensated employees. In evaluating whether the Contract is suitable for purchase in connection with such a plan, you should consider the effect of the minimum initial Purchase Payment of at least $5,000 in certain circumstances on the plan's compliance with applicable nondiscrimination requirements. You should also consider the extent to which other aspects of the

Contract, e.g., that the Annual Contract Maintenance Fee is waived for Contract Values that are greater than $100,000, may affect the plan's compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements. Violation of these rules can cause loss of the plan's tax favored status under the Code. Employers intending to use the Contract in connection with such plans should seek competent advice.

Section 403(b) Annuity Contracts

Protective Life does not issue Contracts under Section 403(b) of the Code ( i.e. , tax sheltered annuities or "TSAs").

Deferred Compensation Plans of State and Local Governments and Tax-Exempt Organizations.

Section 457 of the Code permits employees of state and local governments and tax-exempt organizations to defer a portion of their compensation without paying current taxes. The employees must be participants in an eligible deferred compensation plan. Generally, a Contract purchased by a state or local government or a tax-exempt organization under a Section 457 plan will not be treated as an annuity contract for federal income tax purposes. The Contract will be issued in connection with a Section 457 deferred compensation plan sponsored by a state or local government only if the plan has established a trust to hold plan assets, including the Contract.

Direct Rollovers

If your Contract is used in connection with a pension or profit-sharing plan qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, or is used with an eligible deferred compensation plan that has a government sponsor and that is qualified under Section 457(b) of the Code, any "eligible rollover distribution" from the Contract will be subject to direct rollover and mandatory withholding requirements. An eligible rollover distribution generally is any taxable distribution from a qualified pension plan under Section 401(a) of the Code, or an eligible Section 457(b) deferred compensation plan that has a government sponsor, excluding certain amounts (such as minimum distributions required under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code, distributions which are part of a "series of substantially equal periodic payments" made for life or a specified period of 10 years or more, or hardship distributions as defined in the tax law).

Under these requirements, federal income tax equal to 20% of the eligible rollover distribution will be withheld from the amount of the distribution. Unlike withholding on certain other amounts distributed from the Contract, discussed below, you cannot elect out of withholding with respect to an eligible rollover distribution. However, this 20% withholding will not apply if, instead of receiving the eligible rollover distribution, you elect to have it directly transferred to certain eligible retirement plans (such as an IRA). Prior to receiving an eligible rollover distribution, you will receive a notice (from the plan administrator or the Company) explaining generally the direct rollover and mandatory withholding requirements and how to avoid the 20% withholding by electing a direct transfer.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX WITHHOLDING

In General

Protective Life will withhold and remit to the federal government a part of the taxable portion of each distribution made under a Contract unless the distributee notifies Protective Life at or before the time of the distribution that he or she elects not to have any amounts withheld. In certain circumstances, Protective Life may be required to withhold tax. The withholding rates applicable to the taxable portion of periodic annuity payments (other than eligible rollover distributions) are the same as the withholding rates generally applicable to payments of wages. In addition, a 10% withholding rate applies to the taxable portion of non-periodic payments (including surrenders prior to the Annuity Date) and conversions of, or rollovers from, non-Roth IRAs and Qualified Plans to Roth IRAs. Regardless of whether you elect not to have federal income tax withheld, you are still liable for payment of federal income tax on the taxable portion of the payment. As discussed above, the withholding rate applicable to eligible rollover distributions is 20%.

Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Corporations

The discussion above provides general information regarding federal withholding tax consequences to annuity contract purchasers or beneficiaries that are U.S. citizens or residents. Purchasers or beneficiaries that are not U.S. citizens or residents will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on taxable distributions from annuity contracts at a 30% rate, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Prospective purchasers that are not U.S. citizens or residents are advised to consult with a tax advisor regarding federal tax withholding with respect to the distributions from a Contract.

FATCA Withholding

If the payee of a distribution from the Contract is a foreign financial institution ("FFI") or a non-financial foreign entity ("NFFE") within the meaning of the Code as amended by the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA"), the distribution could be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on the taxable amount of the distribution at a 30% rate irrespective of the status of any beneficial owner of the Contract or the distribution. The rules relating to FATCA are complex, and a tax advisor should be consulted if an FFI or NFFE is or may be designated as a payee with respect to the Contract.

GENERAL MATTERS

Error in Age or Gender

When a benefit of the Contract is contingent upon any person's age or gender, we may require proof of such. We may suspend payments until we receive proof. When we receive satisfactory proof, we will make the payments which were due during the period of suspension. Where the use of unisex mortality rates is required, we will not determine or adjust benefits based upon gender.

If after we receive proof of age and gender (where applicable), we determine that the information you furnished was not correct, we will adjust any benefit under this Contract to that which would be payable based upon the correct information. If we have underpaid a benefit because of the error, we will make up the underpayment in a lump sum. If the error resulted in an overpayment, we will deduct the amount of the overpayment from any current or future payment due under the Contract. We will deduct up to the full amount of any current or future payment until the overpayment has been fully repaid. Underpayments and overpayments will bear interest at an annual effective interest rate of 3% when permitted by the state of issue.

Incontestability

We will not contest the Contract.

Non-Participation

The Contract is not eligible for dividends and will not participate in Protective Life's surplus or profits.

Assignment or Transfer of a Contract

You have the right to assign or transfer a Contract if it is permitted by law. Generally, you do not have the right to assign or transfer a Qualified Contract. We do not assume responsibility for any assignment or transfer. Any claim made under an assignment or transfer is subject to proof of the nature and extent of the assignee's or transferee's interest before we make a payment. Assignments and transfers have federal income tax consequences. An assignment or transfer may result in the Owner recognizing taxable income. (See "Taxation of Annuities in General, Assignments, Pledges and Gratuitous Transfers" in the prospectus.)

Notice

All instructions and requests to change or assign the Contract must be in writing in a form acceptable to us, signed by the Owner(s), and received at our Administrative Office. The instruction, change or assignment will relate back to and take effect on the date it was signed, except we will not be responsible for following any instruction or making any change or assignment before we receive it.

Modification

No one is authorized to modify or waive any term or provision of this Contract unless we agree to the modification or waiver in writing and it is signed by our President, Vice-President or Secretary. We reserve the right to change or modify the provisions of this Contract to conform to any applicable laws, rules or regulations issued by a government agency, or to assure continued qualification of the Contract as an annuity contract under the Code. We will send you a copy of the endorsement that modifies the Contract, and where required we will obtain all necessary approvals, including that of the Owner(s).

Reports

At least annually prior to the Annuity Date, we will send to you at the address contained in our records a report showing the current Contract Value and any other information required by law.

Settlement

Benefits due under this Contract are payable from our Administrative Office. You may apply the settlement proceeds to any payout option we offer for such payments at the time you make the election. Unless directed otherwise in writing, we will make payments according to the Owner's instructions as contained in our records at the time we make the payment. We shall be discharged from all liability for payment to the extent of any payments we make.

Receipt of Payment

If any Owner, Annuitant, Beneficiary or Payee is incapable of giving a valid receipt for any payment, we may make such payment to whomever has legally assumed his or her care and principal support. Any such payment shall fully discharge us to the extent of that payment.

Protection of Proceeds

To the extent permitted by law and except as provided by an assignment, no benefits payable under this Contract will be subject to the claims of creditors.

Minimum Values

The values available under the Contract are at least equal to the minimum values required in the state where the Contract is delivered.

Application of Law

The provisions of the Contract are to be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the state where the Contract is delivered, with the Code and with applicable regulations.

No Default

The Contract will not be in default if subsequent Purchase Payments are not made.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE CONTRACTS

Distribution

We have entered into an agreement with Investment Distributors, Inc. ("IDI") under which IDI has agreed to distribute the Contracts on a "best efforts" basis. Under the agreement, IDI serves as principal underwriter (as defined under Federal securities laws and regulations) for the Contracts. IDI is a Tennessee corporation and was established in 1993. IDI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PLC, is an affiliate of and shares the same address as Protective Life. IDI is registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as a broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA").

IDI does not sell Contracts directly to purchasers. IDI, together with Protective Life, enters into distribution agreements with other broker-dealers, including ProEquities, Inc., an affiliate of Protective Life and IDI, (collectively, "Selling Broker-Dealers") for the sale of the Contracts. Registered representatives of the Selling Broker-Dealers sell the Contracts directly to purchasers. Registered representatives of the Selling Broker-Dealers must be licensed as insurance agents by applicable state insurance authorities and appointed as agents of Protective Life in order to sell the Contracts.

We pay commissions and additional asset-based compensation to Selling Broker-Dealers through IDI. IDI does not retain any commission payment or other amounts as principal underwriter for the Contracts. However, we may pay some or all of IDI's operating and other expenses.

We paid the following aggregate dollar amounts to IDI in commissions and additional asset-based compensation relating to sales of our variable annuity contracts. IDI did not retain any of these amounts.

We offer the Contract on a continuous basis. While we anticipate continuing to offer the Contracts, we reserve the right to discontinue the offering at any time.

Selling Broker-Dealers

We pay commissions and may provide some form of non-cash compensation to all Selling Broker-Dealers in connection with the promotion and sale of the Contracts. A portion of any payments made to Selling Broker-Dealers may be passed on to their registered representatives in accordance with their internal compensation programs. We may use any of our corporate assets to pay commissions and other costs of distributing the Contracts, including any profit from the mortality and expense risk charge or other fees and charges imposed under the Contracts. Commissions and other incentives or payments described below are not charged directly to Contract owners or the Variable Account. We intend to recoup commissions and other sales expenses through fees and charges deducted under the Contracts or from our general account.

Compensation Paid to All Selling Broker-Dealers. We pay commissions as a percentage of initial and subsequent Purchase Payments at the time we receive them, as a percentage of Contract Value on an ongoing basis, or a combination of both. While the amount and timing of commissions may vary depending on the distribution agreement, we do not expect them to exceed 8% of any Purchase Payment (if compensation is paid as a percentage of Purchase Payments) and/or 1.0% annually of average Contract Value (if compensation is paid as a percentage of Contract Value). In the normal course of business, we may also provide non-cash compensation in connection with the promotion of the Contracts, including conferences and seminars (including travel, lodging and meals in connection therewith), and items of relatively small value, such as promotional gifts, meals, or tickets to sporting or entertainment events.

The registered representative who sells you the Contract typically receives a portion of the compensation we pay to his or her Selling Broker-Dealer, depending on the agreement between the Selling Broker-Dealer and your registered representative and the Selling Broker-Dealer's internal compensation program. These programs may include other types of cash and non-cash compensation and other benefits. If you would like information about what your registered representative and the Selling Broker-Dealer for whom he or she works may receive in connection with your purchase of a Contract, please ask your registered representative.

Additional Compensation Paid to Selected Selling Broker-Dealers. In addition to ordinary commissions and non-cash compensation, we may pay additional asset-based compensation to selected Selling Broker-Dealers. These payments are made through IDI. These payments may be (1) additional amounts as a percentage of purchase payments and/or premiums we receive on our variable insurance products (including the Contracts), and (2) additional "trail" commissions, which are periodic payments as a percentage of the contract and policy values or variable account values of our variable insurance products (including Contract Values and Variable Account values of the Contracts). Some or all of these additional asset-based compensation payments may be conditioned upon the Selling Broker-Dealer producing a specified amount of new purchase payments and/or premiums (including Purchase Payments for the Contracts) and/or maintaining a specified amount of contract and policy value (including Contract Values of the Contracts) with us.

The Selling Broker-Dealers to whom we pay additional asset-based compensation may provide preferential treatment with respect to our products (including the Contracts) in their marketing programs. Preferential treatment of our products by a Selling Broker-Dealer may include any or all of the following: (1) enhanced marketing of our products over non-preferred products; (2) increased access to the Selling Broker-Dealer's registered representatives; and (3) payment of higher compensation to registered representatives for selling our products (including the Contracts) than for selling non-preferred products.

In 2013, we paid additional asset-based compensation to the Selling Broker-Dealers Edward Jones, UBS, ProEquities, AIG Advisor Group, LPL Financial, Raymond James and NFP Securities in connection with the sale of our variable insurance products. Some of these payments were substantial.

These additional asset-based compensation arrangements are not offered to all Selling Broker-Dealers. These arrangements are designed to specially encourage the sale of our products (and/or our affiliates' products) by such Selling Broker-Dealers. The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, additional asset-based compensation may provide Selling Broker-Dealers and/or their registered representatives with an incentive to favor sales of our variable insurance products (including the Contracts) over other variable insurance products (or other investments) with respect to which a Selling Broker-Dealer does not receive additional compensation, or receives lower levels of additional compensation. You may wish to take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendation relating to the Contracts. If you would like information about what your registered representative and the Selling Broker-Dealer for whom he or she works may receive in connection with your purchase of a Contract, please ask your registered representative.

We may also pay to selected Selling Broker-Dealers, including those listed above as well as others, additional compensation in the form of (1) payments for participation in meetings and conferences that include presentations about our products (including the Contracts), and (2) payments to help defray the costs of sales conferences and educational seminars for the Selling Broker-Dealers' registered representatives.

Arrangements with Affiliated Selling Broker-Dealer. In addition to the ordinary commissions and non-cash compensation that we pay to all Selling Broker-Dealers, including ProEquities, Inc., we or our parent company, Protective Life Corporation, pay some of the operating and other expenses of ProEquities, Inc., such as paid-in-capital and certain overhead expenses. Additionally, employees of ProEquities, Inc. may be eligible to participate in various employee benefit plans offered by Protective Life Corporation.

Inquiries

You may make inquiries regarding a Contract by writing to Protective Life at its Administrative Office.

CEFLI

Protective Life Insurance Company is a member of The Compliance & Ethics Forum for Life Insurers ("CEFLI"), and as such may include the CEFLI logo and information about CEFLI membership in its advertisements. Companies that belong to CEFLI subscribe to a set of ethical standards covering the various aspects of sales and service for individually sold life insurance and annuities.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Protective Life and its subsidiaries, like other insurance companies, in the ordinary course of business are involved in some class action and other lawsuits, or alternatively in arbitration. In some class action and other lawsuits involving insurance companies, substantial damages have been sought and material settlement payments have been made. Although the outcome of any litigation or arbitration cannot be predicted, Protective Life believes that at the present time there are no pending or threatened lawsuits that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse impact on IDI's, Protective Life's or the Variable Account's financial position. We are currently being audited on behalf of multiple states' treasury and controllers' offices for compliance with laws and regulations concerning the identification, reporting, and escheatment of unclaimed benefits or abandoned funds. The audits focus on insurance company processes and procedures for identifying unreported death claims, and their use of the Social Security Master Death File to identify deceased insureds and contract owners. In addition, we are the subject of multiple state Insurance Department inquiries and a multistate market conduct examination with a similar focus on the handling of unreported claims and abandoned property. The audits and related examination activity may result in additional payments to beneficiaries, escheatment of funds deemed abandoned, administrative penalties, and changes in our procedures for the identification of unreported claims and handling of escheatable property. We do not believe that any regulatory actions or agreements that result from these examinations will have a material adverse impact on the separate account, on IDI's ability to perform under its principal underwriting agreement, or on our ability to meet our obligations under the contract.

VOTING RIGHTS

In accordance with its view of applicable law, Protective Life will vote the Fund shares held in the Variable Account at special shareholder meetings of the Funds in accordance with instructions received from persons having voting interests in the corresponding Sub-Accounts. If, however, the 1940 Act or any regulation thereunder should be amended, or if the present interpretation thereof should change, or Protective Life determines that it is allowed to vote such shares in its own right, it may elect to do so.

The number of votes available to an Owner will be calculated separately for each Sub-Account of the Variable Account, and may include fractional votes. The number of votes attributable to a Sub-Account will be determined by applying an Owner's percentage interest, if any, in a particular Sub-Account to the total number of votes attributable to that Sub-Account. An Owner holds a voting interest in each Sub-Account to which that Owner has allocated Accumulation Units or Annuity Units. Before the Annuity Date, the Owner's percentage interest, if any, will be percentage of the dollar value of Accumulation Units allocated for his or her Contract to the total dollar value of that Sub-Account. On or after the Annuity Date, the Owner's percentage interest, if any, will be percentage of the dollar value of the liability for future variable income payments to be paid from the Sub-Account to the total dollar value of that Sub-Account. The liability for future payments is calculated on the basis of the mortality assumptions, (if any), the Assumed Investment Return and the Annuity Unit Value of that Sub-Account. Generally, as variable income payments are made to the payee, the liability for future payments decreases as does the number of votes.

The number of votes which are available to the Owner will be determined as of the date coincident with the date established by the Fund for determining shareholders eligible to vote at the relevant meeting of that Fund. Voting instructions will be solicited by written communication prior to such meeting in accordance with procedures established by the Fund.

It is important that each Owner provide voting instructions to Protective Life because shares as to which no timely instructions are received and shares held by Protective Life in a Sub-Account as to which no Owner has a beneficial interest will be voted in proportion to the voting instructions which are received with respect to all Contracts participating in that Sub-Account. As a result, a small number of Owners may control the outcome of a vote. Voting instructions to abstain on any item to be voted upon will be applied to reduce the votes eligible to be cast on that item.

Protective Life will send or make available to each person having a voting interest in a Sub-Account proxy materials, reports, and other material relating to the appropriate Fund.