National Military Appreciation Month is a time to honor the service and sacrifice of active-duty service members and Veterans. The United States is home to 1.3 million active-duty service members and nearly 18.6 million Veterans. In addition to providing health care and other benefits to Veterans, VA also offers life insurance to Veterans, service members and their families. VA life insurance programs and benefits include Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI), Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (FSGLI), Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) and VA’s newest offering: Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife). Read below to learn more about these programs.
Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
SGLI provides affordable term life insurance coverage up to $500,000 to active-duty service members and reservists. Service members are automatically enrolled in SGLI upon entering the military, and monthly premium rates are based on amount of coverage selected.
Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI)
VGLI allows Veterans to extend and keep their life insurance coverage after leaving the military. VGLI provides coverage up to the amount of SGLI coverage that the Veteran had while in service, and premium rates are based on age and the amount of coverage desired.
Veterans must apply to convert their SGLI to VGLI within one year and 120 days after separating from the military.
Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (FSGLI)
FSGLI provides coverage to spouses and dependent children of service members, with coverage amounts up to $100,000 for spouses and $10,000 for each dependent child. Premium rates for spouses are based on the amount of coverage desired and their age. Coverage for dependent children is provided at no additional cost. FSGLI coverage can also be continued after separation from the military.
Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI)
TSGLI is a unique feature of SGLI that provides financial assistance to service members who experience a traumatic injury during their service. TSGLI coverage provides a tax-free lump sum payment ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, depending on the severity of the injury.
This benefit alleviates the financial burden that can arise from a traumatic injury, such as medical expenses and other unexpected costs. TSGLI coverage is automatically included with full-time SGLI coverage with a premium rate of $1.00 per month.
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife)
VA’s newest life insurance program—VALife—offers up to $40,000 in guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance to Veterans age 80 or under with any level of service-connected disability (0-100%) with no time limit to apply. VALife has no medical requirements for enrollment, builds cash value, has fixed premiums for the life of the policy, and has fully automated online enrollment with instant decisions about eligibility. Veterans age 81 or older may be eligible to apply for VALife under certain conditions.
Learn more
You can learn more about VA’s Life Insurance programs—including program benefits, eligibility requirements, and how to apply—by visiting VA’s life insurance homepage.
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