Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald commemorated one hundred years of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Life Insurance program today with employees at the VA Life Insurance Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The milestone honors the enactment of the War Risk Insurance Act, Sept. 2, 1914, which is the foundation for VA life insurance protection.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this important milestone in VA’s history. Our life insurance program is tailored specifically to meet the needs of our men and women in uniform and Veterans so their families can have peace of mind knowing they are protected,” said Secretary McDonald. “Just as VA is constantly evolving and growing, so are our benefits programs. We know the quality and customer service given to VA insurance policy holders will continue to progress over the next one hundred years.”
Over the last century, VA has provided valuable life insurance protection to more than 57 million Servicemembers and Veterans during times of war and peace, from World War I through the present conflicts. Today, VA boasts the 9th largest life insurance enterprise in the Nation.
VA directly administers six life insurance programs and supervises the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and the Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) programs that provide $1.3 trillion in insurance coverage.
Additionally, VA life insurance ranks as one of the best customer call center satisfaction scores in the federal government, according to the American Customer Service Index. On average, VA answers approximately 2,200 insurance-specific calls a day and completes 85 percent of those requests while on the phone.
To learn more about the 100th milestone, check out the video and infographics here: http://www.benefits.va.gov/insurance/insurance100.asp.
If you have a question about VA’s life insurance protection policies, please call toll-free at 1-800-419-1473.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
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