VA Life Insurance: VALife and VGLI Explained for Disabled Veterans

If you have a service-connected disability rating — even 0% — VALife gives you up to $40,000 of whole life insurance with guaranteed acceptance: no medical exam, no health questions, and no rating too low to qualify. It's the one life-insurance program every service-connected veteran should know about. VGLI is the second option, for veterans who recently left the military. Here's how both work and which one fits you.

Where military life insurance starts: SGLI

While you're serving, Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) covers you automatically — up to $500,000 in $50,000 increments, at a low group rate. The catch: SGLI ends 120 days after you separate. Everything below is about replacing that coverage as a civilian.

The two programs that matter as a veteran

• VALife — guaranteed-acceptance whole life for veterans with any service-connected disability rating.
• VGLI — converts your SGLI into civilian term-style coverage after you separate.
• S-DVI (the old "RH Insurance") closed to new applicants at the end of 2022 and was replaced by VALife — so VALife is what you apply for now.

VALife: guaranteed coverage for service-connected veterans

VA Life Insurance (VALife) launched in January 2023. Any veteran age 80 or younger with a service-connected disability rating qualifies — the VA cannot turn you down for your health or your rating. There is no medical exam and no health questionnaire. That guarantee is the whole point: it's built for veterans whose disabilities make commercial life insurance expensive, restricted, or impossible to get.

• Up to $40,000 in coverage, bought in $10,000 increments.
• Open to service-connected veterans age 80 or under (any rating, including 0%).
• Premiums are set by your age when you enroll and never increase after that.
• It's whole life — it builds cash value over time and never expires as long as premiums are paid.
• You can borrow against the cash value once it has built up (after the first two years).
• Two-year waiting period: if you pass away within the first 2 years, your beneficiaries get all premiums paid back plus interest. After 2 years, the full face amount is payable.

Because your premium locks to your age at enrollment, applying earlier means a lower lifetime rate — a veteran who enrolls at 50 pays far less each month than one who waits until 70. There's no deadline tied to your discharge date, but every year you wait raises the price.

If you were ever denied the old S-DVI insurance or couldn't afford its premiums, VALife replaces it — and this time your health and rating can't disqualify you.

VGLI: keeping your coverage after you separate

Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) lets you carry your military SGLI coverage into civilian life. Unlike VALife, it isn't permanent whole life — it's renewable coverage whose premiums climb as you age. But it can be far larger than $40,000, which matters if you have a mortgage or young family.

• Coverage up to the amount of SGLI you had at separation — as high as $500,000.
• No health questions if you apply within 240 days of separation.
• You have up to 1 year and 120 days total to apply, but after 240 days you must answer health questions.
• Premiums are based on your age and rise as you get older.
• You can later convert VGLI to a commercial whole life policy if you want to lock in a rate.

The 240-day, no-health-questions window is the one deadline vets miss most. If you're within it and in poor health, applying now guarantees your coverage regardless of your medical record.

You can hold both at once, and many veterans do: VGLI for a larger amount while they still have dependents or debt, and VALife for permanent, guaranteed coverage that never gets more expensive. If you're healthy, a commercial policy may beat VGLI on price — but if your disabilities make private coverage hard to get, VALife's guaranteed acceptance is hard to match.

• Want permanent coverage that never raises your premium? VALife.
• Need a large amount now (mortgage, kids)? VGLI, or compare a commercial policy.
• Denied elsewhere for your health? VALife — acceptance is guaranteed.

How much coverage do you actually need?

A simple way to size it: enough to clear your debts, cover final expenses, and replace some income for anyone who depends on you. A single veteran with no dependents might only want burial-level coverage — the kind of amount VALife is built for. A veteran with a mortgage and young kids usually needs the larger figure VGLI or a commercial term policy can provide.

• Final expenses: $10,000–$20,000 covers a funeral and small debts — VALife territory.
• Mortgage payoff: match your remaining balance so your family keeps the home.
• Income replacement: a few years of your income to give dependents a runway.

Coverage for your family: FSGLI and TSGLI

Two related programs are worth knowing, though they're tied to your service years. FSGLI insures your spouse and children while you're covered by SGLI. TSGLI pays a lump sum (up to $100,000) if you suffer a qualifying traumatic injury during service — and it's paid retroactively for some injuries, so check if you were ever eligible.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Letting the 240-day VGLI window pass, then getting stuck with health questions.
• Letting SGLI lapse at separation with no replacement lined up.
• Assuming a low rating disqualifies you from VALife — any service-connected rating counts.
• Forgetting to name or update beneficiaries, so the payout is delayed or misdirected.

How to apply

• VALife: apply online at va.gov/life-insurance. Because acceptance is guaranteed, approval is usually immediate.
• VGLI: apply at va.gov before your deadline runs out.
• Either way: name and update your beneficiaries at VA.gov so the payout goes where you intend.

Not sure which service-connected benefits you've left on the table? Take the free benefits quiz to see everything your rating unlocks.