VA Life Insurance: SGLI, VGLI, and VALife Compared
A comparison of the VA life insurance programs — SGLI, VGLI, VALife, S-DVI, and VMLI — with current premiums, coverage limits, and the application deadlines that decide whether you keep coverage at all.
Life insurance is one of the few benefits that follows you out of the military, but it does not follow you automatically. SGLI ends shortly after you separate, and what replaces it depends on choices you make inside a fairly short window. Miss the window and your options narrow permanently.
Here is what each program covers, what it costs right now, and which deadlines actually matter.
The programs at a glance
| Program | Who it is for | Maximum coverage | Health questions? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SGLI | Active duty and certain Reserve members | $500,000 | No |
| FSGLI | Spouse and children of an SGLI member | $100,000 spouse, $10,000 per child | Spouse coverage may require health review above a threshold |
| VGLI | Veterans converting from SGLI | $500,000 | None if you apply within 240 days |
| VALife | Veterans with any service-connected rating | $40,000 | No — guaranteed acceptance |
| VMLI | Veterans with a Specially Adapted Housing grant | $200,000 | No |
SGLI: what you have now
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance covers you while you serve. The maximum is $500,000, raised from $400,000 in March 2023, available in $50,000 increments.
It is inexpensive. The premium rate dropped to 5 cents per $1,000 of coverage per month on July 1, 2025, which puts full $500,000 coverage at $25.00 a month, plus $1.00 for Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) — $26.00 total. If you have seen $31 a month quoted for maximum SGLI, that figure predates the July 2025 rate cut and still appears on some older VA pages.
Family SGLI covers your spouse for up to $100,000 (never more than your own SGLI amount) and each dependent child for $10,000 at no cost.
When you separate, SGLI continues free for 120 days. That free period can be extended up to two years if you are totally disabled at separation.
VGLI: the conversion, and the window that matters
Veterans' Group Life Insurance is the direct conversion from SGLI. Coverage runs from $10,000 to $500,000, and it is term insurance priced in five-year age bands, so the premium steps up as you age.
The deadlines are the whole ballgame:
Apply within 240 days of separation and there are no health questions at all. Apply after 240 days but within one year and 120 days of separation and you can still get VGLI, but you have to answer health questions. After one year and 120 days, the door closes.
Current monthly premiums, reflecting the discount that took effect July 1, 2025:
| Age | $400,000 coverage | $500,000 coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 30–34 | $32.00 | $40.00 |
| 45–49 | $76.00 | $95.00 |
| 60–64 | $340.00 | $425.00 |
Two things follow from that table. For a veteran in their thirties, VGLI is competitive with commercial term insurance and requires no medical exam. For a veteran in their sixties, it is expensive relative to what a healthy applicant can buy on the open market — which is why the standard advice is to use the 240-day no-questions window to lock in VGLI, then shop commercial term insurance at leisure and drop or reduce VGLI if you find something better. You cannot run that comparison in reverse; the no-questions window does not come back.
One nuance that catches people: when SGLI rose to $500,000, existing VGLI coverage did not rise with it. VGLI members under 60 can increase coverage by $25,000 one year after enrolling and every five years after that, up to the $500,000 maximum, with no medical underwriting — but you have to request it during the 120-day period before each anniversary.
VALife: guaranteed acceptance, with a catch
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance launched January 1, 2023 and replaced S-DVI, which stopped accepting new applications after December 31, 2022.
VALife is whole life coverage up to $40,000, sold in $10,000 increments. It is guaranteed acceptance — no medical exam, no health questions — and any service-connected rating qualifies, including a 0% rating. That combination makes it genuinely valuable for veterans whose health would make commercial insurance expensive or unavailable.
The catch is the waiting period. Full coverage does not take effect until two years after you apply, and you have to pay premiums throughout those two years. If you die during the waiting period, your beneficiaries receive the total premiums paid plus interest — the rate is 4.23% for a death occurring in 2026 — rather than the face amount.
There is no deadline to apply, but there is an age limit: you must be 80 or younger. A narrow exception exists for veterans over 80 who applied for compensation before turning 81, were rated afterward, and apply within two years of the rating notice.
VALife and VGLI can be held at the same time, so a veteran can carry $500,000 of VGLI term coverage alongside $40,000 of VALife whole life. VALife and S-DVI cannot be held together.
S-DVI and VMLI
S-DVI closed to new applicants after December 31, 2022, but existing policies stay in force — if you have it, you can keep it. Basic S-DVI coverage is $10,000, with supplemental coverage up to $30,000 for policyholders who qualified for a premium waiver. Both are closed to new applications.
Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance is a narrower program: up to $200,000 of decreasing term coverage paid directly to your mortgage lender. It requires a service-connected disability, a Specially Adapted Housing grant, title to the home, and an active mortgage — and you have to apply before your 70th birthday. There is no cash value and no dividends.
A sequence that works
For most veterans separating with a service-connected rating, the order looks like this.
Before you separate, note your separation date and count 240 days forward. That is your no-questions VGLI deadline, and it is the one date on this page that cannot be recovered once it passes.
In the first few months out, apply for VGLI at whatever amount you actually need — you can reduce it later, and coverage in hand is what buys you time. Then shop commercial term insurance without any deadline pressure, comparing against the VGLI premium for your age band. If a commercial policy underwrites you at a better rate, take it and reduce or drop VGLI. If your health makes commercial underwriting expensive, you already have coverage that never asked.
Separately, and regardless of what you decide on term insurance, apply for VALife if you have any service-connected rating. The two-year waiting period runs from your application date, so an application filed at 30 costs you nothing extra and has full coverage in force by 32. An application filed at 70, after a diagnosis, leaves your family with a premium refund rather than a death benefit if the timing goes badly.
The deadlines, in one place
Day 120 after separation: free SGLI coverage ends.
Day 240 after separation: the VGLI no-health-questions window closes.
One year and 120 days after separation: VGLI becomes unavailable entirely.
Age 81: VALife becomes unavailable, with a narrow exception.
Age 70: VMLI becomes unavailable.
The bottom line
If you are separating, put a reminder on your calendar for day 200 and use the no-questions window — apply for VGLI, then shop the commercial market with coverage already in hand. If you have any service-connected rating and health that would complicate a commercial application, VALife is worth applying for now rather than later, because the two-year clock does not start until you do. And if you already hold S-DVI, keep it; you cannot get it back.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does SGLI last after I separate?
SGLI continues free for 120 days after your separation date. If you are totally disabled at separation, that free coverage can be extended up to two years. After the free period ends, you have no coverage unless you converted to VGLI or bought a commercial policy.
What is the deadline to apply for VGLI?
There are two. Apply within 240 days of separation and you get VGLI with no health questions at all. Apply after 240 days but within one year and 120 days of separation and you can still get it, but you must answer health questions. After one year and 120 days you cannot get VGLI at all.
How much does VGLI cost?
It depends on your age, because VGLI is term insurance priced in five-year age bands. At the rates that took effect July 1, 2025, $500,000 of coverage costs $40.00 a month at ages 30 to 34, $95.00 at ages 45 to 49, and $425.00 at ages 60 to 64. Premiums step up at each new age band.
What is VALife and who qualifies?
VALife is the VA's guaranteed-acceptance whole life program, launched January 1, 2023 to replace S-DVI. Any veteran with a service-connected disability rating qualifies, including a 0% rating, if you are 80 or younger. Veterans 81 and older can still qualify in one narrow case: you applied for compensation before turning 81, were rated for that disability after turning 81, and apply within two years of the rating notice. Coverage runs up to $40,000 in $10,000 increments with no medical exam and no health questions.
Does VALife have a waiting period?
Yes. Full coverage does not begin until two years after you apply, and you pay premiums during that time. If you die within the two-year waiting period, your beneficiaries receive the total premiums paid plus interest — 4.23% for a death in 2026 — instead of the face amount. The clock starts when you apply, which is the main argument for applying sooner rather than later.
Can I have both VGLI and VALife?
Yes. VGLI and VALife can be held at the same time, so you can carry term coverage of up to $500,000 alongside up to $40,000 of VALife whole life. VALife and S-DVI cannot be held together — VALife replaced S-DVI, which closed to new applications after December 31, 2022.
Can I still get S-DVI?
No. S-DVI stopped accepting new applications after December 31, 2022, and supplemental S-DVI closed at the same time. Existing policyholders can keep their coverage. Veterans with a service-connected rating who need new coverage should look at VALife instead.