FAMILYVA program
Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI)
Renewable term life insurance allowing veterans to convert SGLI to civilian coverage after separation; guaranteed without medical exam if applied within 240 days of separation.
Available to veterans within 1 year and 120 days of separation
Example value
Up to $500K coverageMax elected coverageStep-by-step guide
What you get
Group term life insurance you keep after leaving the military, for as long as you pay the premiums. The amount can be up to the SGLI coverage you had when you left.
What the insurer looks for: applying within 240 days
- SGLI coverage when your duty endedVA.gov lists who can apply: you had SGLI and were released from an active duty period of 31 days or more; you retired or left the Ready Reserve or National Guard; you were assigned to the Individual Ready Reserve or Inactive National Guard; you were placed on the Temporary Disability Retirement List; or you had part-time SGLI and a duty injury or disability kept you from standard premium rates. The VGLI amount can be up to the SGLI amount you had.
- Application and first premium within 240 daysWithin 240 days after your duty ends, no proof of good health is needed, so health conditions do not stop coverage. When the application and first premium arrive within 120 days, VGLI starts on the 121st day.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.2(b)(1) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab)
When are you applying?
- Applying within 240 days of leaving service
VGLI lets you keep group life insurance after SGLI ends. SGLI stays free for 120 days after you leave. Apply and pay within those 120 days and VGLI starts on day 121 with no gap. Apply within 240 days and you do not need to show you are in good health.
Source: 38 CFR 9.2(b)(1) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) (opens in new tab)
- Applying later, with evidence of good health
After 240 days, VGLI can still be granted up to 1 year and 120 days after your duty ends. The application then has to include evidence that you are in good health.
- Application within 1 year and 120 daysThe application, the first premium, and the evidence of good health must reach the insurer's office within 1 year and 120 days after your duty ends. After that, the VGLI window is closed.
- Evidence of good healthThe insurer judges good health by the rules it uses for group life insurance.
Source: 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.10(b) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab)
Time limits
Apply and pay the first premium within 120 days after your duty ends for no break in coverage. Within 240 days, there is no health review. The last day to apply is 1 year and 120 days after your duty ends.
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| VGLI application The application for VGLI, filed online through the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI), or on form SGLV 8714 by mail or fax. | Your service, the date your duty ended, and the coverage you want | Apply online through OSGLI from the VA.gov VGLI page, or send SGLV 8714 to the OSGLI address on that page. OSGLI runs VGLI with VA. | |
| First premium The first monthly premium, sent with the application. | Payment that, with the application, sets when coverage starts | You pay it with the application to OSGLI. | |
| Evidence of good health Evidence that you are in good health, needed when you apply more than 240 days after your duty ends. | That you meet the insurer's good health rules | It goes with the application to OSGLI, the office that runs VGLI with VA. Nothing goes to BeneVets. |
The application, the first premium, and any evidence of good health go to OSGLI, the office that runs VGLI with VA. BeneVets does not ask for them.
Steps, in order
- Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
- Count from the day your duty ended
Every date under Time limits counts from the day your duty ended.
Source: 38 CFR 9.2(b)(1) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: VA life insurance options (opens in new tab)
- Choose a coverage amount
Pick an amount from the VGLI minimum up to the SGLI coverage you had when you left. The premium depends on your age and the amount; VA.gov lists the monthly rates.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab)
- After 240 days, include evidence of good health
If you apply more than 240 days after your duty ends, send evidence of good health with the application.
Source: 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.10(b) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab)
- Apply with OSGLI and pay the first premium
Apply online through OSGLI from the VA.gov VGLI page, or mail or fax form SGLV 8714. Send the first premium with it.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.2(b)(1) (opens in new tab)
- Name your beneficiaries
Once covered, name or change beneficiaries in your VGLI policy account online or on form SGLV 8721. You can change a beneficiary at any time without that person's consent.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.4(b) (opens in new tab); VA Life Insurance: update your beneficiary (opens in new tab)
Good to know
If you are under 60 and have less than the maximum, you can add coverage in set steps: first at your 1-year VGLI anniversary, then every 5 years after that, up to the maximum. Apply within 120 days of the invitation before the first anniversary, and within the 120 days before each later one. The added amount starts on the anniversary.
Source: 38 CFR 9.2(b)(5) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab)
The monthly premium depends only on your age and the coverage amount, not on gender or tobacco use. Coverage lasts as long as you pay. VA.gov lists the rates by age. VA set a VGLI premium holiday: no premiums are due from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027, for coverage active on November 1, 2026. The first premium is still due to start new coverage. If you pay through a bill pay service at your bank, ask the bank to stop those payments from November 1, 2026, and restart them on February 1, 2027.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); VA Life Insurance: VGLI premium holiday questions (opens in new tab)
You can convert VGLI to an individual policy with a participating company at any time, at standard rates and without proof of good health. The new policy must be permanent coverage, such as whole life; term, variable life, and universal life policies do not count.
Source: VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 9.9(b) (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 16, 2026: 38 CFR 9.2(b)(1) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 9.2(c) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 9.2(b)(5) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 9.4(b) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 9.9(b) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 9.10(b) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: VA life insurance options (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: access your life insurance policy online (opens in new tab), VA Life Insurance: VGLI premium holiday questions (opens in new tab), VA Life Insurance: update your beneficiary (opens in new tab)