VA Life Insurance

Veterans

The SGLI-VGLI program is supervised by VA and administered by OSGLI. 
For more information contact any VA office or OSGLI at

Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
213 Washington Street, 
Newark, New Jersey 07102

 



  
SGLI (Servicemen's Group Life Insurance) 
SGLI was established in September 1965 to provide group insurance coverage for members on active duty in the uniformed services. Coverage has been extended to Ready Reservists, Retired Reservists, members of the National Guard, ROTC members while engaged in authorized training and service academy personnel. Initially maximum coverage was for $10,000. Subsequent legislation increased maximum insurance coverage to $400,000. 

 

TSGLI (Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance) 
TSGLI became effective December 1, 2005 as a traumatic injury protection rider under SGLI. For veterans and service members who suffered a covered traumatic injury while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the benefit is retroactive to October 7, 2001. It provides payment of $25,000 to $100,000 to members of the uniformed services and veterans covered by SGLI who sustain certain specified losses as a result of a traumatic injury.


VGLI (Veterans' Group Life Insurance) 
VGLI was established in August 1974 to provide for the conversion of SGLI to 5-year nonrenewable term insurance. The program provides for the replacement of SGLI with VGLI in an amount equal to or less than the amount of SGLI the member had in force at separation from service.

Application and payment for VGLI must be made to the OSGLI (Office of Servicemen's Group Life Insurance) within 120 days following separation. If application is not made must be in acceptable health. If you were totally disabled at the time of separation, there Is a limited extension, not to exceed 1 year, of the 120-day tiling period.

Effective January 1, 1986, members of the IRR (individual Ready Reserve) and ING (inactive National Guard) are also eligible to purchase VGLI. Application must be made to OSGLI within 120 days of entry into the IRR or ING. Applications will also be accepted or up to 1 year beyond the 120 days, but you must be in acceptable health. Individuals who remain in the IRR or ING throughout the 5- year VGLI period may renew their coverage for subsequent 5-year periods, provided they remain in the IRR or ING.

Any former member insured under VGLI who may again become eligible for SGLI is automatically insured under the SGLI program. You may participate in both plans as long as the combined amount of SGLI and VGLI does not exceed $1 00,000 at any time. 
Eligible persons also may obtain a certificate with a written request to any VA regional office, enclosing a copy of a document which verifies veteran's honorable military service.

There are five insurance policies that were issued.

  • USGLI (United States Government Life Insurance-Policy Letter Prefix K) 
    Available until April 24, 1951, for veterans of World War I and to those who entered service before October 8, 1940.
  • NSLI (National Service Life insurance-Policy Letter Prefix V, H) 
    Available between October 8, 1940, and April 24, 1951, to veterans of World War II.
  • VSLI (Veterans Special Life Insurance-Policy Letter Prefix RS, W) 
    Available to Korean Conflict veterans for 120 days after being separated from service April 25, 1951, through December 31, 1956.
  • SDVI (Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance-Policy Letter Prefix RH) 
    Available to persons separated on or after April 25, 1951 , with a service-connected disability which would be compensable if 10 percent or more in degree, and who are otherwise insurable. You must apply for this insurance within a year of notice of VA service-connected rating. This is the only Government life insurance open to new issues.
  • VRI (Veterans Reopened Insurance-Policy Letter Prefix J, JR, JS) 
    Reopened NSLI coverage to World War II and Korean veterans with service-connected or serious non-service-connected disabilities from May 1, 1965, through May 2, 1966.

Dividends are automatically payable on the anniversary date of participating USGLI (K) and NSLI (V, RS, W, J, JR and JS) policies. There are several dividend payment options which may be selected by the insured. They are:

  1. cash,
  2. held as credit, with interest, to prevent insurance from lapsing if premium payments are not received on time,
  3. applied to pay premiums in advance,
  4. used to reduce a loan or lien against an insurance policy,
  5. placed on deposit, with interest, or
  6. used to purchase paid-up additions. 

The paid-up additions dividend option is especially well suited for those who wish to increase their insurance coverage. Under this option, dividends are applied to buy paid-up life insurance in addition to the basic insurance policy. The additional insurance coverage earns dividends, has cash and loan values, and requires no payment of premiums. The amount of paid-up additions which dividends will purchase varies with the age of the insured. At age 55, $100 of dividends will purchase $275 of paid-up additions while at age 60, $100 of dividends will purchase $232 of paid-up additions.

Veterans with term policies may wish to convert to a permanent plan to avoid the increased premium cost as they grow older. Information on how to do this, and on the types of permanent plans, is available from VA. You may surrender permanent plans for the cash value after the first year, or you may borrow 94 percent of this value at VA's current interest rate. You may reinstate lapsed coverage by meeting health and/or premium requirements. You may reinstate term insurance within 5 years of lapse. Premiums may be waived for certain disabilities. You should be sure your beneficiary designations are up to date because VA must pay the person or persons named.

GI life insurance is administered at VA Regional Office and Insurance Centers in St. Paul and Philadelphia. For any information concerning a policy, write directly to the VA office administering it, or call toll free 1-800-669-847, giving the insured's policy number if known. The insured's full name, date of birth, and Social Security number should be given if the policy number is not known.


Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance 
If you receive a VA grant for specially adapted housing, you are automatically insured unless you decline in writing or fail to respond to a final request for information on which your premium can be based. You may buy an amount of coverage equal to your outstanding mortgage balance, or $90,000, whichever is less.

Any inquiries should be directed to:

VA Regional Office and Insurance Center
Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Fort Snelling
St. Paul, Minnesota 55111

or call toll free 1-800-669-8477 and your inquiry will be referred to the St. Paul Regional Office and Insurance Center.