Two doors, two very different rooms
VA offers two main life-insurance programs to veterans, and they are easy to confuse because both have friendly acronyms. They are not the same product, they do not fit the same veteran, and they run on different clocks. VGLI, Veterans' Group Life Insurance, is a term-life program you convert into from your military coverage. VALife is a newer whole-life program built specifically for veterans with a service-connected disability. This guide puts them side by side so you can see which door is yours, and, just as important, what to do if you missed a deadline.
If you are weighing this alongside your other benefits, our VA benefits tier list places both programs in context, and the glossary defines the insurance basics.
VGLI: converting your military coverage
While you serve, you likely carry SGLI, the servicemembers' version of this coverage. VGLI is how you keep life insurance after you take off the uniform, by converting that SGLI into a civilian term-life policy. The clock is the thing to watch. You can apply for VGLI within "1 year and 120 days of leaving the military." There is a shorter, easier window inside that one: if you apply within "240 days of leaving the military," you enroll without answering any health questions. From day 241 through the end of the 1-year-and-120-day window, you can still apply, but you have to answer health questions.
Coverage runs from $10,000 up to $500,000 in $10,000 increments, and your initial amount is capped at the SGLI coverage you held at separation. Over time you can increase coverage in $25,000 steps, first after one year of VGLI enrollment and then every five years, up to $500,000, and only until age 60. Premiums are age-banded and rise as you get older, which is a defining feature of term coverage.
Eligibility is broad. You may qualify if you had active SGLI during service, separated or retired from the Ready Reserve or National Guard, were assigned to the Individual Ready Reserve or Inactive National Guard, are on the Temporary Disability Retirement List, or held part-time SGLI in the Guard or Reserve with a duty-related injury or disability. Note what is not on that list: VGLI eligibility is built around your prior SGLI, not around having a service-connected rating.
VALife: whole life for service-connected veterans
VALife is a different animal. It is guaranteed-acceptance whole life insurance for veterans who have any service-connected disability rating, including a 0 percent rating. That "including 0 percent" is easy to miss: even a noncompensable service-connected rating can open this door. It is generally available to veterans age 80 or younger, with a specific path for those over 80 who applied for disability before 81 and were rated after 81 (apply within two years of the rating notice).
Coverage goes up to $40,000, in $10,000 increments. Because acceptance is guaranteed, there is a tradeoff: a 2-year waiting period. If you die within the first two years, VALife pays your premiums back plus interest (VA set that interest rate at 4.23 percent for 2026), and the full face value is payable after the two-year period. Cash value begins to accrue after two years. There are no premium waivers and no policy loans. If you understand what a service-connected rating is worth, this is another benefit it can unlock; the current VA ratings page is where to confirm your rating.
Side by side
| Feature | VGLI | VALife |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Term life | Whole life |
| Maximum coverage | $500,000 | $40,000 |
| Increments | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Key eligibility | Prior SGLI coverage (not a rating) | Any service-connected rating, including 0 percent |
| Enrollment window | 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military | Generally age 80 or younger, with an over-80 path |
| Health questions | None within 240 days; required after | None (guaranteed acceptance) |
| Waiting period | None | 2 years (premiums plus interest if death is within 2 years) |
| Cash value or loans | No cash value | Cash value after 2 years; no loans, no premium waivers |
What to do if you missed the VGLI window
Here is the reassuring part. Missing the VGLI conversion window feels final, but it may not be. If you have a service-connected rating, VALife is a separate program with its own rules and guaranteed acceptance, so the closed VGLI door does not necessarily mean you are out of VA life-insurance options. The two programs run on different clocks and different eligibility, which is exactly why it is worth knowing both.
It also helps to act before you are up against any deadline. For VGLI, the easiest path is the 240-day window with no health questions; wait past it and you can still enroll within the full 1-year-and-120-day period, but health questions come into play, which can matter if your health has changed since separation. For VALife, the 2-year waiting period means the sooner you enroll, the sooner the full face value is in place, so there is a real cost to putting it off. In both programs, time works against delay, and neither program lets you rewind the clock once a window has closed.
A hypothetical to show the choice
Consider a hypothetical veteran named Sandra who separated 14 months ago and did not convert her SGLI in time, so her VGLI window has closed. Sandra has a 10 percent service-connected rating. Because VALife is open to veterans with any service-connected rating, she may still be able to get up to $40,000 of guaranteed-acceptance whole life through VALife, keeping in mind the 2-year waiting period. A different veteran who converted to VGLI on time and wants up to $500,000 of term coverage would stay in the VGLI lane. This example is hypothetical and only shows how the two doors serve different situations. VA determines your actual eligibility for each program.
What this does not mean: Missing the VGLI enrollment window does not necessarily end your VA life-insurance options. VALife is a separate program with guaranteed acceptance for veterans who have any service-connected rating, including 0 percent, though it is capped at $40,000 and carries a 2-year waiting period. The two programs are not interchangeable; check which one fits your situation.
The official pathway
Confirm the current VGLI and VALife rules, coverage amounts, premiums, and deadlines at VA.gov before you enroll, since figures and interest rates change. If you are also thinking about what your family would receive, our guide on what happens to VA benefits when a veteran dies covers survivor benefits, and you can browse state-level programs at /va-benefits.
We help you understand and organize your benefits. We never prepare or file a claim for you.