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- Full-time SGLI continues free for 120 days after separation.
- Complete the VGLI application and pay the initial premium by day 240 to avoid health underwriting.
- VGLI premiums rise at five-year age bands, reaching $425 per month for $500,000 at ages 60–64.
- The SGLI disability extension is not automatic; qualifying members must file SGLV 8715. An approved extension has separate VGLI conversion deadlines.
- Re-designate beneficiaries after VGLI begins because the SGLI designation generally carries over for no more than 60 days.
SGLI to VGLI: the deadline that protects your eligibility
Your full-time SGLI continues free for 120 days after separation. You then have through day 240 to apply for VGLI and pay the initial premium without answering health questions. After day 240, you must provide evidence of good health. You must apply no later than 1 year and 120 days after the qualifying event unless you qualify for the separate SGLI Disability Extension rules.
These standard 120-day continuation and 240-day no-health timelines primarily apply to members with full-time SGLI. Part-time Reserve and National Guard SGLI has separate disability-based continuation and VGLI rules, including proof-of-disability requirements and different effective-date rules.
That first window protects you if you leave service with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, cancer, a heart condition, or another disability that could make private insurance expensive or unavailable. VGLI has no annual open enrollment that lets you establish initial eligibility after a missed deadline. This is different from reinstating a previously issued VGLI policy: a policy that lapses for nonpayment may be eligible for reinstatement within five years, with health requirements based on how long it has been lapsed.
SGLI remains in force for 120 days after separation
SGLI is group life insurance for eligible service members. Full-time coverage continues for 120 days following separation or release, with no premium due during that period. The VA’s SGLI Disability Extension application page explains the longer extension available to certain totally disabled members.
Standard VGLI coverage generally cannot begin until SGLI ends. If your application and first premium arrive by day 120, VGLI generally takes effect on day 121.
Your initial VGLI coverage can be from $10,000 to $500,000 in $10,000 increments, but it cannot exceed the SGLI amount you had when you separated. Do not reduce or cancel SGLI immediately before leaving if you expect to need that amount under VGLI.
The two standard VGLI application windows
Your deadline starts from the applicable qualifying event listed by VA. These events include release from an active-duty period of at least 31 days; retirement or release from the Ready Reserve or National Guard; assignment to the Individual Ready Reserve or Inactive National Guard; and placement on the Temporary Disability Retirement List. The deadline is not tied to the calendar year.
| Time after the qualifying event | Health review | What you must submit | Result if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through day 240 | None | Application and required initial premium | You move into the health-review window |
| After day 240 and no later than 1 year and 120 days | Evidence of good health required | Application, initial premium, service records, and health evidence | Standard initial VGLI eligibility ends after this deadline |
| Later than 1 year and 120 days | Standard initial application unavailable | Not applicable | You cannot enroll initially unless the separate SGLI-DE rules apply |
OSGLI, a division of Prudential, administers SGLI and VGLI under VA supervision. OSGLI must receive your applications and premiums.
Apply by day 240 without health questions
OSGLI must receive your application and required initial premium within 240 days after the qualifying event. There is no medical examination, health-history investigation, or tobacco surcharge. A disability does not disqualify you during this period.
You can apply while the free 120-day SGLI continuation is still running. For a paper application, use SGLV 8714, Application for Veterans’ Group Life Insurance. Include your DD Form 214 or equivalent proof when required.
Apply after day 240 with evidence of good health
After day 240, underwriting applies.
Your application must arrive no later than 1 year and 120 days after the qualifying event. The VA VGLI eligibility page provides the current application rules and coverage limits.
Do not wait for a mailed enrollment packet. OSGLI generally sends it to your last DoD address 45 to 60 days after separation, but a delayed or missing packet does not extend your deadline.
VGLI premiums by age band in 2026
VGLI premiums depend on your age and coverage amount. Gender, tobacco use, and health do not change the price. These monthly rates took effect July 1, 2025, and remain current in 2026 according to the September 2026 SGLI and VGLI handbook.
| Age | Monthly cost per $10,000 | Monthly cost for $500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 29 and under | $0.60 | $30 |
| 30–34 | $0.80 | $40 |
| 35–39 | $1.00 | $50 |
| 40–44 | $1.40 | $70 |
| 45–49 | $1.90 | $95 |
| 50–54 | $2.90 | $145 |
| 55–59 | $5.00 | $250 |
| 60–64 | $8.50 | $425 |
| 65–69 | $13.80 | $690 |
| 70–74 | $21.50 | $1,075 |
| 75–79 | $38.50 | $1,925 |
| 80 and older | $44.00 | $2,200 |
Your premium increases when you enter the next five-year age band. Coverage remains renewable for life as long as you pay the premiums, but the later-age cost is steep. At $500,000, the premium rises from $145 per month at ages 50–54 to $425 at ages 60–64.
If you are under 60, you may elect to add $25,000 at your first VGLI anniversary and every five years afterward, up to $500,000, without proving good health. You must request the increase during the applicable 120-day eligibility period before the anniversary, and your policy must be active with premiums paid current. The increase takes effect on the anniversary. It is not automatic.
VA has also announced a one-time premium holiday from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Policies active on November 1 receive all three holiday months. Coverage effective during November can receive the December and January holiday months after the required first premium, while coverage effective during December can receive the January holiday month. See the VA premium holiday FAQ for the payment rules.
VGLI versus a private term policy
VGLI’s strongest feature is guaranteed access during the first 240 days. Its weakest feature is the rising age-based premium. A healthy younger nonsmoker may receive a lower price from a private insurer, but you need an actual quote based on your health, state, age, term, and requested coverage to make a reliable comparison.
| Feature | VGLI | Private term insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Health review | None if you complete enrollment by day 240 | Usually required or reflected in pricing |
| Tobacco pricing | No surcharge | Often higher for tobacco users |
| Premium structure | Increases at five-year age bands | Commonly fixed for a 10-, 20-, or 30-year term |
| Coverage duration | Renewable for life while paid | Ends or becomes more expensive after the term |
| Maximum coverage | $500,000 | May exceed $500,000 with approval |
| Preexisting conditions | Do not affect enrollment in the no-health window | May increase the rate or cause denial |
VGLI is usually most valuable when a medical condition makes private underwriting risky. Private term coverage may make more sense when you are young, healthy, and able to lock in a competitive premium for the years your family needs protection.
Apply for VGLI within 240 days to preserve guaranteed access, then compare private offers. Do not cancel VGLI while a private application is pending. A private denial does not restore missed initial VGLI eligibility.
The SGLI disability extension can provide up to two years
The SGLI Disability Extension, or SGLI-DE, can continue your separation-date SGLI amount free for up to two years from separation, or until your total disability ends, whichever happens first. It never provides less than the standard 120-day continuation.
You must have full-time SGLI at separation and be totally disabled on the separation date. Total disability can mean:
- An impairment that continuously prevents substantially gainful employment.
- Permanent loss or loss of use of both hands, both feet, or both eyes.
- Qualifying combined loss involving a hand, foot, or eye.
- Total hearing loss in both ears or organic loss of speech.
A 100% VA disability rating is not required. The specified-loss conditions can qualify regardless of employment.
The extension is not automatic. You may apply at any time within two years after separation, although VA recommends applying before standard SGLI coverage expires at 120 days. Coverage is measured from your separation date, not your application date.
File the current February 2025 SGLV 8715, SGLI Disability Extension Application on paper; SOES cannot process it. Submit it to OSGLI, PO Box 41618, Philadelphia, PA 19176. Include your recent separation orders and Leave and Earnings Statement, or submit your DD Form 214 or NGB Form 22 in place of those documents. If you use a VA rating decision, include the complete final decision. Applicants without a complete VA rating generally must have the form’s physician statement completed. A VA or military rating documenting one of the form’s listed permanent losses may be used for that portion of the application.
If SGLI-DE is denied and you applied no later than one year and 120 days after separation, OSGLI will provide instructions about the additional steps required for VGLI consideration. The current form does not promise that the denied extension application will automatically become a VGLI application. Follow the denial instructions promptly.
If approved, OSGLI normally sends an ending notice about 20 months after separation and bills you for VGLI near the end of the extension. Pay the first VGLI premium on time to convert when the extension ends without health review. If you do not make the timely conversion payment, the September 2026 handbook provides a health-review route for up to one year after extended SGLI terminates.
Update your beneficiaries before your last day
For full-time SGLI, review your beneficiaries through the SGLI Online Enrollment System in milConnect. If you have part-time SGLI or cannot access SOES, submit SGLV 8286, Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Election and Certificate to your unit personnel office. The VA’s SOES instructions explain both procedures.
Before separation, confirm that:
- Primary and contingent beneficiaries are listed.
- Whole-number percentage allocations total 100%.
- Legal names and trust information are correct.
- You certified the change instead of merely saving it.
A divorce decree or separation agreement does not automatically change an SGLI or VGLI beneficiary. The federal beneficiary designation controls, so leaving an ex-spouse listed can produce the result you were trying to prevent.
Name beneficiaries again when you enroll in VGLI. Your SGLI designation generally carries into VGLI for no more than 60 days after VGLI takes effect. After that, the designation becomes “By Law” unless you submit SGLV 8721, VGLI Beneficiary Designation/Change Form. An SGLI designation may remain effective beyond the first 60 days when the insured is determined incompetent, subject to the program’s limits.
Put these dates on your separation calendar
- Confirm your SGLI amount and beneficiaries before your final day.
- Mark day 120, when free standard full-time SGLI coverage ends.
- Submit the VGLI application and first premium by day 240 if you want coverage without health questions.
- File SGLV 8715 early if total disability may qualify you for the two-year extension. You have up to two years after separation to apply.
- Apply no later than 1 year and 120 days after the qualifying event to meet the standard initial VGLI cutoff. An approved SGLI-DE instead permits conversion when the extension ends, with a further health-review route for up to one year if you miss the timely conversion payment.