Life Insurance After a Rating: VALife
If VA has rated any condition service-connected — even at 0% — you may qualify for VA's guaranteed-acceptance life insurance. Hook: on October 23, 2026, VA published a Federal Register notice on its life insurance records, now housed in a cloud system called LIPAS (Life Insurance Policy Administration Solution), which replaced the old insurance mainframe.
VALife in plain English
- Who: age 80 or younger with any VA service-connected rating, including 0%. No time limit to apply after your rating.
- Age 81+: you may qualify if you applied for compensation before 81, got the rating after 81, and apply for VALife within 2 years of the rating notice.
- Guaranteed acceptance: if you're eligible, VA automatically approves you. You don't have to prove you're in good health.
- Coverage: up to $40,000 whole life, in $10,000 steps. Cash value starts building 2 years after approval. No loans, no premium waivers.
- Premiums: based on your age when you apply and coverage amount; VA says your rate never increases while you keep the policy.
The 2-year waiting period
Full coverage starts 2 years after you apply, and you must keep paying premiums during that time. If you die during the wait, VA pays your beneficiaries the premiums you paid plus interest (4.23% for a death in 2026). After 2 years, they get the full coverage amount. Since the clock starts when you apply, applying sooner starts it sooner.
VALife vs. VGLI: which fits me?
| VALife | VGLI | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Veterans with any SC rating (0%+) | Former SGLI members within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service (and some other groups) |
| Type | Whole life | Term (renewable for life while you pay) |
| Max coverage | $40,000 | $10,000–$500,000, up to your SGLI amount |
| Health questions | None — guaranteed acceptance | None if you apply within 240 days of leaving; health evidence after that |
| Waiting period | Full coverage after 2 years | Not described on VA's VGLI page |
| Premiums | Locked at your age when you apply | Based on age; rates go up as you move into older age brackets |
| Fits if… | You have a rating and want permanent coverage you can't be turned down for | You recently separated and want a larger amount |
Compare current rates on VA.gov; a VSO or the VA Life Insurance Center can help you think it through. We don't sell insurance. Also note: VA says VGLI premiums are paused from Nov. 1, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027 for eligible members.
Have S-DVI?
S-DVI stopped taking new applications after December 31, 2022. If you already have it, you can keep it. If you apply for VALife on or after January 1, 2026, VA says your S-DVI (including policies with premium waivers) ends the day VALife is approved — and you won't have full VALife coverage during its 2-year wait. Premium waivers don't transfer. Think carefully before switching.
Update your beneficiaries
Your beneficiaries are the people who get the money. Life changes — marriage, divorce, children, a death — can leave an old designation out of date. VALife policyholders can manage their policy online; VGLI beneficiaries can be updated through Prudential/OSGLI or form SGLV 8721.
Sources: VA.gov, VALife (updated Oct 13, 2026); VA.gov, VGLI; VA.gov, S-DVI; Federal Register, Privacy Act notice 36VA29 / LIPAS (Oct 23, 2026). Related: 2027 compensation rates.
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Educational only, not legal or medical advice. We are not VA-accredited. No one can promise an outcome; VA decides each claim on its own evidence. Free accredited help: find a VSO or VA-accredited representative.