Benefits
SGLI and VGLI After Military Service: The Dates That Decide Your Options
3 min read
Loading
Loading
Military life insurance
SGLI, VGLI and an individual policy are different tools. Here is how they connect, the dates that decide your options, and when VGLI is exactly the right fit.
The short answer
Yes. SGLI is for service members, and it does not simply follow you out.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI), September 19, 2025.
Cornerstone Capital is an independent life insurance brokerage, not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, any military branch, or a government agency. We do not administer VA or FEGLI benefits.
The short answer
After separation, SGLI continues for 120 days, or up to 2 years under the disability extension for those who are eligible. To keep group coverage, you apply for VGLI within 1 year and 120 days. You can also convert SGLI to a permanent individual policy within 120 days, without proof of good health.
VGLI cannot be more than your SGLI amount at separation, lasts for life while premiums are paid, and is priced by age band.
Timeline
On active duty or eligible Reserve and Guard status
SGLI, up to $500,000. Check your elected amount and your beneficiaries. Spouse and child coverage is a separate program, FSGLI.
Separation day to 120 days
SGLI continues at no premium for 120 days. This is the window to convert to a permanent individual policy without proof of good health.
Up to 1 year and 120 days
Apply for VGLI. Inside the first 240 days, no proof of good health is needed. After that, health questions apply.
Every year after
VGLI lasts while premiums are paid, priced by age band. Compare it periodically with what your family needs and what an individual policy would cost.
When did you separate, and do you know which window you are in?
Most of the decisions here are easier inside a window than after it. If you separated recently, the first job is to find your separation date and count forward: 120 days, 240 days, 1 year and 120 days.
Has your health changed since you enlisted?
If you have a condition that would make individual coverage expensive or hard to get, VGLI inside the 240-day window can be the best coverage available to you. VA advises applying for VGLI promptly if it may be valuable, even while you compare private options.
An individually underwritten policy can cost less for some healthy people, especially for a fixed number of years. Neither answer is right for everyone, which is why the comparison matters.
If your coverage changed after separation, who would know?
Beneficiary designations on SGLI do not automatically carry into a new policy. Whatever you choose next, name beneficiaries on it and tell someone where the documents are.
Keeping what you have
You see your result before anyone asks for contact details. A call happens only if you request one.
Official sources
Every fact on this page comes from the agency that runs the program. Rules and amounts change, so confirm details with the source before you act.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, page dated September 19, 2025
SGLI is term coverage for service members up to $500,000 in $50,000 steps. It continues at no premium for 120 days after leaving service, or up to 2 years for those who qualify for the disability extension. Within 120 days of discharge it can be converted to a permanent individual policy without proof of good health.
Checked October 14, 2026
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, page dated October 13, 2026
Apply for VGLI within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service. Within the first 240 days, no proof of good health is needed. Coverage cannot exceed the SGLI amount at separation, lasts for life while premiums are paid, and is priced by age band. Below the maximum, $25,000 can be added 1 year after getting VGLI and every 5 years after, up to $500,000, until age 60. It can be converted to an individual permanent policy, such as whole life.
Checked October 14, 2026
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, page dated July 13, 2021
VA points people with health conditions to the no-health-proof windows: about 8 months (240 days) for VGLI, 120 days for converting SGLI to a permanent policy.
Checked October 14, 2026
Questions
Send this to someone
The Cornerstone Journal
Next step
A few taps about what you have and when. A clear result, no application, and no one calls unless you ask.
Or call (501) 476-1468
