KEY TAKEAWAYS
- VALife is VA’s guaranteed-acceptance whole life insurance for veterans with any service-connected rating, including 0%. No health questions or medical exam.
- Coverage runs from $10,000 to $40,000 in $10,000 steps, and your premium is locked at the rate for your age when you apply.
- There’s a 2-year waiting period. If you die before it ends, your beneficiaries get the premiums you paid plus interest (4.23% for a death in 2026), not the full benefit.
- Apply by age 80, with no deadline after your rating. At 81 or older you qualify only in narrow cases tied to a claim filed before 81.
- For 2026 applicants, an existing S-DVI policy ends the day VALife is approved, so you have only the refund-of-premium benefit for the first two years.
- What Is VALife?
- Who Is Eligible for VALife?
- VALife Rates for 2026
- The 2-Year Waiting Period
- Switching From S-DVI to VALife
- VALife vs. VGLI vs. Private Insurance
- How to Apply for VALife
- Paying, Cancelling and Filing a Claim
- Common VALife Mistakes to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance, or VALife, is the life insurance VA sells to veterans with service-connected disabilities. It replaced the old Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI) program on January 1, 2023, and it fixed S-DVI’s biggest problems: you no longer have to be in good health, and you no longer have to apply within two years of your rating. Any service-connected rating, even 0%, gets you in.
It isn’t the right policy for everyone. The coverage is small, the premiums are higher than healthy-person term insurance, and the first two years pay back only what you put in. But for a veteran whose health makes private coverage expensive or impossible, it can be the simplest way to leave a family some money. This guide walks through eligibility, the full rate picture, the waiting period and how VALife compares with VGLI and private insurance.
What Is VALife?
VALife is a whole life policy, which means it lasts for life as long as you pay premiums and builds a modest cash value over time. It’s authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 1922B, added by the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315), and VA opened enrollment on January 1, 2023.
Here’s how it works at a glance, per VA’s VALife page:
| Feature | VALife |
|---|---|
| Type | Whole life, guaranteed acceptance |
| Who can buy | Veterans with any service-connected rating (0% to 100%), age 80 or younger |
| Coverage | $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 or $40,000 |
| Health questions | None, and no medical exam |
| Waiting period | 2 years before full coverage; premiums plus interest paid on death before then |
| Premiums | Set by age at application and coverage amount; never increase |
| Cash value | Begins building after 2 years in force |
| Loans | Not offered |
| Premium waiver | Not offered, even at 100% or total disability |
Who Is Eligible for VALife?
Eligibility turns on two things: a service-connected rating and your age.
- Age 80 or younger: you’re eligible with any VA service-connected disability rating, including 0%. There’s no time limit after your rating, so a veteran rated in 1995 can apply today.
- Age 81 or older: you qualify only if you applied for VA disability compensation before turning 81, received a rating for that disability after turning 81, and apply for VALife within 2 years of being notified of the rating.
You don’t need to be receiving a monthly payment. A 0% rating pays nothing but still counts, which makes it worth filing even for minor conditions such as a scar or mild hearing loss. If you’re not sure how VA assigns or combines ratings, our VA disability ratings guide explains the system, and our guide to requesting a rating increase covers what happens if a condition worsens.
A power of attorney, guardian or VA fiduciary can apply for a veteran who can’t manage the application, according to the VALife FAQs.
VALife Rates for 2026
Your premium depends on your age when you apply and how much coverage you buy. It stays the same for as long as you keep the policy. VA rounds age: if more than six months have passed since your last birthday, you pay the rate for the next age up. A veteran who is 59 years, 6 months and 1 day old pays the age 60 rate.
Selected monthly premiums from VA’s premium table. Each $10,000 step costs the same, so $40,000 is four times the $10,000 rate:
| Age at application | $10,000 | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | $10.90 | $21.80 | $32.70 | $43.60 |
| 25 | $13.20 | $26.40 | $39.60 | $52.80 |
| 30 | $15.40 | $30.80 | $46.20 | $61.60 |
| 35 | $18.30 | $36.60 | $54.90 | $73.20 |
| 40 | $22.00 | $44.00 | $66.00 | $88.00 |
| 45 | $26.60 | $53.20 | $79.80 | $106.40 |
| 50 | $32.50 | $65.00 | $97.50 | $130.00 |
| 55 | $40.10 | $80.20 | $120.30 | $160.40 |
| 60 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $150.00 | $200.00 |
| 65 | $62.00 | $124.00 | $186.00 | $248.00 |
| 70 | $78.00 | $156.00 | $234.00 | $312.00 |
| 75 | $99.50 | $199.00 | $298.50 | $398.00 |
| 80 | $127.50 | $255.00 | $382.50 | $510.00 |
Paying yearly saves a little. VA’s yearly rate for $10,000 of coverage is $182.70 at 30, $261.00 at 40, $385.60 at 50, $593.30 at 60, $925.50 at 70 and $1,512.80 at 80. The full table, including monthly rates for veterans 81 to 95 who qualify under the late-rating rule, is on VA’s site.
What You Pay vs. What Your Family Gets
Because VALife pays a fixed amount, it’s worth checking how long it takes for your premiums to add up to the death benefit. For a $40,000 policy, using VA’s monthly rates:
| Age at application | Monthly | Per year | Years until premiums equal $40,000 | Premiums equal the benefit at about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $61.60 | $739.20 | 54.1 years | age 84 |
| 40 | $88.00 | $1,056.00 | 37.9 years | age 78 |
| 50 | $130.00 | $1,560.00 | 25.6 years | age 76 |
| 60 | $200.00 | $2,400.00 | 16.7 years | age 77 |
| 70 | $312.00 | $3,744.00 | 10.7 years | age 81 |
| 80 | $510.00 | $6,120.00 | 6.5 years | age 87 |
Read this with care. A whole life policy also builds cash value, and your family gets the full $40,000 whenever you die after the waiting period, even if that’s year three. But the table shows why VALife works best as protection rather than a savings plan: buy it when you need it and as early as you can, because the rate never comes down.
The 2-Year Waiting Period
VALife accepts everyone without a health review, so it uses a waiting period instead. For the first two years after you apply:
- You must keep paying premiums.
- If you die, your beneficiaries receive the premiums you paid plus interest, not the coverage amount. VA set that interest rate at 4.23% for a death in 2026 (3.59% for a death in 2025).
- After two years, the full coverage amount is payable, as long as premiums stay current.
The waiting period applies to every cause of death, including accidents. If you’re in poor health and need coverage that pays in full right away, VALife alone won’t do it; keep any existing policy in force until the two years pass, unless the S-DVI rule below forces the issue.
Switching From S-DVI to VALife
S-DVI, the program VALife replaced, stopped taking new applications after December 31, 2022. Under S-DVI, most veterans could get only $10,000, had to apply within two years of their rating and had to be in good health apart from their service-connected conditions. Existing S-DVI policyholders can keep their policies as long as they pay premiums, and basic S-DVI still waives premiums for totally disabled veterans who qualify.
The switch rules changed on January 1, 2026:
| When you applied for VALife | What happens to your S-DVI |
|---|---|
| By December 31, 2025 | You keep S-DVI during the VALife waiting period, paying premiums on both. S-DVI ends when full VALife coverage begins. |
| On or after January 1, 2026 | S-DVI ends the day VALife is approved, including policies with a premium waiver. You pay only VALife premiums, but you have only the refund-of-premium benefit for two years. |
That second row is the one to think hard about. A veteran with a waived S-DVI policy pays nothing for $10,000 of coverage today. Moving to VALife means giving that up, paying a premium with no waiver, and accepting two years with no full death benefit. It can still make sense, because VALife offers up to four times the coverage, but run the numbers and consider your health first. S-DVI waivers don’t carry over.
VALife vs. VGLI vs. Private Insurance
Many veterans have more than one option. You can hold VALife alongside VGLI, VMLI and private coverage. The main differences:
| VALife | VGLI | Private term life | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any service-connected rating, age 80 or younger | Had SGLI; apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service | Anyone who passes underwriting |
| Health questions | None | None within 240 days of separation; required after | Usually yes |
| Coverage | $10,000 to $40,000 | $10,000 to $500,000 | Set by the insurer, often far higher |
| Policy type | Whole life with cash value | Term coverage that can continue for life | Term for a set period |
| Premiums | Locked at age of application | Rise with each 5-year age band | Locked for the term, then rise sharply |
| Full benefit from day one | No; 2-year wait | Yes | Yes |
VGLI lets you keep the SGLI coverage you had in uniform, up to $500,000, but you must apply within 1 year and 120 days of separation, and premiums climb as you age; as of July 1, 2025, VA’s monthly rate per $100,000 was $29 at ages 50 to 54, $85 at 60 to 64 and $215 at 70 to 74. VA has also announced a VGLI premium holiday: eligible policyholders owe no premiums from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027, with coverage continuing. Our comparison of VGLI and private life insurance goes deeper on when each wins.
A practical approach for many disabled veterans:
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- If you’re healthy enough for private coverage, a private term policy usually buys far more coverage per dollar during your working and child-raising years.
- If your health makes private coverage expensive or unavailable, VALife gives a guaranteed $40,000 that never lapses for health reasons and never rises in price.
- If you recently separated, VGLI is your only no-questions route to large coverage, so decide before the 240-day and 1-year-120-day deadlines.
- For final expenses, VALife can fill the role of a small burial or final expense policy; compare its rates with the options in our guide to final expense insurance for veterans.
Military retirees should also weigh life insurance against the Survivor Benefit Plan, which pays a monthly annuity rather than a lump sum. Our term life vs. SBP comparison sets out the trade-offs, and our broader guide to life insurance for veterans and military families covers every option in one place.
How to Apply for VALife
- Check your rating. You need a service-connected rating on record. Your VA benefit summary letter shows it.
- Choose your coverage and payment method. You can have premiums deducted automatically from your VA compensation or military retired pay, or pay directly through Pay.gov or from a checking account.
- Apply online at VA.gov. Online applications get an instant decision. You must include your first payment: two months up front if you choose automatic deduction, or one month if you pay directly.
- Name your beneficiaries. You can name anyone. To change them later, submit VA Form 29-336.
- Get your policy. VA notifies you by email or text. About 4 to 5 days after approval you can sign in to the VA life insurance portal to view and print your policy.
Questions go to the VA Life Insurance Center at 1-800-669-8477 (TTY 711).
Paying, Cancelling and Filing a Claim
Missed Payments
There’s a 31-day grace period after each due date. If VA hasn’t received payment within 61 days of the due date, coverage ends. You can restart a lapsed policy within 2 years by paying the missed premiums plus interest, unless you’re 81 or older, per the VALife FAQs.
Cancelling (Surrender)
- Within 31 days of enrolling: a full refund of premiums paid.
- After 31 days but before 2 years: no refund and no cash value.
- After 2 years with premiums paid: you can take the cash value or convert it to extended term insurance.
If you cancel and later want coverage again, you start a new policy at your new age with a new 2-year waiting period.
How Beneficiaries File a Claim
Beneficiaries file VA Form 29-4125, Claim for One Sum Payment, through DocuSign, VA’s secure upload or by mail to the VA Insurance Center, PO Box 5209, Janesville, WI 53547. VA usually pays death claims within 2 to 5 business days. VALife has no suicide exclusion, though VA must confirm the beneficiary wasn’t involved in the death. Surviving spouses should also check what else they may be owed in our guide to VA benefits for widows of veterans.
Common VALife Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting to apply. Your rate is set by your age on the day you apply, and age rounds up after six months. Every year you wait raises the price for life and pushes back the end of the 2-year waiting period.
- Dropping other coverage too soon. Until the waiting period ends, VALife pays back only premiums plus interest. Keep any private or VGLI policy in force until you’re past it.
- Assuming a 100% rating waives premiums. It doesn’t. VALife has no premium waiver for any disability level, so budget for the premium even if you’re rated 100% or permanent and total.
- Letting automatic deductions lapse. If your compensation stops or changes, check that premiums are still being paid. Coverage ends if payment isn’t received within 61 days of the due date.
- Forgetting the beneficiary form. Marriage, divorce, a new child or a death in the family are all reasons to file a new VA Form 29-336.
- Buying only VALife when you need more. $40,000 can cover a funeral and some bills, but it won’t replace an income. Use it as one layer, not the whole plan.
RELATED READING
Life Insurance for Veterans and Military Families →
SGLI, VGLI, VALife and private policies compared in one guide.
How VA assigns and combines ratings, the step that unlocks VALife.
Estimate how much coverage your family would actually need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Any service-connected rating qualifies, including 0%, as long as you’re 80 or younger. You don’t need to receive monthly compensation, and there’s no deadline to apply after you get the rating.
It depends on your age when you apply. For $10,000 of coverage, VA’s monthly rate is $15.40 at age 30, $22.00 at 40, $32.50 at 50, $50.00 at 60 and $78.00 at 70. The maximum $40,000 costs four times those amounts, and the rate never increases.
Your beneficiaries receive the premiums you paid plus interest, not the full coverage amount. VA’s interest rate is 4.23% for a death in 2026. After the 2-year waiting period, the full coverage amount is paid.
Yes. You can buy $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 or $40,000. The law lets VA raise the maximum if it’s actuarially sound, but $40,000 is the current limit. Many veterans pair VALife with VGLI or a private policy for larger needs.
It depends on your health and whether your S-DVI premiums are waived. For applications made on or after January 1, 2026, S-DVI ends the day VALife is approved, VALife has no premium waiver, and VALife pays only premiums plus interest for the first two years. VALife offers up to $40,000 versus S-DVI’s usual $10,000, so weigh the larger benefit against the waiver and the waiting period.
Yes. VA allows you to hold VALife alongside VGLI, VMLI and private life insurance. You can hold only one disability-based VA policy, so VALife and S-DVI overlap only for veterans who applied by the end of 2025.
It builds cash value once the policy has been in force for 2 years, which you can take if you cancel or use to keep coverage going as extended term insurance. VALife does not offer policy loans.
This guide is provided by USMilitary.org, an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency, and this is not insurance or financial advice. Premiums, interest rates and program rules can change; confirm current details with VA Life Insurance before you apply or cancel any policy.
