A veteran with a service-connected rating and a separation date from years ago asks which VA plan to get. The answer depends on which door is still open. Here is the briefing.
VALife vs VGLI comes down to this: VGLI is term life insurance, up to $500,000, for veterans who carried SGLI and apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service. VALife is whole life insurance, up to $40,000, for veterans with any VA service-connected disability rating, even 0%, with no health questions. VGLI depends on your separation date. VALife depends on your rating. Both are run by the VA.
Is there a difference between VGLI and VALife?
Yes. They are both life insurance from the VA, but they are different kinds of coverage, built for different veterans.
VGLI, Veterans’ Group Life Insurance, is term coverage. Term means it pays out only if you die while the policy is in force, and it does not build savings. The VA says it lasts your whole life as long as you keep paying premiums, and the premium is set by your age band, so it goes up as you move through them. It is the way to carry your military SGLI into civilian life; our what is VGLI primer covers the basics (and the SGLI guide covers the service coverage it replaces), and SGLI to VGLI has the deadlines.
VALife, Veterans Affairs Life Insurance, is whole life coverage. Whole life means a permanent policy that also builds cash value, which the VA says starts to add up 2 years after approval. The premium is set by your age when you apply and, per the VA, never increases. VALife is open to veterans with a service-connected disability rating, and the VA approves you automatically if you meet the rules. For the full walkthrough, see our VALife guide. VALife replaced S-DVI for new applicants; if you hold the older plan, read what S-DVI policyholders should know.
VALife vs. VGLI, side by side
Here are the questions people ask most, answered for both plans in one place:
| Question | VALife | VGLI |
|---|---|---|
| Type of coverage | Whole life (permanent), builds cash value starting 2 years after approval. | Term life, lasts your whole life as long as you keep paying premiums. |
| Who qualifies | Veterans with any VA service-connected disability rating, including 0%. | Veterans who carried SGLI and apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service (other cases on va.gov). |
| Time limit to apply | None if you are 80 or younger. Special rules at 81 and older. | 1 year and 120 days from leaving service. |
| Health questions | None. Approved automatically if you meet the rules. | None within 240 days of leaving service. After that, health questions may apply. |
| Coverage amounts | $10,000 to $40,000, in $10,000 steps. | $10,000 to $500,000. Starts at your SGLI amount, with $25,000 increases allowed 1 year after enrolling and every 5 years after, until age 60. |
| How the premium behaves | Set by your age when you apply and the amount you choose. Never increases. | Set by five-year age band. Steps up as you move into each new band. |
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, va.gov VALife and VGLI pages. Confirm current details with the VA.
Two VALife details do not show up in a side-by-side. Full coverage begins 2 years after you apply, and if you die before then, your beneficiaries receive the premiums you paid plus interest (the VA lists 4.23% for a death in 2026). VALife also offers no loans and no premium waivers.
Who qualifies for which
The two plans open on different keys, so a veteran can qualify for one, both, or neither. VALife needs a VA service-connected disability rating, and a 0% rating counts. VGLI needs a qualifying separation from service, with the main case being that you carried SGLI and apply within 1 year and 120 days. The VA lists a few other qualifying situations, such as Ready Reserve or National Guard retirement, on its VGLI page.
- Rating and still inside the VGLI window. You qualify for both. This is the widest set of choices.
- Rating, but the VGLI window has closed. VALife is open to you, and it has no application deadline if you are 80 or younger.
- No rating, but still inside the VGLI window. VGLI is your VA option. Inside 240 days, there are no health questions.
- No rating and the window has closed. The VA plans may not be open to you. Private coverage is the next place to look, and a rating claim is worth asking the VA about if you think you have a service-connected condition.
One more VALife detail: if you are 81 or older, you can still qualify, but only if you applied for VA disability compensation before turning 81 and you apply for VALife within 2 years of being notified of your rating.
What each costs per $10,000
The short answer: VGLI costs much less per dollar of coverage in the earlier years, and VALife costs more but never changes. The table puts the VA’s own figures next to each other, per $10,000 of coverage, per month.
| Age | VALife (rate locked at this age) | VGLI (band rate at this age) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | $22.00 | $1.40 (ages 40 to 44) |
| 50 | $32.50 | $2.90 (ages 50 to 54) |
| 60 | $50.00 | $8.50 (ages 60 to 64) |
| 70 | $78.00 | $21.50 (ages 70 to 74) |
| 80 | $127.50 | $44.00 (ages 80 and over) |
Read the VALife column as “what you lock in if you enroll at that age.” Read the VGLI column as “what the band charges while you are in it.” Say Maria enrolls in VALife at 40 for $22.00 per $10,000 and keeps that rate for life. If she held VGLI as well, her VGLI rate would be $1.40 per $10,000 in her early 40s and $38.50 per $10,000 by her late 70s, which is above the $22.00 she locked in. Her VGLI would have cost less for decades and then more. That is how age-banded term coverage works.
Put the same way in dollars: $40,000 of VALife at 50 is $130.00 a month. $500,000 of VGLI at 50 to 54 is $145.00 a month. The VGLI figure is more than twelve times the coverage for a slightly higher bill, which is the honest case for VGLI. The VALife figure buys a permanent benefit whose price does not climb, which is the honest case for VALife. For VGLI’s full chart by band, see our VGLI rates guide, and for whether the climbing premium still earns its keep, see is VGLI worth it.
Who should pick which
The honest rule of thumb: pick the plan that matches the job you need the money to do, then check that you still qualify for it.
- VALife is often the right pick when your health or your rating makes private coverage costly or hard to get, you want a permanent benefit with a premium that never moves, or the goal is final expenses, where $40,000 fits.
- VGLI is often the right pick when you need a larger number for the years your family depends on your income, such as a mortgage or children at home, and you qualify to convert from SGLI.
- Compare private coverage too when you are in good health and want a large amount. A privately issued term policy can lock one premium for a set number of years, where VGLI steps up by age band. It depends on your age and health, so it is worth pricing both.
Where the VA option is the better one, we will say so. For a veteran with a service-connected condition and no easy private options, VALife or VGLI is frequently the strongest path on the table, and that is a perfectly good place to end up.
When someone holds both
Holding both is allowed. VA News says veterans who have VGLI and are eligible for VALife can add VALife, so a veteran who qualifies for both can carry both.
The usual structure is simple. VGLI carries the larger amount through the years a family needs the most protection. VALife sits underneath it as a smaller permanent base. When the mortgage is paid and the kids are grown, you can decide whether to keep paying for the larger term amount, while the VALife benefit stays in force as long as you pay its fixed premium.
The tradeoff is cost. You pay two premiums, and the VGLI one climbs with age. So the question to ask is not “can I hold both” but “what does each one do for my family, and does the combined bill fit.” If you already carry VGLI and are weighing VALife as an add-on, our guide to military life insurance shows where each option sits. VGLI paperwork and billing run through Prudential’s OSGLI, while VALife is handled by the VA directly.
When not to call us
You do not need us to apply for either plan. Both applications go through the VA, and VALife can be applied for online. If you qualify for one, it matches the job you need it to do, the premium fits your budget, and your beneficiary is current, keep it and move on. A review that ends in “you are set” is a successful review.
Call if you want a second set of eyes: you are weighing the two, you are unsure which you still qualify for, or you want help with a beneficiary change, a billing question, or finding the right VA department. The team can also compare private options for you if you want them. It is free, and the decision stays yours.
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Pick the plan that fits, or keep the one you have.
A licensed professional will look at your rating, your separation date, and what you hold today, then tell you plainly whether VALife, VGLI, both or neither fits. If the VA option is the better one, you will hear that. Keeping what you have is a fine outcome.
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Questions veterans ask about VALife and VGLI
01Is there a difference between VGLI and VALife?
Yes, and it is a big one. VGLI is term life insurance, up to $500,000, for veterans who carried SGLI and apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service. VALife is whole life insurance, up to $40,000, for veterans with any VA service-connected disability rating, including 0%. VGLI premiums rise as you move into each new age band. VALife premiums are set by your age when you apply and never increase.
02Which is better, VALife or VGLI?
Neither is better across the board, because they do different jobs. VGLI carries the larger number at a lower monthly price in the earlier years. VALife is a smaller, permanent benefit with a premium that never changes and no health questions. The better one is usually the one you still qualify for that matches what you need the money to do. Plenty of veterans qualify for both.
03Can you have VALife and VGLI at the same time?
Yes. VA News says veterans who have VGLI and are eligible for VALife can add VALife. A common setup is VGLI for the larger amount during the years a family depends on your income, with VALife as a smaller permanent base underneath it. You pay both premiums, so it is worth checking that the combined cost fits your budget.
04Is VALife cheaper than VGLI?
Per $10,000 of coverage, VGLI costs far less at younger ages. For example, the VA lists $1.40 a month per $10,000 for ages 40 to 44 on VGLI, against $22.00 a month for a 40-year-old enrolling in VALife. But VGLI climbs with each age band, reaching $44.00 per $10,000 at 80 and over, while a VALife premium stays where it was set. They are different products, so the monthly figure is only part of the comparison.
05Do VALife and VGLI ask health questions?
VALife asks none. If you meet the eligibility rules, the VA approves your application automatically. VGLI asks none if you apply within 240 days of leaving the military. After that, up to 1 year and 120 days, you can still apply, but health questions may apply.
06Do I need a disability rating to get VGLI?
No. VGLI depends on having carried SGLI and applying within 1 year and 120 days of leaving service (or one of the other qualifying situations listed on va.gov). A disability rating is what VALife depends on. That is why a veteran can qualify for one, both, or neither.
07Does VALife have a waiting period?
Yes. Full coverage begins 2 years after you apply. If you die in those first 2 years, your beneficiaries receive the premiums you paid plus interest, which va.gov lists at 4.23% for a death in 2026. After 2 years, they receive the full coverage amount.