Veterans Affairs Life Insurance, known as VALife, operates on a simpler eligibility standard than almost any other VA benefit: Any service-connected disability rating qualifies — even a 0% rating — with no medical exam and no possibility of denial based on health, according to VA.gov.
What It Offers
Launched Jan. 1, 2023, VALife provides guaranteed-acceptance whole life insurance coverage of up to $40,000, available in $10,000 increments. Guaranteed acceptance means that if a veteran meets the basic eligibility requirements, VA automatically approves the application without requiring proof of good health. As whole life coverage, the policy lasts for the rest of the policyholder’s life rather than expiring after a set term, and it builds cash value starting two years after the application is approved.
The tradeoff for that guaranteed approval is a two-year waiting period before full coverage takes effect. If a policyholder dies during those first two years, VA pays beneficiaries the total premiums paid plus interest rather than the full policy amount; after the two-year mark, the full coverage amount applies. Premiums are fixed once locked in and never increase, and VALife does not offer a waiver of premium or the ability to take out a loan against the policy, according to VA’s VALife fact sheet.
Related: Veterans Life Insurance Overview
Who Qualifies for VALife
Veterans ages 80 or younger qualify for VALife with any VA service-connected disability rating, including a 0% rating, and there is no time limit on when they can apply after receiving that rating, according to VA.gov. Veterans ages 81 or older can still qualify under a narrower path: They must have:
- Applied for VA disability compensation before turning 81.
- Received the rating for that disability after turning 81.
- And applied for VALife within two years of being notified of that rating.
What Changed for Veterans With an Older S-DVI Policy
VALife replaced Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance, or S-DVI, which stopped accepting new applications Dec. 31, 2022, following requirements set out in the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, according to a Congressional Research Service brief on the transition. Veterans who already held an S-DVI policy were not required to give it up.
The rules for holding both policies at once changed at the start of this year. Veterans who applied for VALife between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2025, were allowed to keep their existing S-DVI coverage active throughout VALife’s two-year waiting period, according to VA.gov, with the S-DVI policy ending only once full VALife coverage began.
Veterans who apply for VALife on or after Jan. 1, 2026, no longer get that overlap: Their S-DVI coverage, including any policies with a premium waiver, ends the same day VA approves the VALife application, per the same source. That means a veteran applying under the current rules faces a period without S-DVI coverage while waiting for VALife’s two-year window to close, a gap that didn’t exist for veterans who applied in the program’s first three years.
Related: Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI): Get the Facts
How to Apply
Veterans can check eligibility and apply directly through VA.gov, where the application typically returns an instant decision, according to VA’s VALife FAQ page. Once approved, policyholders can sign in to their account within four to five business days to print their policy pages. A legal representative, such as a power of attorney holder, guardian or VA fiduciary, can also apply on a veteran’s behalf by selecting the third-party representative option during the application and uploading authorization documents. Veterans with questions can also get free help from an accredited veterans service organization or a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent.
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