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Life Insurance for Veterans · Pennsylvania The VA offers real coverage, but it isn’t always the best fit. See what you qualify for before you settle for a two-year wait.
Get a Coverage ReviewArmandino “Dino” Cavaliere · Independent broker · PA License #1071477
Veterans life insurance comes from two places: the VA or private insurance companies. The VA’s two main options are Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI), term coverage you can keep after leaving the military, and Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife), guaranteed acceptance whole life up to $40,000 for veterans with a service-connected disability rating. Private coverage includes term, whole life, final expense and other permanent policies, and many veterans qualify for coverage that pays in full from the first day.
I’m an independent broker, and the son of a Marine. I’m not the VA and I don’t work for it. My job is to lay the VA’s options next to the private coverage you qualify for, using the VA’s own published numbers, so you can see which one actually protects your family best.
Cavaliere & Co. Insurance is an independent insurance agency. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense or any branch of the military.
My father served in the United States Marine Corps. When I thank a veteran for their service and mention that my dad was a Marine, the answer I hear back, again and again, is the same: “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”
When I started reviewing veterans’ coverage, I assumed the VA’s life insurance would beat anything I could offer. It didn’t always. I was surprised to learn that the VA’s current whole life option comes with a two-year waiting period for everyone, no matter how healthy, and a healthy veteran like my father might qualify for coverage that pays in full from day one. It’s worth comparing before you decide.
That’s why I built this page: so veterans and their families can see the real options before deciding.
Most veterans have three places to look. Which one fits depends on your age, your health and how long it’s been since you left the service.
Veterans’ Group Life Insurance: term coverage from $10,000 to $500,000 that continues your SGLI coverage from the service (the SGLI-to-VGLI conversion). You must apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military. The premium goes up as you age.
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance: guaranteed acceptance whole life up to $40,000, in $10,000 steps, for veterans with a service-connected disability rating, even 0%. Every policy has a two-year waiting period.
Term, whole life, final expense and other permanent policies from insurance companies. Most ask health questions, and in exchange many pay the full benefit from the first day. A broker compares companies for you.
VALife replaced the VA’s older Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI), which stopped taking new applications at the end of 2022. VALife works the same way as the guaranteed issue policies insurance companies sell: no health questions, and a waiting period before the full benefit is paid.
VA life insurance rates: VALife monthly premiums
The VA publishes these rates for anyone to see
| Age when you apply | $10,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $32.50 | $65.00 | $130.00 |
| 60 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 |
| 70 | $78.00 | $156.00 | $312.00 |
| 80 | $127.50 | $255.00 | $510.00 |
Every VALife policy has a two-year waiting period, whatever your health.
VALife rates: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, va.gov/life-insurance (page updated May 15, 2026). Private guaranteed issue policies work the same way: no health questions, and a waiting period, usually two years, during which death from natural causes pays a reduced benefit. Day-one coverage requires health questions and is available only to applicants who qualify. Want to see how the VA’s rate for your age compares with what you qualify for privately? I’ll run them side by side for you.
VGLI is term coverage you can keep for life as long as you pay, but the premium is based on age bands that step up every five years. At $500,000 of coverage, the VA lists $30 a month at age 29 and under and $2,200 a month at 80 and older (rates as of July 1, 2025).
Right for many younger veterans, especially if your health makes private coverage hard to get. No health review if you apply within 240 days of leaving the military.
VGLI can be converted to a private permanent policy, such as whole life, at standard rates without proving good health, through participating companies.
If you’re healthy, private term or permanent coverage may cost less for the same amount, with a premium that doesn’t step up every five years.
Never cancel VGLI or VALife before a new policy is approved and in force. A new policy starts a new contestability period, and if you’re declined, you may not be able to get the VA coverage back.
Not always. A waiting period is the trade-off for skipping health questions, whether the policy comes from the VA or an insurance company. If you can answer a few health questions, you may qualify for coverage that pays in full from the first day.
Well-managed blood pressure, diabetes or a heart condition from years ago doesn’t automatically rule out day-one coverage.
If a serious diagnosis has closed the underwritten doors, a guaranteed acceptance policy is a dignified option.
Many veterans believe the VA takes care of everything. It doesn’t. Burial in a VA national cemetery is a real honor and covers a lot, but the funeral home bill is still the family’s.
Eligibility is based on service and a discharge other than dishonorable. It doesn’t require a disability rating.
The VA’s cash burial allowance is paid only in certain cases, such as a service-connected death or a veteran receiving VA compensation or pension. For deaths on or after October 1, 2026, the VA lists $1,032 for burial and $1,032 for the plot.
Here in Bucks County, Washington Crossing National Cemetery serves veterans across the region. Burial insurance for veterans, a small final expense policy, covers what the VA doesn’t, so the family can focus on the goodbye.
Sources: VA, what burial in a national cemetery includes; VA National Cemetery Administration FAQ; VA burial eligibility; VA burial allowance; National Funeral Directors Association 2023 General Price List Study (medians exclude cemetery, monument and cash-advance costs).
When I first became an agent, I wanted to do right by my own family before anyone else. Before I put my dad, a Marine, or my mom on a policy with any of my carriers, I called the VA myself. I told them I was an agent and asked what life insurance they offered, because if the VA had something better, that’s what I wanted my parents to have.
Here’s what I learned. The VA’s whole life program, VALife, comes in four amounts: $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 or $40,000, nothing in between. Every policy has a two-year waiting period, no matter how healthy the veteran is. If you add coverage later, the added amount has its own two-year wait.
Since then I’ve done the same thing for other veterans: a three-way call with the VA on the line, so you hear it straight from them, and then I show you what you qualify for privately. If the VA’s option is the better fit, I’ll tell you so.
— Dino Cavaliere
A VA disability rating opens the door to VALife, but it doesn’t close the door on private coverage. Insurance companies look at the specific condition, how it’s treated and how stable it is, and each company weighs those differently.
Bring your VGLI or VALife details, or start fresh. I’ll compare them with the private coverage you qualify for and show you the numbers side by side. No obligation, and no pressure to replace anything that’s working.
The VA’s main options are Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI), term coverage of $10,000 to $500,000 for those who apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military, and Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife), guaranteed acceptance whole life up to $40,000 for veterans with a service-connected disability rating.
Yes. Full coverage starts two years after you apply, for every applicant regardless of health. If the insured dies during those two years, the beneficiary receives the premiums paid plus interest.
Veterans age 80 or younger with a VA service-connected disability rating, including a 0% rating. Narrower rules apply at 81 and older.
Up to $40,000 of whole life coverage, in $10,000 increments.
It depends on your age and health. VALife accepts everyone who qualifies without health questions, so it’s priced for that. A healthy veteran may qualify for private coverage that costs less and pays in full from day one. The only way to know is to compare real quotes.
Yes. VGLI premiums are based on age bands that increase every five years. For $500,000 of coverage, the VA lists $30 a month at 29 and under and $2,200 a month at 80 and older (rates as of July 1, 2025).
Yes. VGLI can be converted to an individual permanent policy, such as whole life, at standard rates without proving good health, through participating insurance companies.
Not entirely. Burial in a VA national cemetery includes the gravesite, opening and closing, a liner, a headstone or marker and perpetual care, all provided by the VA, but funeral home costs are the family’s. A cash burial allowance is paid only in certain cases.
The VA doesn’t pay for cremation directly. Cremated remains can be buried or placed in a columbarium at a national cemetery with the same honors, and an eligible family may receive a burial allowance that can go toward cremation costs.
Often, yes. Insurance companies look at the specific condition, treatment and stability rather than the rating itself, and each company weighs them differently.
Not until the new policy is approved and in force. Canceling first could leave you without coverage, and VA coverage may not be available to you again.
It depends on your age, health and goals. A healthy veteran may qualify for private term or whole life that pays in full from day one. A veteran with serious health conditions and a service-connected rating may find VALife’s guaranteed acceptance the better fit. Comparing the VA’s published rates with real private quotes is the only way to know.
Term life insurance for veterans fits a need with an end date, like a mortgage or children at home. VGLI is term coverage, and healthy veterans can often find private term too. Whole life insurance for veterans lasts for life with a level premium. VALife is whole life up to $40,000; private whole life is available in other amounts.
Not for VALife. According to the VA, VALife has no premium waivers, whatever your disability rating.
Yes, up to the $40,000 maximum. Under federal regulations (38 CFR 8.36), the added amount has its own two-year waiting period before it’s in force.
No. Cavaliere & Co. Insurance is an independent insurance agency, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs or any branch of the military.