Is Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) the Same as Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife)?

Overhead view of financial and tax paperwork, a phone calculator, and a pen on a wooden floor.

The short answer

No. VGLI is post-service group term that continues SGLI if you apply in time. VALife is a separate guaranteed-acceptance whole life policy for Veterans with a service-connected disability rating — even 0%. A rating does not auto-convert SGLI into VALife. On VA's VGLI page (updated September 16, 2026), you apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military, with no health review if you sign up within 240 days of leaving, for coverage tied to the SGLI amount you had, up to $500,000. On VA's VALife page (updated May 15, 2026), coverage is up to $40,000 in $10,000 increments, full face amount starts 2 years after you apply, premiums stay fixed while you keep the policy, and there is no premium waiver. This note does not paste rate tables. Educational only; not insurance advice; not accredited representation; no guaranteed outcome; independent of VA.

The mix-up

Both names sit on VA.gov under life insurance, so threads collapse them into one product called "VA life insurance." The live pages describe two different policies:

Treating VGLI and VALife as the same coverage. VGLI is term life you may keep after you leave the military by paying premiums. VALife is whole life for Veterans with a service-connected disability rating.
Assuming a rating automatically converts SGLI, or an existing VGLI policy, into VALife. A rating can matter for VALife eligibility. It is not an enrollment.
Matching the dollar caps. VGLI on that page is $10,000 to $500,000 of term, based on prior SGLI. VALife on that page is up to $40,000 of whole life, in $10,000 increments.
Assuming a premium waiver, or the 2026–2027 VGLI premium holiday, covers both. VALife does not offer premium waivers. The holiday page says the holiday applies only to VGLI.

This page is only the VGLI-versus-VALife mix-up. It does not tell you which policy to buy, keep, or convert.

What VGLI actually is

From Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (last updated September 16, 2026): with VGLI, you may be able to keep your life insurance coverage after you leave the military for as long as you continue to pay the premiums. The benefits section says you can get between $10,000 and $500,000 in term life insurance. The amount is based on how much SGLI coverage you had when you left the military.

You may be eligible if at least one of these is true, as that page lists them:

You had SGLI while you were in the military and you are within 1 year and 120 days of being released from an active-duty period of 31 or more days, or
You are within 1 year and 120 days of retiring or being released from the Ready Reserve or National Guard, or
You are within 1 year and 120 days of assignment to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) or the Inactive National Guard (ING), including the United States Public Health Service Inactive Reserve Corps (IRC), or
You are within 1 year and 120 days of being put on the Temporary Disability Retirement List (TDRL), or
You had part-time SGLI as a member of the National Guard or Reserve, and you suffered an injury or disability while on duty — including direct traveling to and from duty — that disqualified you for standard premium insurance rates.

The part-time National Guard or Reserve bullet, as written, does not repeat the 1-year-and-120-day clock. The "How do I get these benefits?" section separately says you need to apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military. Confirm which path applies on the live page. This note does not calculate a separation date.

When you leave, that page says you can sign up through VGLI for coverage up to the amount you had through SGLI. If you have less than the maximum, you can increase coverage by $25,000 one year after getting VGLI and then every 5 years after that, up to a total of $500,000, until you are 60 years old.

Health review, as that page writes it: you can apply within 240 days of leaving the military without a health review. If you sign up within 240 days, you will not need to prove you are in good health. If you sign up after the 240-day period, you need to submit evidence that you are in good health. The application window in the same section is still 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military.

Apply in one of the ways that page lists:

Online through the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI), using the Prudential site: Apply online through OSGLI.
By mail or fax with the Application for Veterans' Group Life Insurance (SGLV 8714). The page says fax to 800-236-6142, or mail to OSGLI, PO Box 41618, Philadelphia, PA 19176-9913.

To reinstate a VGLI policy that has expired, that page says you fill out an Application for Reinstatement of VGLI Coverage (SGLV 180).

Premiums are based on age and the amount of coverage. The page says the monthly cost depends only on age — it does not charge more based on gender or tobacco use — and it publishes monthly premium tables as of July 1, 2025. Open the live VGLI page and use the table for your age and coverage. This note does not copy those rows.

Coverage, as that page writes it, lasts your whole life as long as you keep paying the premiums. VA's comparison of VGLI to whole life adds that VGLI can be renewed every five years and does not terminate so long as premiums are paid on time, and that premium amounts increase as you get older. The rate figures still live on the VGLI page, not in this note.

The same VGLI page says that if you are an eligible Veteran covered under VGLI, you do not need to pay premiums from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Coverage continues during that time. VA calls it the VGLI premium holiday. Use Find out if you're eligible for the VGLI premium holiday — this note does not decide who qualifies. That FAQ says the holiday applies only to VGLI coverage. It says life insurance programs administered directly by VA, such as VALife or S-DVI, are not affected.

Conversion is not an application for VALife. The VGLI page says you can convert VGLI to an individual insurance policy at standard premium rates, without proof of good health, through a participating company. You choose the company, apply at its local sales office, and give the agent a letter from OSGLI called a VGLI Conversion Notice. The conversion policy must be a permanent policy, such as whole life. You cannot convert to term, variable life, or universal life. Supplementary benefits, such as Accidental Death and Dismemberment or Waiver of Premium for Disability, are not part of the conversion policy. This note does not list companies.

Questions about Servicemembers' or Veterans' Group Life Insurance, as that page writes them: call OSGLI at 800-419-1473, or email osgli.osgli@prudential.com.

What VALife actually is

From Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) (last updated May 15, 2026): VALife is guaranteed-acceptance whole life for Veterans with service-connected disabilities. If you meet the eligibility requirements, VA says it will automatically approve the application. You will not need to prove you are in good health, and you can keep the coverage for the rest of your life.

Eligibility, as that page writes it:

Age 80 or younger: eligible if you have a VA service-connected disability rating — even if the rating is 0%. There is no time limit to apply after getting the disability rating.
Age 81 or older: all of these must be true — before you turned 81 you applied for VA disability compensation for a service-connected disability; after you turned 81 you received a rating for that same disability; and you apply for VALife within 2 years of getting notification of your disability rating.

Coverage on that page: up to $40,000 in whole life, in $10,000 increments. Cash value starts to add up 2 years after VA approves the application. VALife does not offer loans.

Full life insurance coverage starts 2 years after you apply. You must pay the premiums during those 2 years. If you die during the waiting period, VA says it will pay beneficiaries the total premiums paid, plus interest. The published rates on that page are 4.23% for a death in 2026 and 3.59% for a death in 2025. If you die after the 2-year waiting period, VA says it will pay the full coverage amount of the policy.

The premium depends on your age when you apply and the amount of coverage. The rate never increases as long as you keep the VALife policy. Mid-birthday rule, as VA writes it: if more than 6 months have passed since your last birthday, VA considers you 1 year older when determining the premium rate. The example on that page: if you are 59 years and 6 months and 1 day old, you pay the rate for age 60. Monthly and yearly tables are on the live VALife page. This note does not paste them.

VALife does not offer premium waivers. You can check eligibility and apply online; the page's apply link is Apply for VALife. When you apply, you submit the first premium payment. Beneficiaries file a Claim for One Sum Payment (VA Form 29-4125), as that page writes it.

For questions about an existing VALife policy, S-DVI, or a VA life insurance policy that starts with a V, J, RS, or W, that page says call the VA Life Insurance Center at 800-669-8477 (TTY: 711). Call for current hours.

If you already have Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI), the VALife page has a separate keep-versus-apply section, including dates and the rule that an S-DVI premium waiver does not transfer. That comparison is already written at /blog/sdvi-vs-valife. This note does not restate it.

SGLI, in one paragraph

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is the service member's group coverage while you are in. VGLI is the separate program you may apply for after you leave, on the clock and health rules above, for coverage based on the SGLI amount you had. Leaving service does not by itself enroll you in VGLI, and it does not enroll you in VALife. A full SGLI-versus-VGLI article is not this page — read the SGLI page and the VGLI page. Family coverage is a third product. Spouse and child coverage under Family SGLI does not become VGLI. That mix-up is /blog/fsgli-vs-sgli.

Side-by-side, from the live pages

Product. VGLI: term life after military service, continued by paying premiums. VALife: guaranteed-acceptance whole life.
Who it is for. VGLI: at least one path on the VGLI eligibility list, tied to SGLI and a separation, retirement, IRR/ING, TDRL, or part-time duty-injury path. VALife: a VA service-connected disability rating. Age 80 or younger includes a 0% rating, with no time limit after the rating. Age 81 or older uses the three-part list.
Clock. VGLI: apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military, as the application section writes it. VALife, age 80 or younger: no time limit after the rating. VALife, age 81 or older: apply within 2 years of rating notification, and the other two parts of that list must also be true.
Health questions. VGLI: no health review if you sign up within 240 days of leaving; evidence of good health after that. VALife: if you meet eligibility, VA says it approves the application and you do not need to prove good health.
Maximum on the live page. VGLI: $10,000 to $500,000 term, based on prior SGLI, with the $25,000 increases that page describes until age 60. VALife: up to $40,000 whole life, in $10,000 increments. Cash value starts 2 years after approval. No loans.
When the full death benefit starts. VGLI: the page describes term coverage you keep by paying premiums; it does not describe a 2-year waiting period before the face amount. VALife: full coverage starts 2 years after you apply. During that waiting period you still pay premiums. Death during the waiting period pays premiums plus the interest rate that page lists (4.23% for a death in 2026; 3.59% for a death in 2025). After the waiting period, the full coverage amount.
Premium behavior. VGLI: based on age and coverage. Tables on the VGLI page are as of July 1, 2025. VA's whole-life comparison says those premium amounts increase as you get older. VALife: set from age at application and coverage amount, and the rate never increases while you keep the policy. Use the 6-month birthday rule on that page. This note does not copy either table.
Waiver and holiday. VALife does not offer premium waivers. The VGLI premium holiday (November 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027) is a VGLI-page note for eligible Veterans covered under VGLI. The holiday FAQ says it does not apply to VALife.
What a rating does. It can meet the VALife eligibility line. It does not auto-convert SGLI or VGLI into VALife.

Practical next steps (educational)

Name the policy you actually have — SGLI, VGLI, VALife, S-DVI, FSGLI, or VMLI. The names are not interchangeable.
If you recently left service and want to continue SGLI, read the live VGLI eligibility list and the 1-year-and-120-day application sentence before you assume the window is still open. No health review applies only in the first 240 days, as that page writes it.
If you have a service-connected rating and you are looking at whole life, read the age rules on the VALife page. The rating does not file the application. The apply link on that page is Apply for VALife, and the first premium goes with the application.
Use the live premium tables on those two pages. VGLI tables are marked as of July 1, 2025. VALife tables are monthly or yearly by age at application. Do not rely on a screenshot of an old row.
For the VGLI premium holiday, use VA's eligibility FAQ. Do not assume VALife is included. The FAQ says it is not.
If you already have S-DVI, read /blog/sdvi-vs-valife before you treat VALife as a continuation of that policy. If the question is spouse or child coverage, read /blog/fsgli-vs-sgli.
VGLI questions: OSGLI at 800-419-1473 or osgli.osgli@prudential.com, as the VGLI page writes it. VALife, S-DVI, or a policy number that starts with V, J, RS, or W: VA Life Insurance Center at 800-669-8477 (TTY: 711), as the VALife page writes it.
For personal facts, get help from an accredited representative: /blog/va-accredited-representative · https://www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/

What this note is not

Not a statement that VGLI and VALife are the same product.
Not a rule that a service-connected rating converts SGLI or VGLI into VALife.
Not a premium quote, a coverage recommendation, or a keep-versus-switch decision.
Not a full SGLI-versus-VGLI article. That path stays on the SGLI page and the VGLI page.
Not S-DVI versus VALife. That comparison, including waiver-does-not-transfer, is /blog/sdvi-vs-valife.
Not FSGLI versus SGLI. Family coverage does not become VGLI. That comparison is /blog/fsgli-vs-sgli.
Not Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance. The VALife page points to VMLI as mortgage protection for families of Veterans with severe service-connected disabilities who have adapted a home. This note does not rewrite VMLI eligibility.
Not accredited representation; independent of VA; no guaranteed outcome; not insurance advice; not legal advice.

Sources

VA.gov — Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) (last updated September 16, 2026)
VA.gov — Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) (last updated May 15, 2026)
VA.gov — Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
VA — Comparing Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) to whole life
VA — VGLI premium holiday frequently asked questions
SGLV 8714 — Application for Veterans' Group Life Insurance (PDF)
SGLV 180 — Application for Reinstatement of VGLI Coverage (PDF)
VALife online application (the apply link on the VALife page)
VA.gov — Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI)
VA.gov — VA Form 29-4125 (Claim for One Sum Payment)
VA — Get help from an accredited representative
Internal: /blog/sdvi-vs-valife · /blog/fsgli-vs-sgli · /blog/va-accredited-representative

Quick answers

Is Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) the same as Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife)?

No. VA’s VGLI page (last updated September 16, 2026) describes VGLI as term life insurance you may keep after you leave the military by paying premiums, based on the SGLI coverage you had, from $10,000 to $500,000. VA’s VALife page (last updated May 15, 2026) describes VALife as guaranteed-acceptance whole life for Veterans with a service-connected disability rating — even 0% — up to $40,000 in $10,000 increments. They are different programs.

Does a service-connected rating automatically turn SGLI or VGLI into VALife?

No. A VA service-connected disability rating — even 0%, if you are age 80 or younger — is an eligibility fact on the VALife page. That page also says you apply for VALife and submit the first premium with the application. The VGLI page is a separate application to continue SGLI after service. Neither page says a rating converts SGLI or VGLI into VALife by itself.

When do I apply for VGLI, and when does VA ask about my health?

VA’s VGLI page says you need to apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military. If you sign up within 240 days of leaving, you will not need to prove you are in good health. If you sign up after that 240-day period, you need to submit evidence that you are in good health. The same page lists eligibility paths, including a part-time National Guard or Reserve injury path that does not repeat the 1-year-and-120-day clock in that bullet. Confirm which path is yours on the live page. This note does not calculate your separation date.

Does a 0% service-connected rating qualify for VALife?

VA’s VALife page says: if you are age 80 or younger, you are eligible for VALife if you have a VA service-connected disability rating — even if your rating is 0%. It also says there is no time limit to apply after getting the disability rating. Age 81 and older has a separate three-part list on that same page. This note does not invent a different percentage.

How much coverage does each program offer, and where are the premiums?

On the VGLI page, term coverage is $10,000 to $500,000, based on the SGLI amount you had when you left. If you have less than the maximum, that page says you can increase by $25,000 one year after getting VGLI and then every 5 years, up to $500,000, until you are 60. Premiums are based on age and coverage; the page publishes monthly tables as of July 1, 2025. On the VALife page, whole life is up to $40,000 in $10,000 increments. The premium depends on age when you apply and the coverage amount, and the rate never increases while you keep the policy. This note does not copy either table. Use the live pages.

Does the VGLI premium holiday apply to VALife? Does VALife waive premiums?

The VGLI page says that if you are an eligible Veteran covered under VGLI, you do not need to pay premiums from November 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027, and coverage continues during that time. It calls this the VGLI premium holiday and links a page to find out if you are eligible. VA’s premium-holiday FAQ says the holiday applies only to VGLI coverage, and that VALife and S-DVI are not affected. Separately, the VALife page says VALife does not offer premium waivers. This note does not decide who qualifies for the holiday.

Can I convert VGLI into VALife?

The VGLI page describes a different conversion: you can convert VGLI to an individual permanent policy, such as whole life, at standard rates through a participating company, without proof of good health. You cannot convert to term, variable life, or universal life. Accidental Death and Dismemberment and Waiver of Premium for Disability are not part of that conversion policy. That page does not say the conversion is an application for VALife. VALife has its own eligibility rules and a 2-year waiting period before full coverage. This note does not treat a VGLI conversion notice as a VALife enrollment.

Is this the same mix-up as S-DVI versus VALife, or FSGLI versus SGLI?

No. S-DVI versus VALife — including the keep-versus-apply dates and the rule that an S-DVI premium waiver does not transfer — is a separate note at /blog/sdvi-vs-valife. Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance versus the service member’s SGLI is /blog/fsgli-vs-sgli. Family coverage does not become VGLI. This page is only VGLI versus VALife. A full SGLI-versus-VGLI walkthrough is not this article; start with VA’s SGLI and VGLI pages.

Choose your free next step

Look up another condition, or get the printable Secondary Conditions Checklist by email.

Look up another condition

or email the checklist

Want to save this and export a packet later? That's the $9.99/mo founding pass.

Educational only. Not a VSO, attorney, or claims agent. Not affiliated with VA. Not insurance advice. No guaranteed outcome. Confirm the live VA.gov VGLI page (updated September 16, 2026) and VALife page (updated May 15, 2026) before you act. This article does not invent ratings, percentages, premium-table rows, effective dates, or outcomes, and it does not tell you whether to apply for VGLI, VALife, both, or neither.