{"id":78695,"date":"2023-02-22T23:55:01","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T23:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/22\/troops-will-get-an-extra-100000-in-life-insurance-coverage-march-1\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:20:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:20:41","slug":"troops-will-get-an-extra-100000-in-life-insurance-coverage-march-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/mil-money\/2023\/02\/22\/troops-will-get-an-extra-100000-in-life-insurance-coverage-march-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Troops will get an extra $100,000 in life insurance coverage March 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Service members will automatically receive an extra $100,000 of life insurance<\/a> coverage as of March 1, increasing the maximum Servicemembers\u2019 Group Life Insurance coverage amount to $500,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All service members will automatically get the increased coverage, including those who have previously reduced or declined their Servicemembers\u2019 Group Life Insurance, known as SGLI. The boost in coverage applies to all those eligible for SGLI, including active duty, Guard and reserve members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troops will pay a premium of $31 per month for $500,000 worth of coverage, a $6 increase, which will be deducted from their pay. The monthly SGLI premium is the same regardless of the service member\u2019s age or other factors. Currently, troops pay $25 a month for $400,000 of life insurance coverage. The rate hasn\u2019t changed; the cost is still 6 cents per $1,000 of insurance. SGLI coverage is offered in increments of $50,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also on March 1, the maximum coverage for Veterans\u2019 Group Life Insurance, or VGLI, is also increasing to $500,000, up $100,000 from the current $400,000. That is not automatic. Eligible veterans must request it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Veterans Affairs will now be providing $1.45 trillion of life insurance coverage, making it the 12th largest group life insurer in the United States, said Daniel Keenaghan, executive director of the VA insurance service. The VA administers both the SGLI and VGLI insurance programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first time the SGLI coverage amount has increased since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is going to help support our service members and veterans protect those who matter most,\u201d Keenaghan said during a media roundtable. \u201cAs costs have increased, we are increasing our overall life insurance coverage correspondingly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All monthly SGLI premiums include $1 for TSGLI. Servicemembers\u2019 Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection provides short-term financial support to help eligible service members recover from a severe injury such as loss of limb or a variety of other injuries. As before, SGLI also includes $10,000 of coverage for the service member\u2019s dependent children at no extra cost. There is no change to the coverage amounts for the separate program called Family SGLI, which provides extra life insurance for spouses and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Service members leaving the military on or after March 1 who had the maximum SGLI coverage can purchase VGLI coverage up to $500,000. Veterans under age 60 who currently have $400,000 maximum VGLI coverage will be able to purchase additional coverage, in increments of $25,000, at specified anniversary dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, 88% of service members have the maximum amount of SGLI coverage at $400,000, according to Keenaghan. That includes 95% of active duty service members and 73% of reservists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automatically including active, Guard and reserve members in the new coverage maximum allows everyone to get the insurance without medical underwriting, even if they previously reduced or declined coverage. If active duty service members want to decline or reduce their new coverage, they can do so starting March 1, using the SGLI Online Enrollment System<\/a>. Reservists with part-time SGLI coverage who want to decline or reduce their coverage should use Form SGLV 8286 and provide it to their personnel office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troops must do this before the end of March in order to avoid paying the monthly premium of $31 for the coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\t