Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI)
Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI) provides low-cost coverage to eligible service members. This program stopped taking new applications after December 31, 2022. But if you already have S-DVI, you can keep it
The NEW VA Life insurance Program is now VALife
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife)
Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) provides low-cost coverage to Veterans with service-connected disabilities. Find out if you’re eligible and how to apply.
Eligibility for VALife
If you’re age 80 or younger
You’re eligible for VALife if you have a VA service-connected disability rating—even if your rating is 0%.
There’s no time limit to apply after getting your disability rating.
If you’re age 81 or older
You may be eligible for VALife if you meet these requirements.
All of these must be true:
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- Before you turned 81 years old, you applied for VA disability compensation for a service-connected disability, and
- 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
Apply for VALife
You can check your eligibility and apply online right now. Each month or each year, you’ll pay a certain amount to keep your coverage. The VA calls this your premium. When you apply, you’ll need to submit your first premium payment.
Benefits you can get with VALife
You can get these benefits:
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- Up to $40,000 in whole life insurance coverage (in $10,000 increments), and
- Cash value that starts to add up 2 years after we approve your application
Note: VALife doesn’t offer loans.
VALife is guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. This means that if you meet the eligibility requirements for VALife, we’ll automatically approve your application. You won’t need to prove you’re in good health. And you can keep your coverage for the rest of your life.
For more information about VALife, you can reach out to your local CVSO or play the VALife video. Play our VALife video on YouTube
When your benefits will start
Your full life insurance coverage starts 2 years after you apply. You must pay the premiums during those 2 years.
If you die during the 2-year waiting period, the VA will pay your beneficiaries the total amount you paid in premiums, plus interest.
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- Interest rate for a death in 2024: 2.35%
- Interest rate for a death in 2023: 1%
If you die after the 2-year waiting period, we’ll pay your beneficiaries the full coverage amount of your policy.
Note: Beneficiaries are the people you pick to get the money from your life insurance policy if you die.
How much you’ll pay for VALife
Your premium depends on your age when you apply and the amount of coverage you want. Your premium rate will never increase as long as you keep your VALife policy.
If more than 6 months have passed since your last birthday, we consider you 1 year older when determining your premium rate. For example, if you’re 59 years and 6 months and 1 day old, you’ll pay the rate for age 60.
Note: VALife doesn’t offer premium waivers.
Premium rates if you pay each month or annually
Select your age and level of coverage to review VALife monthly premium rates.
How to access your VALife policy
If the VA approves your application for VALife, they’ll notify you by email, text, or both, based on the communication preferences you selected when you applied. This notification will include a link to our VA life insurance portal. From our portal, you can go to AccessVA to access, download, and print a copy of your policy.
If you know they’ve approved your application, but you can’t find the email or text they sent you, you can go directly to AccessVA now. You’ll need to sign in to access your policy.
Access your policy on AccessVA
Changing from S-DVI to VALife
If you have Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI), you have 2 options:
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- You can apply now for VALife, or
- You can keep your S-DVI. You don’t have to do anything to keep your coverage.
What to know about changing to VALife
If you apply for VALife by December 31, 2025, you can keep your S-DVI during the 2-year waiting period for VALife benefits. Your S-DVI (including policies with premium waivers) will end when your full VALife coverage starts. You must pay premiums for both policies during the 2-year waiting period.
If you apply for VALife on or after January 1, 2026, your S-DVI (including policies with premium waivers) will end the day the VA approves your VALife application. You’ll need to pay only VALife premiums during the 2-year waiting period. But you won’t have full coverage during this time.
Note: VALife doesn’t offer premium waivers. If you have a waiver for S-DVI premiums, your waiver won’t transfer to VALife.
Learn more about how your enrollment in VALife affects your S-DVI coverage
How your beneficiaries would file a claim
Your beneficiaries would need to fill out a Claim for One Sum Payment (VA Form 29-4125). They can fill out the form and file it online through DocuSign.
Go to VA Form 29-4125 on the DocuSign website
Or they can fill out the form and then upload it online or send it by mail.
Get VA Form 29-4125 to download
By secure upload
Use VA's secure online tool to upload the completed form.
Upload claim forms and other life insurance documents online
By mail
Mail the completed form to this address:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Insurance Center
PO Box 7208
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101
What to do if you have more questions
You can call the VA Life Insurance Center at 800-669-8477 (TTY: 711). We’re here from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
OR Contact your Local CVSO
