For help with a claim or appeal, the people authorized to help are VA-accredited representatives. Many VSOs help for free.Find an accredited representative →
UnderstandMyRating
Benefits by rating → Guide

VALife: guaranteed-acceptance life insurance for veterans with a service-connected rating

ANY SC RATINGDecided by: VA Insurance Service.

Veterans with any service-connected rating may be eligible for guaranteed-acceptance whole life coverage of up to $40,000, verify with VA life insurance.

38 U.S.C. §1922BVerified Jul 2026

Guaranteed acceptance, any service-connected rating

Under 38 U.S.C. §1922B, veterans with any service-connected rating, including 0%, may be eligible for Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife): a guaranteed-acceptance whole life policy of up to $40,000. There is no medical underwriting and no health questions, and premiums are fixed by your age at enrollment.

Because eligibility reaches down to a 0% rating, VALife is one of the few programs where a noncompensable service connection still opens a door. The coverage amount is the same regardless of rating percentage.

The age window and the waiting period

Enrollment is open through age 80, with narrow exceptions past 81, and a two-year waiting period applies before the full death benefit is payable. Because the age window is something a rating alone cannot show, the Benefits Explorer marks this program "verify conditions" rather than a clean match.

It replaced S-DVI

VALife replaced Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI), which closed to new applicants after December 31, 2022. The VA Insurance Service decides eligibility and enrollment; verify the current terms and premiums with VA life insurance.

See it next to everything else your rating may open

The Benefits Explorer lists this program beside the rest of the federal set, and your state’s verified programs, keyed to your combined rating. Educational only. Every program is decided by the agency named on it.

Open the Benefits Explorer →Decode your letter first