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VA Life Insurance for Veterans: Is VALife or Private Burial Insurance Right for You?

VA life insurance (VALife) offers up to $40,000 to Veterans with a service-connected rating. Who qualifies, the 2-year wait, and when private plans fit.

Reviewed by Brian Carrozzi

Founder, RestAssured · Licensed life insurance agent

Updated October 21, 2026 · How we write and review

Short answer: VA life insurance for Veterans today mainly means VALife, a guaranteed acceptance whole life policy for Veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating. It offers up to $40,000 of coverage with no health questions, but full coverage does not start until 2 years after you apply. If you don’t have a service-connected rating, want coverage for a spouse, or want full coverage from day one, private final expense (burial) insurance may fill the gap, and many Veterans keep both.

RestAssured is an independent insurance agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA programs are applied for directly through VA.gov at no cost.

What life insurance does the VA offer Veterans?

VA offers several programs. For most Veterans over 50, two matter:

Program	Who it’s for	Coverage	Health questions?	Key catch
VALife	Veterans age 80 or younger with a service-connected disability rating (even 0%)	Up to $40,000 whole life, in $10,000 steps	None, guaranteed acceptance	2-year waiting period before full coverage
VGLI	Service members leaving the military who had SGLI	$10,000 up to the amount of SGLI they had (max $500,000)	None if you apply within 240 days of leaving	Must apply within 1 year and 120 days of leaving; premiums rise with age

Source: VA.gov, VALife and VGLI pages, as of October 2026.

If you left the service years ago and never got a disability rating, you are usually not eligible for either one. That is the most common reason Veterans end up looking at private coverage.

How VALife works

According to VA, VALife has these key features:

Eligibility: Veterans age 80 or younger with any service-connected rating, with no time limit to apply after getting the rating. Some Veterans 81 and older can qualify if they applied for disability compensation before turning 81 and apply within 2 years of getting their rating.
No health exam or health questions. Eligible Veterans are approved.
Coverage: up to $40,000, in $10,000 increments.
Premiums depend on your age when you apply and the coverage amount. VA says your premium rate never increases while you keep the policy. VA publishes the full rate tables by age on VA.gov.
Waiting period: full coverage starts 2 years after you apply. If the Veteran dies during that time, beneficiaries receive the premiums paid plus interest (VA lists 4.23% for deaths in 2026).
Cash value begins building 2 years after approval. VALife does not offer loans.

For a Veteran with a service-connected rating, VALife is often worth a serious look. It is guaranteed, the price is locked, and it is whole life coverage.

VA burial benefits are not the same as life insurance

Many families expect “the VA will pay for the funeral.” VA does help, but it usually does not cover everything.

Burial allowance: for a Veteran who dies on or after October 1, 2026, VA lists a burial allowance of $1,032 and a plot allowance of $1,032, when the death meets VA’s conditions (for example, the Veteran was receiving VA pension or compensation, or died while under VA care). VA’s tables also show up to $2,000 for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, and federal law (38 U.S.C. § 2307) sets the service-connected amount at not more than $2,000 or a higher federal-employee figure.
National cemetery burial: VA’s National Cemetery Administration provides a gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate at no cost to the family. Spouses and some dependents can also be eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
What’s not covered: VA says “any item or service obtained from a funeral home will be at the families’ expense.”

For perspective, the National Funeral Directors Association’s 2023 study put the national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial at $8,300, and with viewing and cremation at $6,280. Even with VA’s help, many families face a gap of several thousand dollars.

When private burial insurance may make sense for a Veteran

Private final expense insurance is whole life coverage, usually in smaller amounts, meant for funeral costs and final bills. It may fit if any of these apply:

You don’t have a service-connected rating, so VALife isn’t available.
You missed the VGLI window after leaving the service.
You want full coverage from day one. VALife always has a 2-year wait. Many private policies with health questions pay the full benefit from the first day if you qualify. See Burial Insurance With No Waiting Period.
You want to cover your spouse. VALife eligibility is based on the Veteran’s own service-connected rating, so a spouse who isn’t a Veteran would need separate coverage.
You want more than VALife provides, or want a policy to sit on top of VA benefits to close the gap.

Prices and options vary by insurance company and state. For how pricing works after 70, read Cheapest Life Insurance for Seniors Over 70 and 75, and for the basics, What Is Final Expense Insurance?.

A simple checklist for Veterans

Check your VA rating status. If you have a service-connected rating, look at VALife on VA.gov first.
Find your discharge papers (DD-214). Families need them for burial benefits, so keep them with your important documents.
Decide on burial wishes. If you want a national cemetery, tell your family. It changes what the funeral will cost.
Estimate the gap. Compare local funeral prices with what VA would provide.
Cover the gap if needed with a VA policy, a private policy, savings, or a mix.
Name beneficiaries and tell them where the policies are.

The bottom line

If you have a service-connected rating, VALife gives you guaranteed, price-locked whole life coverage up to $40,000, with a 2-year wait. VA burial benefits help, but they rarely pay for the whole funeral. Veterans without a rating, those who want day-one coverage, and spouses often add a private final expense policy.

If you’d like help looking at private options next to your VA benefits, a licensed agent can walk you through what’s available in your state, with no obligation. Here’s how our free agent service works.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get life insurance through the VA?

Yes, if you qualify. VALife is open to Veterans age 80 or younger who have a VA service-connected disability rating, even 0%. Recently separated service members can also convert SGLI to Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) within 1 year and 120 days of leaving the military.

How much is VA life insurance by age?

VALife premiums depend on your age when you apply and how much coverage you choose, and VA publishes the full monthly and yearly rate tables on VA.gov. Once you have the policy, VA says your premium rate never increases.

Does VA life insurance have a waiting period?

Yes. VALife coverage becomes full 2 years after you apply. If the Veteran dies during those 2 years, beneficiaries receive the premiums paid plus interest instead of the full coverage amount.

Does the VA pay for a Veteran's funeral?

Not fully. VA may pay a burial allowance and offers burial in a national cemetery with a gravesite, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and a burial flag at no cost, but VA says anything from a funeral home is at the family’s expense.

Can a Veteran have VALife and private burial insurance at the same time?

Yes. Many Veterans use VA benefits for what they cover and a private final expense policy to help pay the remaining funeral costs or to cover a spouse.

Sources

This article is for general education. Policy features, prices and eligibility vary by insurance company and state; your agent will explain the specific terms of any policy before you apply.