VGLI 240-Day Conversion Window: Don't Miss This Deadline

The single most important deadline in your separation paperwork is the 240-day VGLI conversion window. Miss it, and your safety-net life insurance coverage gets harder to obtain — sometimes impossible if your health has changed.

The Two Deadlines

When you separate, your SGLI continues for 120 days at no charge. After that, SGLI ends. Two VGLI conversion deadlines apply from your separation date:

Window	Days from separation	Underwriting
Free SGLI extension	120 days	None (it's still SGLI)
VGLI no-health-questions	240 days	None — guaranteed acceptance
VGLI with health questions	1 year + 120 days (485 days)	Full medical underwriting
After 485 days	n/a	VGLI is closed permanently

The 240-day window is the one that matters for most veterans. After day 240, you must prove insurability — meaning the same medical questions, blood draws, and possibly exams that any private insurance application would require.

Why the 240-Day Window Exists

The window is a deliberate policy choice. Recently-separated veterans often:

• Have service-connected conditions that affect underwriting (PTSD, sleep apnea, cardiovascular issues)
• Are early in their VA C&P exam process and don't have rating decisions yet
• May be in physical recovery from injuries
• Don't yet know whether private term life is available at affordable rates

The 240-day window says: lock in coverage first, figure out long-term plans second.

What "Guaranteed Acceptance" Means

During the 240-day window, applying for VGLI requires only:

• Proof of separation (DD-214 typically suffices)
• Premium payment
• Identification of beneficiary

There are no medical questions, no blood draws, no urinalysis, no rating-class assessment. Coverage is issued at the standard VGLI rate for your age band.

This is a benefit not available in private insurance. Even guaranteed-issue private products require some health questions (smoking status, hospitalization history). VGLI in the 240-day window asks none.

After Day 240: The "With Health Questions" Window

From day 241 through day 485 (1 year + 120 days), VGLI is still available but you must complete a medical questionnaire. Specifically:

• Recent hospitalizations
• Chronic conditions
• Medications
• Tobacco use
• Recent diagnostic tests
• Specific conditions: cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, HIV, etc.

The VA reviews and may:

• Approve at standard rates
• Approve at higher rates
• Decline coverage

A condition that would be a slam-dunk approval at private "best" rates can become a decline post-day-240 because VGLI's underwriting standards are different and somewhat conservative.

After Day 485: Closed Permanently

There is no extension beyond 1 year + 120 days. If you missed both windows, your only options are:

• Private term life insurance (with whatever underwriting class you qualify for)
• Group life insurance through an employer (if available)
• VALife (S-DVI), if you have a service-connected disability

For veterans with significant health issues who missed the VGLI window, this can mean uninsurable status — the kind of outcome the 240-day window was designed to prevent.

Why People Miss the Window

Common reasons (in order of frequency):

1. They didn't know it existed. TAP covers it briefly, but it's one of dozens of benefits in a multi-day briefing.
2. They thought they didn't need life insurance. Single, no kids, "I'll deal with it later."
3. They planned to get private term and procrastinated. Then their health changed.
4. They were in transition turmoil. Job hunt, PCS, relocation, family stress — paperwork slipped.
5. They confused the 120-day SGLI extension with the 240-day VGLI deadline. Two different things.

The Recommended Sequence

Within 60 days of separation:

1. Apply for VGLI in the no-health-questions window. Even if you plan to drop it.
2. Apply for private term life simultaneously, with full medical underwriting.
3. Wait for both decisions (private term takes 2-6 weeks).
4. Compare: if private term came back at preferred-best rates and you're healthy, drop VGLI and keep private. If private term came back rated, declined, or only at standard, keep VGLI.

This dual-track approach means you never have a coverage gap and you don't trade a guaranteed-acceptance opportunity for a maybe-better private rate.

What If You're Still Active and Reading This?

Tell other separating service members. The 240-day window is one of the most consistently overlooked benefits in TAP.

Specifically, share with anyone who:

• Has a pending or recent VA disability claim
• Has young children
• Has a non-working spouse
• Has any chronic health condition

For those people, the VGLI window is almost always worth using as the safety net regardless of long-term plans.

Cost Reminder

VGLI premiums depend on age. Check the VA Life Insurance Center for the live rate calculator. Approximate monthly cost for $400,000 of coverage:

• Age 30: ~$32/mo
• Age 40: ~$64/mo
• Age 50: ~$144/mo
• Age 60: ~$432/mo

You can also choose any amount up to your prior SGLI level in $10K increments, so if cost is the concern, scale down rather than skip.

How to Apply

Two paths:

1. Online at VA Life Insurance — fastest. SGLV-8714 (VGLI Application).
2. By mail — same form, mail to OSGLI:
   • OSGLI, P.O. Box 70173, Philadelphia PA 19176-0173
   • Or fax to 1-877-832-4943
3. Phone: call OSGLI at 1-800-419-1473 for guided application help.

Beneficiary Designation

VGLI lets you name multiple beneficiaries with percentage allocations. Worth doing thoughtfully:

• Primary beneficiaries (first in line)
• Contingent beneficiaries (if primaries predecease you)
• Specific dollar amounts vs percentages
• Per stirpes vs per capita language for surviving children

If you have minor children, name a trust or custodian rather than the children directly — minors can't receive insurance proceeds directly.

What If You Already Missed Day 240?

You have two options:

1. Apply for VGLI before day 485 with health questions — better than nothing if you can pass underwriting.
2. Apply for private term life — comparison shop. Some carriers (like USAA, Navy Federal, Liberty Mutual) offer veteran-friendly underwriting.
3. If you have any service-connected disability rating, apply for VALife within 2 years of the rating decision — guaranteed acceptance up to age 80.

Don't give up on coverage entirely just because the no-health-questions window passed.

Related

• VA Life Insurance Center — VGLI countdown calculator
• SGLI vs VGLI vs Private Term — full comparison by age
• FSGLI Spouse Coverage 120 Days — spouse-specific window