Do I need life insurance outside SGLI?
Yes: keep full SGLI, and FSGLI for a spouse, for as long as you serve. Add a private term policy you own, bought while you are young and healthy, because SGLI ends after you separate and the private policy goes with you.
At a glance
- Keep full SGLI, and FSGLI for a spouse, while you serve. It is inexpensive group coverage.
- Our starting point: a private 30-year term policy of at least $250,000 for each adult, bought young and healthy.
- More than that if a family depends on the income.
- SGLI and FSGLI end after separation. The private policy is the one that goes with you.
Who this is for: An active duty sailor at NAS Lemoore, married or single, kids or not, who has SGLI and is wondering whether that is the end of it.
Reviewed by Theron Morgan, CEO and founder, Avidity Capital Inc., a registered investment adviser, on 2026-10-07.
Keep SGLI and FSGLI while you serve
SGLI is group life insurance tied to your service, and it is some of the least expensive coverage you will ever hold. Keep the full amount. SGLI costs about $26 a month for the full $500,000, including traumatic injury coverage. If you are married, FSGLI covers your spouse through the same program; keep that too. Both show up as deductions on your LES, and both are worth every dollar while you serve.
The catch is in the word group. The coverage belongs to the program, not to you. It ends shortly after you separate, and the spouse coverage ends with it.
| Age | Monthly premium |
|---|---|
| SGLI, $500,000, with traumatic injury coverage | |
| Any age | $26.00 |
| FSGLI, spouse, $100,000 | |
| Under 35 | $4.00 |
| VGLI, $500,000, after separation | |
| 29 and under | $30.00 |
| 30-34 | $40.00 |
| 35-39 | $50.00 |
| 40-44 | $70.00 |
| 45-49 | $95.00 |
| 50-54 | $145.00 |
| 55-59 | $250.00 |
| 60-64 | $425.00 |
| 65-69 | $690.00 |
| 70-74 | $1,075.00 |
| 75-79 | $1,925.00 |
| 80 and over | $2,200.00 |
Our starting point: a private term policy you own
A private term policy is yours. It does not care whether you re-enlist, separate or retire. Bought in your twenties or early thirties, while you are healthy, it locks in both the rate and your insurability for the whole term. That is the reason to buy it now and not at separation.
If a spouse or children depend on your income, the right amount is larger, and the term life guide walks through how to size it. If no one depends on you yet, the starting point still stands: the policy you buy single and healthy is the one that is still in force, at the same price, when there is a family.
What happens at separation
SGLI and FSGLI stop a short time after you leave service. VGLI is the fallback: you can convert your SGLI to it within a window after separation, and inside the first part of that window no health review is required. VGLI costs more as you age and its rates step up by age band, which is why it is the fallback and not the plan. VGLI can never be more than the SGLI you held when you left, which is one more reason to keep the full amount while you serve.
Health matters here more than people expect. A condition documented at separation, including one that earns a disability rating, can make a private policy cost more later or make it harder to get. That is another argument for buying the private policy before you leave, not after.
Buying it
A private policy is bought through a licensed life insurance agent, and many term policies require a medical exam. Avidity Capital does not sell insurance and receives no commission or referral fee on any policy. An Avidity adviser can size the amount with you and read a quote before you sign.
Questions people ask
Is SGLI enough on its own?
While you serve, it is strong coverage at a low cost. The problem is what happens after: it ends shortly after separation, and the private policy you did not buy at twenty-five costs more at thirty-five, if your health still allows it.
I am single with no kids. Why would I buy a policy now?
Because the policy you buy now, healthy and young, is the one that will still be in force at the same rate when there is a spouse or a child. Buying it later means a higher rate and a health review you may not pass as easily.
What is VGLI?
Veterans' Group Life Insurance. You can convert SGLI to it within a window after separation, without a health review if you apply early in that window. Its premiums rise with age, so it is the fallback rather than the plan.
Does FSGLI cover my spouse after I separate?
No. Spouse coverage under FSGLI ends with your SGLI. A spouse needs their own private term policy too. When spouse coverage ends, the VA lets a spouse convert it to a permanent individual policy within a set window. Treat that as a backstop if health makes a term policy hard to get, not as the first choice.
I fly, or I am in another hazardous rating. Does that change the answer?
It changes the order. Keep full SGLI, get private quotes before you separate so you know what the market will offer for your role, and treat VGLI as the fallback if those quotes come back high or excluded.
Next step
See your own numbers first. The free reality-check needs no account and no card.
This page is education, not individualized investment, tax, legal or insurance advice. It names no products, funds or allocations and carries no client stories. Where a document or a policy is needed, an estate attorney or a licensed insurance agent is the person who prepares it. Avidity Capital Inc. drafts no legal documents and receives no commission or referral fee from insurance, estate attorneys, mortgage lenders or real estate agents. Its compensation is the member's subscription and, for members who choose it, an advisory fee for managing assets; see Form CRS and Form ADV Part 2A. Avidity Capital Inc. is a registered investment adviser.