Retired Military Life Insurance For Spouse

Best For Senior Veterans: American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association

AAFMAA

• AM Best Rating: Not rated

AAFMAA offers life insurance policies tailored especially to senior veterans. It has several policies to choose from and covers veterans up to age 84.

• Offers a cheaper alternative to VGLI

• Offers no medical exam insurance policies

• Has been in business for more than 140 years

• Coverage not available in all states

Founded in 1879 when the War Department realized there was a need to take care of soldiers after Custer’s Last Stand, AAFMAA offers term-life insurance and whole life insurance, specifically for veterans, with coverage available nationwide .

In addition, the company offers no medical exam life insurance policies, including ANNUITYLife, Wealth Builder Life, and the Senior Survivor Plan, all of which are designed for older veterans and their spouses.

Instant online quotes are available on AAFMAA’s website, without having to speak with an agent. Otherwise, interested customers can speak to an insurance sales representative over the phone, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST.

The company’s Level Term I plan offers coverage up to age 49 and its Level Term II offers options ranging from five to 30 years of term life coverage.

Best Children’s Rider: Military Benefit Association

Military Benefit Association

Children are covered for free up to $12,500 with the military Term Insurance to Age 90 Plan. Optional add-ons even allow children to become members in their own right starting at age 25.

• Is underwritten by MetLife Inc.

• Has been in business since the 1950s

• Eligible children may be covered at no additional cost

• Offers coverage for policyholders up to age 90

• No whole life insurance plans are available

Founded in 1957, MBA offers 10- and 20-year term life insurance for veterans as an alternative to or supplement for existing VGLI coverage. The company’s life insurance policies are underwritten by MetLife, Inc., which has received an A+ rating from AM Best. As an added benefit to senior veterans, MBA offers an additional term life insurance plan that provides coverage up to age 90.

Aside from the veteran, family members can obtain policies. Spouses are eligible for $1 million in coverage. All policies come with free coverage for each dependent child for up to $12,500 per dependent. And, as an optional add on, customers can apply for $10,000, $20,000, or $25,000 of additional term coverage for each unmarried child under 21 years old . Beyond that, eligible children can become MBA members starting at age 25.

Instant online quotes are available on the company’s website. Interested customers can also call the company and speak with a sales agent Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

Military Retiree Pay Protection Strategy

US VetWealth’s Military Pension Protection System gives military spouses more income protection and flexibility than the SBP annuity. The program is a voluntary, private insurance plan that service members can design instead of the SBP coverage.

Unlike the SBP, US VetWealth works with the nation’s best insurance carriers so that any death gratuity payment pays out immediately upon the death of the insured veteran, with no waiting period required.

Plus, there are no premiums to be paid for as long as you live – so if you should ever need it, your loved ones will receive 100% of your policy face value. And unlike SBP, US VetWealth allows beneficiaries to continue receiving payments after the death of the service member or retiree. So if you’re looking for better-of-mind and more options in protecting your income, US VetWealth is the way to go.

– Insurance policy benefits are paid directly to the beneficiary after the death of the service member or retiree. Beneficiaries can be changed and updated to ensure a legacy.

– SBP coverage can be turned down at retirement but once coverage is elected it must be continued for life. The US VetWealth Military Pension Protection System premiums are completely flexible.

– US VetWealth provides a simple design to allow the service member or retiree to determine how much coverage they need based on the maximum death gratuity payment from the government.

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How Much Will My Service Member Pay For Dependent Coverage

Nothing. We provide dependent coverage at no cost until the child is 18 years old, or sometimes longer if the child meets one of the requirements listed below.

To continue receiving dependent coverage after age 18, one of these must be true:

• The child is a full-time student, or
• The child becomes permanently and totally disabledbefore turning 18and cant support themselves

What Are The Expected Costs Of Life Insurance For Veterans

Age, health, gender, and smoking history are a few of the main factors that affect the cost of life insurance for veterans. Another element that can affect the premium is the type and length of the plan.

On the younger side, nonsmoking 35-year-old male veterans can expect to pay between about $9 to about $25 per month for $150,000 in term coverage, depending on their overall health and plan selections.

Nonsmoking 55-year-old males can expect to pay between about $39 to about $86 per month for $150,000 in term coverage, depending on their overall health and plan selections.

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Survivor Benefit Plan And Veterans Affairs Dependency And Indemnity Compensation

Department of Veterans Affairs Dependency and Indemnity Compensation was established in 1956 by the Servicemens and Veterans Survivor Benefit Act.37Under this Act, as amended, DIC is paid to the survivors of servicemen or veterans who died on or after January 1, 1957, from: a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty while on active duty or active duty training or an injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty while on inactive duty training or a disability compensable under laws administered by the VA.38

A service member can, for example, contract a disease or incur an injury during active duty or active duty training, recover and return to active duty, retire from an active duty or Reserve Component military career and participate in the SBP, and subsequently die because of complications resulting from the original service-related disease or injury. The surviving spouse or former spouse of the retiree is then entitled to DIC payments from the VA. In this situation, however, the surviving spouse or former spouse of the retiree is notentitledtoreceivethecombinedtotaloffullSBPandDICbenefits. Instead, the SBP benefit is offset by the amount of DIC received .39 This offset occurs regardless of the retirees enrollment in the SBP Supplemental.

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Best Life Insurance Options In And Out Of The Military

Advertiser Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the authors alone. This article may contain links from our advertisers. For more information, please see our .

Military members have access to affordable group life insurance through the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance Program. However, you cant take it with you when you leave. These other affordable life insurance options can help protect you and your family.

If the worst happened and you didnt make it home one day, life insurance could help your grieving family by replacing your income for a while.

As a military member, the VA, as well as organizations like USAA, can help you get life insurance coverage. But what if youre not active any longer?

In either case you need to know how insurance works, how much to buy and how to stay covered after your retirement from active-duty.

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Person With A Natural Insurable Interest

If you dont have a spouse or kids you can elect SBP coverage for a person with a natural insurable interest in the member. This usually includes business partners.

The Department of Defense defines a natural insurable interest as a natural person with an insurable interest who has a reasonable and lawful expectation of financial benefit from the continued life of the participating member, or any individual having a reasonable and lawful basis, founded upon the relation of parties to each other, either financial or of blood or affinity, to expect some benefit or advantage from the continuance of the life of the retired member. If the election is for a person who is more nearly related than a cousin, no proof of financial expectation is required.

Discuss your situation with a licensed financial advisor.

What Is Life Insurance For Veterans

Life insurance offers a way to provide financial support to your loved onesspecifically surviving dependents, a spouse, or other designated recipientin the event of your death.

It can be more difficult for veterans to get traditional insurance policies due to residual mental and physical health issues. Life insurance for vets considers these challenges that these men and women face and provides them with alternatives.

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Can My Service Member Get Extended Coverage For Our Dependent Child

Yes, in some cases. Coverage lasts until the child is 18 years old. But, if the child is a full-time student between 18 and 22 years old, we may extend the coverage. Or, if the child becomes permanently and totally disabled before turning 18 and is no longer able to support themselves, we may extend the coveragein some cases indefinitely.

Benefits For Spouse Of A Military Retiree

Did you know that, as the spouse of a retiree, you may be eligible for a number of benefits? There are many things for which you may be eligible, including medical insurance, free legal assistance, property tax discounts and more.

While no list can cover all the benefits to which you are entitled, this page lists some of the bigger ones.

As the spouse of a military retiree, you may be eligible for:

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Coverage For Your Spouse

You can cover your spouse for up to twice your , not to exceed $400,000. Coverage for your spouse ends when your coverage ends or if you and your spouse divorce. If both you and your spouse are eligible to participate in the Optional Group Life Insurance Program, neither of you can buy additional coverage for the other.

Government Life Insurance Private Policy Or Both

There are two basic categories of life insurance we need to discuss. The first category being group life insurance through the federal government. The second being life insurance purchased in the private sector. For most military families, each type has a place in protecting beneficiaries should the service member be wounded or killed in combat abroad, injured while engaged in training exercises, or die in a non-service-related event.

Military divorce is not a common practice among Arizona attorneys. Call Stewart Law Group at and we will schedule a meeting for you with one of our military divorce attorneys. Ask questions. Have a helpful conversation with an experienced, caring professional who appreciates all aspects of military life. An attorney can offer guidance at the initial consultation regarding the purpose of life insurance with either spouse on active duty, in the reserves, or retired on a military pension.

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Getting Ready To Buy A Home Find A Trusted Va Lender In Just A Few Minutes

Some VA lenders are tailored for borrowers with weaker credit, while others offer a larger variety of VA loan types. The best way to determine if you are eligible is to start by connecting with a lender. Lenders can pull your Certificate of Eligibility in minutes to see if you meet the basic service requirements and have VA loan entitlement. Additionally, a lender can review your financial information to determine if you meet credit and income guidelines.

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Best Retired Military Life Insurance

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Life insurance is crucial for individuals that have family or loved ones that they want to have protected and secured financially after they pass along.

As a veteran, finding the best life insurance can be a task that is complicated and overwhelming to take on.

The VA is known to offer low-cost life insurance coverage while they are in the service, through Servicemembers Group Life Insurance .

Once their time in the service has been completed, they have the option to switch over to the coverage offered by Veterans Group Life Insurance . However, this route may not always be the best option for retired military servicemen and women.

There are other organizations that may offer better prices for the long term. The best life insurance providers will have plans that feature flexible coverage options, policies that are affordable and customer satisfaction ratings that are high.

Lets compare and review a collection of five of our best retired military life insurance providers.

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What Kind Of Life Insurance Do I Need

There are two kinds of life insurance: whole life and term. Whole life is coverage for the rest of the insured’s life, as long as the premiums are paid. Term coverage is for a set number of years, usually for 10, 20 or 30 years.

Military financial coach Kate Horrell wrote that those who can obtain a civilian policy usually go that route because it’s more affordable. Personal financial situations, health conditions and financial goals all play a role in deciding what kind of policy to get, but Horrell says you want to have this figured out before retirement so you can make decisions about the Survivor Benefit Plan.

Term life insurance costs less because there is no cash value to it. One reason to choose term life insurance is to make sure that the mortgage is covered or child rearing costs are covered. After a certain age, you may have enough in savings to cover burial expenses and won’t need insurance.

But if you want to leave money to your heirs, no matter when you die, a whole life insurance policy will do that. It’s also a good option for people who have children with disabilities who may need long-term care. There are pros and cons to both kinds of coverage, as NerdWallet, a financial website, explains.

Veterans Group Life Insurance

The federal government also provides Veterans Group Life Insurance, or VGLI. This is a way to continue life insurance coverage after separation from military service SGLI stops and VGLI begins. These are the basic VGLI enrollment requirements:

• The service member has full-time SGLI and
• The service member has up to one year plus 120 days from his or her separation date to apply.

What about service members with part-time SGLI? If the military spouse has part-time SGLI, was injured or disabled while performing his or her duty , and now is uninsurable at standard premium rates, then that service member is also eligible to apply for VGLI coverage.Can you avoid questions about your health status? Yes, by applying for VGLI within 240 days of separation. Is the military spouse uninsurable because of injury, illness, or disability? Prompt application for VGLI ensures life insurance coverage without further inquiry.

The maximum VGLI coverage matches the SGLI benefit: $400,000. Veterans on VGLI can increase coverage by increments of $10,000 up to the maximum. Until age 60, vets can increase their coverage every five years by $25,000. As with SGLI, ex-military may convert VGLI to a commercial policy. Both government insurance programs are administered by the Office of Servicemembers Group Life .

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Social Security Benefits. The maximum amount of Social Security benefits you can receive based on an ex-spouse‘s record is 50% of what your ex-spouse would get at their full retirement age. This varies based on their year of birth. The spousal benefit amount is further decreased if you file before you reach your own full retirement age. 3. 20/20/15 Rule. If the marriage lasted 20 years and the service member served 20 credible years in the military but only 15 years overlap between the two, the former spouse is eligible for one year of health benefits as long as s/he does not remarry and does not have employer-sponsored health insurance. After the year has expired, a 20/20/15.

Does My Spouse Get My Military Retirement If I Die

For the most part, military retired pay stops upon the death of the retiree insured.In terms of spousal support in situations of military retiree death, there is a plan that is available for those situations.

The Survivor Benefit Plan or SBP allows retirees to ensure that after their passing, a continuous lifetime annuity is paid to their eligible dependents. The annuity is based on a percentage of retired pay and supports eligible survivors with an inflation-adjusted monthly income.

Military retirees pay premiums for SBP coverage after retirement has occurred. Premiums are paid with regards to gross retired pay which means they do not count as income and therefore require less tax and less out-of-pocket costs for SBP.

The maximum SBP annuity for the spouse is based on 55 percent of the policyholders retired pay. However, a smaller amount may be offered. Coverage is also available for a former spouse or, if the retiree has no direct dependents, can be applied to an insurable interest such as a business partner or parent.

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How Much Will My Service Member Pay For Spousal Coverageand How Do The Premium Payments Work

Your service member will pay a premium for your coverage, which will increase as you age. Choose your age below to view current spousal coverage monthly premium rates based on the amount of insurance coverage you want.

Under 35 years

If youre signed up as a spouse in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System , well automatically deduct the FSGLI premium from your service members pay. If you arent signed up in DEERS, your service member will still be responsible for premiums and back payments of unpaid premiums.