How to Update Your SGLI Coverage

Throughout your military career, your life will likely change in ways that affect your life insurance needs. Marriage, starting a family, divorce, a Permanent Change of Station (PCS), deployment, and changes in your financial responsibilities are all reasons to review your Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage and ensure it remains enough to cover your needs.

Keeping your SGLI information current also helps your beneficiaries receive the intended benefits when they need them most. By understanding when and how to update your coverage, you can make sure your life insurance reflects your current circumstances and financial responsibilities.

What Is SGLI?

SGLI is a low-cost term life insurance program available to eligible servicemembers, including those serving in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and certain other uniformed services. During Active Duty, SGLI provides financial protection for your designated beneficiaries if you pass away.

Eligible servicemembers may receive up to $500,000 in SGLI coverage, in $50,000 increments. Premiums are calculated based on the amount of coverage selected and are automatically deducted from your pay. The current premium rate is $0.05 per $1,000 of coverage

SGLI is designed to provide affordable protection during your military service, but your coverage details, including your beneficiary information and coverage amount, must remain up to date, so your benefits go to the people you intend to support.

Additional Coverage Options: FSGLI and TSGLI

When you have SGLI, you may also have access to additional government-provided life insurance benefits. These include Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI) and Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI).

Family SGLI

FSGLI provides life insurance coverage for eligible spouses and dependent children of covered servicemembers. Spouses may receive up to $100,000 in coverage, although the amount may not exceed the servicemember’s SGLI coverage amount. Dependent children receive $10,000 in coverage at no additional cost.

Traumatic SGLI

TSGLI provides short-term financial support to servicemembers who experience a qualifying traumatic injury. This benefit is designed to help with expenses during recovery, such as those related to medical care, rehabilitation, or adapting to changes after a serious injury.

TSGLI coverage is automatically included with SGLI, and the premium is deducted from your pay.

Life Events That Require an SGLI Update

Certain life events may affect who you want to protect through your SGLI coverage. When these changes happen, review your beneficiary designations and coverage details to make sure they still match your needs.

Common reasons to update your SGLI include:

• Marriage
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Divorce
• Other dependency changes, such as when a child no longer meets SGLI eligibility requirements
• Change of beneficiary
• Change in your health status
• Deployment or PCS

Not every life change requires a new beneficiary designation, but major transitions offer a good opportunity to review and confirm your information is accurate.

How to Update Your SGLI: Step-by-Step

Updating your SGLI is a straightforward process that you can complete through the SGLI Online Enrollment System (SOES), available through milConnect. Follow these steps to review or update your coverage information.

1. Access milConnect and SOES

First, access milConnect and sign in using your Common Access Card (CAC) or DS Logon credentials. From there, select the SGLI Online Enrollment System (SOES) option to review your coverage.

2. Review Your Current Information

Before making updates, take a look at your existing SGLI information and confirm that your coverage amount, beneficiary designations, and personal details still make sense for what your life currently looks like.

Take time to verify that names, relationships, and benefit percentages are correct to help prevent issues if a claim needs to be filed in the future.

3. Update Your Personal Information

If your marital status or contact information has changed, follow the prompts within SOES to make the appropriate adjustments to your account. Provide any required documentation if requested.

4. Add or Change Your SGLI Beneficiaries

If you need to add or change beneficiaries, provide the required information for each person you designate, including their full name, relationship to you, and the percentage of benefits you would like them to receive.

5. Confirm All Changes

After making updates, take a final look at all information before submitting your changes to ensure it’s accurate. Once you finalize your updates, keep a record of your changes for your personal files.

How Often Should You Review SGLI?

It’s a good idea to regularly remind yourself what you have on file in your SGLI account, even if you haven’t experienced a major life event. At least once a year, take a look to see if there is any outdated information, beneficiaries, or coverage amount.

However, you should avoid making unnecessary changes too frequently, as it may cause confusion and make it harder to track your current selections. Plan to update your SGLI only when your circumstances or wishes change.

What Happens to SGLI When You Separate or Retire?

SGLI coverage is designed to protect you while you’re serving. When you separate from the military or retire, your SGLI coverage ends.

After separation, you may be eligible to convert your SGLI coverage to Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI). VGLI provides renewable term life insurance coverage for eligible Veterans, and you typically have 120 days (approximately four months) after separation to apply for VGLI without providing proof of good health.

If you apply after the 120-day period, you may need to provide evidence of good health, depending on when you apply and your eligibility. The option to convert SGLI to VGLI or another commercial policy ends one year and 120 days after your separation date.

Is SGLI Enough Coverage?

SGLI provides important protection for eligible servicemembers, but the maximum $500,000 coverage may not cover every financial need. As your responsibilities grow, especially if you have a spouse, children, a mortgage, or other long-term financial obligations, it’s important to maintain enough protection that can help ensure your loved ones maintain their lifestyle or can pursue higher education or other dreams, if something were to happen to you.

Because SGLI coverage lasts only as long as your military service, it’s important to explore additional options that provide long-term protection, from VGLI to private life insurance coverage designed to supplement your existing benefits and provide greater financial security than SGLI alone. Review your needs before separation or retirement so you can make informed decisions about protecting yourself and your loved ones.

Understand Your Insurance Options with Armed Forces Mutual

When SGLI coverage isn’t enough, even after updating your policy, Armed Forces Mutual offers many life insurance policy options for servicemembers, Veterans, and military families. If you’re unsure about the level of coverage you need, use our military life insurance needs calculator to help you determine the right amount.

Learn more about our Member benefits and how we can help you and your family remain financially secure during and after military service.