| Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Benefit Changes By MilitaryConnection.com In today’s financial environment, it is important to know that there are some things you don’t have to worry about. Life insurance can provide peace of mind and be the foundation of financial security for you and your family. It can be the base upon which other insurance and investment decisions are built. So it is important to know that military life insurance has changed for dual military households. Service members married to other service members are no longer automatically enrolled in the Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance program, Pentagon officials said. Instead, Group Life Insurance for Service members covers all military members. If either member of a married couple dies, that insurance would provide payment to their beneficiary, traditionally, their spouse. The SGLI provides up to a $400,000 payment. Under the change, a military member, who is also a spouse, will no longer be enrolled in the military life insurance benefit that would pay their beneficiary $100,000 upon their death. Instead, their beneficiary would receive up to $400,000 from their Group Life Insurance for Service members. The change was effective Jan. 2, and to date, affects about 4,500 service members. There are no changes for personnel who were auto-enrolled before Jan. 2, nor are there changes for military members married to civilian spouses. Military couples who want the additional military life insurance must opt into the program by submitting the proper forms and paying a monthly premium. Forms are available at all military finance offices. For a spouse who is 35 years old, the Family SGLI premium is $5 a month. Federal law does not recognize same-sex partners as spouses, so the program does not apply those couples. However, a military member could designate their partner as their beneficiary for their military life insurance. Service members can check their coverage and their monthly premium amounts by reviewing their monthly leave and earning statements. |