What Kind Of Burial Insurance Can Veterans Qualify For?
Final expense insurance companies offer policies to all Americans equally. There aren’t any providers that offer “special” policies specifically for veterans.
There are two types of burial insurance that veterans or anyone else can purchase:
- Simplified issue: There is no medical exam, but there are health questions. If approved, there will be no waiting period.
- Guaranteed issue: There is no medical exam, and no health questions to answer. There will be a two-year waiting period, during which the insurer will only refund premiums if you die.
In 2023, the VA launched the Veterans Affairs Life Insurance program for veterans with disabilities who meet the specified criteria.
The VALife program is the only type of government burial insurance. It’s a guaranteed issue whole life policy available with coverage options of $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, or $40,000. Since no health questions are asked and no exam is required, there is a two-year waiting period.
If you die during the waiting period, the VA will only refund the premiums you paid. Assuming you die after two years, the VA will pay out the death benefit as a tax-free cash payment to your beneficiaries.
Whole life insurance rates never change, the policy lasts forever, and it will build cash value over time. Below are some sample prices for the VALife program.
| AGE | $10,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $15 | $31 | $62 |
| 40 | $22 | $44 | $88 |
| 50 | $33 | $65 | $130 |
| 60 | $50 | $100 | $200 |
| 70 | $78 | $156 | $312 |
| 80 | $128 | $255 | $510 |
| 90 | $217 | $434 | $868 |
| Source for monthly rates: VA Life website. All prices shown are applicable to male and females and are valid as of 09/24/2025. If it has been more than 6 months since your last birthday, the VA will consider you 1 year older when determining your premium. | |||
The VALife program from the VA is rarely the best option for veterans
Just because the VA offers a final expense policy specifically for veterans does not mean it’s the best choice. In fact, the opposite is usually true.
There are two main issues with the VALife program:
- Mandatory waiting period: A two-year waiting period is always in effect. If you die during this time, your family will only receive a refund of your premiums plus roughly 3% interest.
- Higher cost: The premiums are much higher compared to those of many other burial insurance companies available on the open market.
Now, this is not to say that there are no legitimate circumstances where this VALife program is a superior option for veterans, but it’s rarely the case.
Here are three companies that have a high chance of approving a veteran for a less expensive policy, and possibly without a waiting period.
- $10K Policy Cost $43.99/month*
- New Applicant Ages 45-80
- Death Benefit Options $2,000-$50,000
- 2-Year Waiting Period No
- $10K Policy Cost $41.01/month*
- New Applicant Ages 45-85
- Death Benefit Options $2,000-$50,000
- 2-Year Waiting Period No
- $10K Policy Cost $47.60/month*
- New Applicant Ages 40-89
- Death Benefit Options $2K-$25K
- 2-Year Waiting Period No
Health Issues Will Not Prevent Veterans From Qualifying For Final Expense Insurance
By nature, final expense life insurance policies accept applicants with a wide variety of high-risk pre-existing conditions.
Common health issues such as diabetes, COPD, kidney disease, past heart attacks or strokes, or cancer are all still eligible. Furthermore, guaranteed issue policies won’t deny anyone for any reason. Granted, those should be a last resort, but they are there in case you are unable to qualify for a simplified issue policy that does not ask about your health history.
Veterans often suffer from a host of afflictions due to their service. They can take comfort knowing that their health issues will not be a barrier to them obtaining a new final expense policy.
What Burial Benefits Are Veterans Entitled To From The VA Due To Their Service?
For anyone who served in the military, the VA guarantees certain benefits to help cover your burial expenses. All veteran funeral planning should start with seeing what you’re eligible for with the VA:
- Service-connected death: Up to $2,000 toward burial costs for deaths on or after September 11, 2001, or up to $1,500 for deaths before September 11, 2001. If the veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the cost of transporting the deceased may be reimbursed.
- Non-service-connected death: Up to $978 toward burial and funeral expenses for deaths on or after October 1, 2024, and a $978 plot-interment allowance (if not buried in a national cemetery).
In addition to the monetary benefits, the VA also offers benefits such as burial flags, memorial certificates, military honors, markers, urns, headstones, and much more.
If you’re a veteran, you can apply for these benefits directly on the VA website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Free final expense insurance is a total myth. No company offers a policy without requiring a premium. If you want any type of burial insurance, you will have to pay for it.
Any advertisement you see about “state-regulated burial insurance” is nothing more than a deceptive type of insurance marketing. If you respond to one of these ads, expect to be called endlessly by an insurance agent. They may even show up at your door. The products they would offer you are not unique and are not endorsed or subsidized by any federal, state, or local government.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 15 years of experience
- Personal annual production that puts him in the top .001% out of all life insurance agents in the nation.
Anthony Martin is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 15 years of experience and has personally served over 10,000 clients with their life insurance needs. He frequently authors entrepreneurial and life insurance content for Forbes, Inc.com, Newsweek, Kiplinger, and Entreprenuer.com. Anthony has been consulted as an expert life insurance source for dozens of high-profile websites such as Forbes, Bankrate, Reuters, Fox Business, CNBC, Investopedia, Insurance.com, Yahoo Finance, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 19 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author.
Jeff Root is a nationally licensed life insurance expert with over 19 years of experience. He has personally helped over 3000 clients with their life insurance needs. Jeff is a best-selling Amazon author and the managing partner of a highly successful insurance brokerage that manages over 2,500 licensed insurance agents across the USA. He has been a featured life insurance source for prestigious websites such as Forbes, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Nerdwallet, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 14 years of experience
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David Duford is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 14 years of experience. He has personally helped more than 15,000 clients buy life insurance. David has been featured as an expert source for highly authoritative publications such as A.M. Best and Insurancenewsnet. He also runs one of the largest Youtube channels to help aspiring insurance agents serve their clients better.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 19 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author.
Jeff Root is a nationally licensed life insurance expert with over 19 years of experience. He has personally helped over 3000 clients with their life insurance needs. Jeff is a best-selling Amazon author and the managing partner of a highly successful insurance brokerage that manages over 2,500 licensed insurance agents across the USA. He has been a featured life insurance source for prestigious websites such as Forbes, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Nerdwallet, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 14 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author of five insurance sales books.
David Duford is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 14 years of experience. He has personally helped more than 15,000 clients buy life insurance. David has been featured as an expert source for highly authoritative publications such as A.M. Best and Insurancenewsnet. He also runs one of the largest Youtube channels to help aspiring insurance agents serve their clients better.
Choice Mutual often cites third-party websites to provide context and verification for specific claims made in our work. We only link to authoritative websites that provide accurate information. You can learn more about our editorial standards, which guide our mission of delivering factual and impartial content.
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Veterans Affairs Life Insurance. https://www.va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/valife/
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VA Life website. https://www.va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/valife/
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host of afflictions. https://medlineplus.gov/veteransandmilitaryhealth.html
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VA also offers benefits. https://www.usa.gov/burial-survivor-benefits
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VA website. https://www.va.gov/burials-memorials/veterans-burial-allowance/apply-for-allowance-form-21p-530ez/introduction
