ETS Insurance Intelligence
The five insurance decisions you'll make at ETS
Life insurance, auto, TRICARE, disability and the ETS-day checklist — what changes when you separate, which deadlines apply to you, and what to compare before you decide.
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VGLI Cost
What VGLI will cost you.
VGLI Monthly
$24
$400,000 of coverage at age 28 · $288/year at today's rate
Source: VA — VGLI options and eligibility · rates effective 2025-07-01
Compare before you decide
Private term life can cost less if you're young and healthy — get at least three quotes and compare against this number. VGLI can't turn you down if you apply within 240 days of separation.
Sources: VA — VGLI options and eligibility (as of rates effective 2025-07-01); 38 CFR 9.2(c); VA — VGLI options and eligibility (as of no-health period effective 2012-11-01)
Auto Insurance
Re-quote your auto insurance before you move.
No carrier is cheapest for everyone. Get at least three quotes for your new address before you renew, and re-quote after any move. When you compare, check:
- The same liability limits, deductibles and coverages on every quote, so the prices are comparable.
- Your new garaging address and ZIP code — premiums vary widely by location.
- Which military-specific discounts or arrangements end when you separate.
- Your vehicle, annual mileage and driving record as they will be after you move.
- Discounts you may still qualify for, such as bundling policies.
TRICARE Timeline
Your health and life coverage deadlines.
T-60 days
Pre-separation health appointments
Get everything documented. Dental, vision, mental health. Anything service-connected should be in your record before you separate.
ETS Day
SGLI extension starts, TRICARE ends
SGLI continues free for 120 days. TRICARE Prime ends today unless you qualify for TAMP — which is not automatic. TAMP covers involuntary separation, stop-loss, sole survivorship, certain reserve activations, and members joining the Selected Reserve (10 U.S.C. 1145(a)(2)). A routine voluntary ETS is not on that list. Retirees get 90 days to enrol in retiree TRICARE instead.
T+60 days
CHCBP enrolment deadline
If you did not qualify for TAMP, this is your real deadline — 60 days from losing TRICARE, and it does not reopen. CHCBP costs $2,103/quarter for an individual and gives up to 18 months of coverage for you and your family after you separate; up to 36 months for a family member who loses eligibility on their own (for example, after a divorce).
T+120 days
Free SGLI extension ends
Your 120 days of free SGLI stop here. This is NOT the VGLI deadline — you still have until day 240 to take VGLI with no health questions. But from today until you convert, you are uninsured.
T+240 days
VGLI without health questions ends
Last day to take VGLI with no proof of good health (38 CFR 9.2(c)). You can still apply after this — see below — but you must show you are insurable, and a condition picked up in service can price you out or get you declined.
T+1yr 120d
Absolute VGLI deadline
One year and 120 days from separation. This is the real lockout: after this date you cannot get VGLI at all, with or without a health exam.
Sources: 38 CFR 9.2(c); VA — VGLI options and eligibility (as of no-health period effective 2012-11-01); 10 U.S.C. 1145; TRICARE — Transitional Assistance Management Program (as of 2026); TRICARE — CHCBP costs (as of CY2026)
Disability Income Gap
The gap your employer's LTD won't cover.
Full Income$10,833/mo
Employer LTD Pays$6,000/mo
Your Gap$4,833/mo
Annual Income Gap
$58,000
Your employer's LTD covers 55% of your income — but caps at $6,000/mo. If you're disabled, you lose $4,833 every month. A supplemental individual LTD policy costs $30-80/mo and closes this gap.
ETS Insurance Checklist
Don't miss a deadline.
T-180 days
BDD window opens (180–90 days before separation)
File your VA disability claim under Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) inside this window.
T-120 days
Request your medical records from MTF
File for copies of all medical and dental records. You need these for VA claims and civilian provider continuity.
T-90 days
BDD window closes — after this, file a standard claim
A BDD claim must be filed at least 90 days before separation. Inside 90 days, file a standard VA disability claim instead.
T-90 days
Get private term life quotes
Get at least three private term quotes and compare them against your VGLI premium.
T-60 days
Line up health coverage — TRICARE ends at separation
A routine voluntary ETS does not qualify for TAMP (10 U.S.C. 1145(a)(2)), so TRICARE ends on your separation date. Have employer, marketplace or VA health care ready, or enrol in CHCBP within 60 days of losing TRICARE.
T-60 days
Shop auto insurance
Military-specific discounts and garaging arrangements can end at separation. Get at least three quotes for your new address before you renew.
T-30 days
Convert SGLI to VGLI or private term
SGLI runs free for 120 days after you separate — that is the free extension, not the conversion deadline. You have 240 days to take VGLI with no health questions (38 CFR 9.2(c)), and up to 1 year and 120 days if you can show you are insurable. If going private, apply now while you can still pass underwriting.
T-30 days
Review employer benefits package
Compare employer health insurance, life, STD/LTD, and dental to your current coverage. Identify gaps.
T-14 days
Set up VA healthcare enrollment
Register at VA.gov/health-care/apply. Priority groups determine copays and access.
ETS Day
Confirm all policies are active
Verify health, life, auto, and disability coverage is in place with no gaps.
Sources: 38 CFR 9.2(c); VA — VGLI options and eligibility (as of no-health period effective 2012-11-01); 10 U.S.C. 1145; TRICARE — Transitional Assistance Management Program (as of 2026)
Sources & limits
Educational estimate, not financial, legal or medical advice. VGLI premiums come from VA's published rate table. Verify current rates at va.gov, and get any private quote directly from the carrier.