An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 29, 2013

Family service members group life insurance benefit changes

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON - Service members married to other service members are no longer automatically enrolled in the Family Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program, Pentagon officials said.

The change, effective Jan. 2, to date affects about 4,500 service members, Coast Guard Cmdr. Kristen Martin, who heads the Defense Department's SGLI policy office, said in an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel.

Martin emphasized that no changes have been made to the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program in which all service members are enrolled. SGLI provides up to a $400,000 payment to a service member's beneficiary, while the Family SGLI term insurance benefit provides a payment to a service member of up to $100,000 upon the death of a spouse or $10,000 for dependent children.

The Veterans Affairs Department administers the program.

There are no changes for personnel who were auto-enrolled before Jan. 2, nor are there changes for military members married to civilian spouses, Martin said.

"If you were married to another service member on Jan. 1 or before, there are no changes to your [Family SGLI] coverage," she added.

Congress recognized that most service members already have $400,000 in coverage per person, and that the beneficiary receives that money, Martin explained.

"In a member-to-member couple, spouses are no longer automatically enrolled in Family SGLI," she said. "They must now opt into the program by filling out the proper forms and submitting those for processing."

Forms are available at all military finance offices. For a spouse 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.

"A service member could, though, designate their same-sex partner as a beneficiary for their regular SGLI insurance policy," Martin said.

Dual-service-member couples should ensure the marriage is reported in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, Martin said.

"Ideally, each person in a member-to-member marriage will notate that their spouse is an active duty service member," she said. Sometimes, she noted, service members forget to do this.

Martin also urged service members to check their leave and earnings statements to ensure they are enrolled or not and that they are paying the correct premiums.

 

 

Related Articles
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army National Guard, addresses attendees of a warrant officer caucus session during the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) conference in Milwaukee, August 24, 2025. The 147th NGAUS General Conference and Exhibition – which is held annually to connect delegates from all 54 states and territories to discuss the future of the National Guard – took place August 21-25 and featured various events and social gatherings throughout Milwaukee to showcase Wisconsin’s rich history and heritage.
Searcy Leaves Legacy of Advocacy for Warrant Officers in Army Guard
By Lt. Col. Carla Raisler, | Aug. 28, 2025
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, the eighth command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, will retire later this year after more than three decades of service.Searcy marked the occasion this...

The 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company conducts training exercise, Operation Golden Corridor in Dahlonega, Georgia, August 15, 2025. Throughout the duration of the exercise, Soldiers simulated peer and near-peer electromagnetic warfare scenarios and enhance unit proficiency in spectrum mapping, RF detection, and alternative radar awareness capabilities under austere conditions.
Georgia Guard Company Leads in Electromagnetic Warfare Modernization
By | Aug. 27, 2025
DAHLONEGA, Ga. - The Georgia Army National Guard’s 111th Electromagnetic Warfare Company, based in Forest Park, Georgia, is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in the Army’s modernization efforts within the...

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy Shooting Match, August 21, 2025, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The history of the Logan Duffy Rifle Match goes back nearly 90 years to the first match, which was held in 1936.
Massachusetts, New York Guard Members Compete in Historic Logan-Duffy Rifle Competition
By Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton,   | Aug. 27, 2025
DEVENS, Mass. – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, New York Army National Guard, participated in the annual Logan-Duffy...