How service-connected conditions affect life insurance underwriting
A lot of veterans assume a service-connected disability rating closes the door on private life insurance. It usually does not. The confusion comes from treating two very different measurements as if they were the same one. This page separates them, then walks through how underwriters actually handle the conditions veterans most often carry.
The VA and an insurer are measuring different things
Your VA rating measures how much a service-connected condition interferes with your ability to earn a living. That is the standard the rating system was built around.
A life insurance underwriter is measuring something else entirely: how likely it is that you die during the policy term. Employability does not answer that question. A veteran rated at 100 percent for a condition that limits work but not lifespan is a very different case, in underwriting terms, than a veteran rated at 30 percent for something progressive.
So the rating percentage is not the thing being priced. The medical facts behind it are.
One honest caveat, because you deserve it. How private insurers handle VA ratings is not well documented publicly. No carrier manual, regulator, or industry body publishes a position on it. What is consistently reported by brokers who work with veterans is what is described above: underwriters price the underlying condition, not the rating. Treat that as reported practice rather than a published rule, and ask the specific company.
Note also that applications commonly ask whether you receive disability benefits from any source, government or private. That question gets asked. The percentage attached to it is a different matter.
What an underwriter actually asks about a condition
For any diagnosis, the same five questions:
What exactly is it? The specific diagnosis, not the category.
When was it diagnosed? Recent diagnoses carry more uncertainty than long-standing stable ones.
How is it treated, and are you consistent? Regular care and consistent medication read well. Gaps read poorly.
Is it stable? This is the one that carries the most weight. A condition that has not changed in three years is priced very differently from one that changed last month.
Does it affect life expectancy, and by how much? This is the whole point of the exercise.
Notice what is missing from that list. Nothing about how the condition happened. Combat, training, or civilian life makes no difference to the pricing. The underwriter is not evaluating your service.
Common service-connected conditions
Hearing loss and tinnitus. The most common service-connected conditions among veterans, and they generally have no effect on life insurance pricing. They do not shorten life expectancy.
Musculoskeletal conditions. Back, knee, shoulder. Usually little to no effect on their own. Chronic pain treated with long-term opioid medication is a different conversation, and it is the medication history that drives it.
Sleep apnea. Very common among veterans and worth understanding. Diagnosed and treated apnea, with documented use of your equipment, is often handled at or near standard. Diagnosed and untreated is where ratings show up. If you have a machine, use it, and make sure your compliance data reflects that.
Respiratory conditions. Priced on severity, lung function results, and stability.
Diabetes. Priced on control. Your long-term blood sugar average matters more than the diagnosis. Well-controlled type 2 diabetes is routinely insurable.
PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Common, and commonly misunderstood. A diagnosis alone is not disqualifying. This has enough moving parts to need its own page: see applying with a mental health history.
Cancer history. Depends entirely on type, stage, treatment, and how long you have been clear. Many insurers apply a waiting period from the end of treatment, then underwrite normally.
What actually helps your case
Treat and document. An underwriter is not judging whether you have a condition. They are judging whether it is being managed. A file showing consistent care and stable results beats a file showing a gap, every time.
Stability over time. If your condition and treatment have not changed in two or more years, say so, and make sure the records show it. This is the strongest single argument you can make.
Pull your VA records first. Download them before you apply at va.gov/health-care/get-medical-records/. Two reasons. You will know what the underwriter sees, and you can catch errors while correcting them is still easy. Old notes, resolved conditions listed as current, and medications you stopped years ago all show up more often than you would think.
Be complete. Do not leave a condition off hoping it will not surface. It will. Prescription history, prior applications, and medical records all get checked, and a misstatement can void the policy at claim time. The full picture of what gets checked is in how underwriting works.
When VGLI is the better answer
Sometimes the honest recommendation is not a private policy.
If you apply for Veterans' Group Life Insurance within 240 days of separating, there are no health questions at all. None. For a veteran with a significant health history, that window can be worth more than any price comparison, because it prices your health at zero.
The trade-off is that VGLI premiums rise with every five-year age band, while level term holds one price for the whole term. Which one wins depends on your health and your age. Work through it in VGLI vs term life and managing VGLI premiums. If you have a service-connected rating of any percentage, including zero, also look at coverage with a VA disability rating.
The thing to avoid is letting the 240-day window close while you shop. Apply for private coverage early enough that you still have the VGLI option in your pocket if the private answer comes back rated. Deadlines are in SGLI timeline and deadlines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get private life insurance with a VA disability rating?
Usually, yes. Underwriters price the medical facts of the condition and how stable it is, not the rating percentage. Veterans with high ratings do get covered.
Does a 100 percent rating mean I will be declined?
No. A 100 percent rating reflects effect on employability, which is not what a life insurer measures. Two veterans at 100 percent can receive very different offers depending on the underlying conditions.
Will the insurer ask about my VA benefits?
Applications commonly ask whether you receive disability benefits from any source. Answer honestly. The question about benefits is separate from how the underlying condition is priced.
Does it matter how I got the condition?
No. Underwriting looks at the diagnosis, the treatment, and the stability. How the injury or illness occurred does not change the pricing.
Should I apply for VGLI or a private policy?
It depends on your health and your age. If your health history is significant, the 240-day no-health-questions VGLI window may be the stronger option. Apply for private coverage early enough that you still have both choices open.
Your next step
Take the quiz, Which Coverage Fits You? It sorts through the VA program and private policy options based on your situation. Or get the free guide, "Leaving the Service: Your Life Insurance Decision Guide".
Sources: VA, Veterans' Group Life Insurance (va.gov/life-insurance/options-eligibility/vgli/); VA, Get Your VA Medical Records (va.gov/health-care/get-medical-records/); NAIC, Model Regulation on Unfair Discrimination in Life and Health Insurance on the Basis of Physical or Mental Impairment, Model 887 (content.naic.org/sites/default/files/model-law-887.pdf). Accessed August 15, 2026.
