Veteran Benefits
Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI)
If a severely disabled veteran received a grant to buy or adapt a home, VMLI makes sure that home is never lost to a mortgage after the veteran dies. It is up to $200,000 of mortgage life insurance, paid straight to the lender, with no medical exam and premiums taken out of monthly VA compensation. The catch that costs families dearly: you must apply before age 70, and many never return the paperwork.
Who this is for
If a service-connected disability qualified you for a grant to adapt your home, there is a companion benefit that makes sure your family never loses that home to the mortgage - up to $200,000 of VMLI, with no medical exam. But it must be claimed before age 70, and too many veterans never mail back the form.
In plain language
What Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) covers
- Up to $200,000 in mortgage life insurance
- Payment made directly to your mortgage lender
- No medical exam; premiums from VA compensation
- Who qualifies and the age-70 deadline
Up to $200,000
Maximum mortgage life insurance paid directly to your lender
Before age 70
The hard deadline to enroll - the chance is lost afterward
No exam
No medical exam or health questions to qualify
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click. Here is the whole story in plain language, so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- VMLI is mortgage life insurance of up to $200,000 for severely disabled veterans who received a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant - confirm current limits on va.gov.
- It pays directly to your mortgage lender when you die, so your family can keep the adapted home free of the mortgage - it is not paid to heirs as cash.
- To qualify you must have an SAH/SHA grant, hold title to the home, have a mortgage on it, and apply before your 70th birthday.
- No medical exam is required, and premiums are deducted automatically from your VA disability compensation.
- It is decreasing-term coverage - the payout shrinks as your mortgage balance drops - and it ends when the loan is paid off, the home is sold, or it stops being your primary residence.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
What VMLI is and who it is for
- VMLI is decreasing-term mortgage life insurance created specifically for severely disabled veterans who received an SAH or SHA grant to buy, build, or modify a home for independent living.
- The maximum coverage is $200,000; if your mortgage is larger, the amount above $200,000 is not covered.
- It exists so a family is not forced to sell the specially adapted home to pay off the mortgage after the veteran dies.
Eligibility and the age-70 deadline
- You must have a severe service-connected disability, an SAH or SHA grant, title to the property, and an active mortgage on it.
- You must apply before your 70th birthday - after that, enrollment is no longer possible.
- There is no medical exam or health questionnaire, which makes VMLI available to veterans who could not qualify for ordinary life insurance.
Premiums and how it pays out
- Premiums are based on your age, the current mortgage balance, and the remaining term, and are deducted automatically from your monthly VA disability compensation.
- When you die, the VA pays the remaining mortgage balance (up to $200,000) directly to the lender - not to your spouse or estate.
- Coverage ends when the mortgage is paid in full, the home is sold, or the property is no longer your primary residence.
Keeping your policy correct
- If you refinance, move to a new lender, or change your mortgage, notify the VA Insurance Center at 800-669-8477 so the payout is directed correctly.
- Review your coverage after any major change to the loan; failing to update it can jeopardize the policy.
- Confirm the current $200,000 maximum and premium details on va.gov, as the VA updates program terms periodically.
Your complete benefit picture
A paid-off home
When a severely disabled veteran with an adapted home dies, VMLI pays the remaining mortgage - up to $200,000 - straight to the lender, so the family keeps the house free and clear. Premiums come out of VA compensation and there is no health exam. Confirm current terms on va.gov.
The form that gets set aside and lost
Return the enrollment package before age 70 - the benefit does not wait
When your SAH or SHA grant is approved, the VA sends a VMLI enrollment package; complete VA Form 29-8636 with your lender, balance, and remaining term and send it back.
Enrollment ends permanently at age 70. Because there is no medical exam, VMLI is often the only affordable life insurance a severely disabled veteran can get.
It protects the house
The payout goes to the mortgage lender, not to your spouse or estate - the point is keeping the adapted home in the family.
Update after changes
Refinancing, moving, or switching lenders requires notifying the VA Insurance Center so the coverage stays valid.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
First
Confirm your grant
Verify you received an SAH or SHA grant, hold title to the home, and have an active mortgage on it.
Enroll
Return Form 29-8636
Complete the Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance Statement with your lender's name, current balance, and remaining term before your 70th birthday.
Pay
Set up premiums
Premiums are deducted automatically from your VA disability compensation - no separate bill to remember.
Maintain
Report loan changes
Call the VA Insurance Center at 800-669-8477 whenever you refinance, move, or change lenders so the payout is directed correctly.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
VA Insurance Center
VGLI, S-DVI/VALife, and VMLI life-insurance questions.
VA Home Loans & Housing Grants
Home loan guaranty and adapted-housing grants (SAH/SHA).
Rather have us handle it?
No phone tag, no hold music. Call our office and a real, VA-accredited person walks you through it - start to finish.
702-992-4883Download the forms
Not sure where to start?
If you have been approved for an SAH or SHA grant, the VA usually sends you a VMLI enrollment package automatically - complete and return VA Form 29-8636 (Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance Statement) with your lender's name, current mortgage balance, and remaining term. You must apply before your 70th birthday. If you did not receive a package or are unsure of your status, call the VA Insurance Center at 800-669-8477. If you later refinance, move, or change lenders, notify the Insurance Center so the coverage stays correct.
More benefits for veterans
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