Benefits | Insurance After the Military

The military provides its service members with all forms of insurance. The insurance that most of us are concerned with is health insurance. So what happens to your health benefits after you leave the military? The military will cover your health benefits while you are an active member of the service. If you retire from the military and are under 65 years old, the military will continue to cover health benefits for you and your family members. If you are leaving the military, how long the military maintains your health coverage will depend on how you leave the military. If you voluntarily separate from the military, you and your family will not be covered by the military's health care plan. However, you can purchase a transitional health care plan that will cover you and your family for up to 18 months after your military separation. If you are leaving under eligible involuntary separation, you and your family are able to use military treatment facilities for anywhere between 60 to 120 days following involuntary separation. At the end of this time period, you must make your own arrangements for you and your family's health insurance. Your Veterans Group Life Insurance will continue to cover you for the first 120 days after your separation, just as if you are still in uniform. At the end of the 120 days, you must make your own arrangements for life insurance. Like your health and life insurance benefits, all other forms of insurance covered by the military will expire upon separation from the military.