A rarely noticed provision contained in Section 1012 of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 109-13) will provide eligible servicemembers with $150,000 of SGLI coverage. The new benefit became effective on February 1, 2006 and is referred to as the $150,000 Combat SGLI allowance.
Allowance:
The Combat SGLI allowance may be a one-time entitlement (single month only) or a continuous entitlement (duration of deployment). The allowance is equal to the monthly cost of $150,000 SGLI coverage plus the cost of Traumatic SGLI coverage.
Eligibility:
A servicemember will be eligible for the Combat SGLI allowance under the following criteria:
- Entitled to income tax exclusion for duty in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom Theaters.
- Service outside the U.S. on orders in support of Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom.
The orders may be servicemember specific or general tasking for an entire unit. The servicemember must be outside the United States for at least part of the month (no minimum part is defined).
SGLI Election:
Servicemembers who become eligible for the Combat SGLI allowance, who previously elected $0 - $100,000 of SGLI coverage, will have their coverage automatically increased to $150,000 for the duration of their entitlement period. The servicemember's prior SGLI election will resume on the first day of the month, after the end of the servicemember's entitlement to the allowance. However, if the servicemember submits a new SGLI election (individual or family) while entitled to Combat SGLI allowance, the new election will override any prior election.
The Combat SGLI allowance will not impact married servicemember's eligibility for Family SGLI coverage. The Combat SGLI allowance will terminate on the day prior to the servicemember's permanent change of station.
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