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A new family insurance deduction appearing on Leave and Earnings Statements could have some Soldiers scratching their heads.
Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance is a program extended to spouses and dependent children of members insured under the SGLI program.
Newlyweds find themselves automatically enrolled in Family SGLI with the deduction being listed on the pay stub. But some spouses, who are also military members with full SGLI coverage, get an additional $100,000 of life insurance for an additional $6 per month.
“Right now it’s for everybody,” explained Chief Warrant Officer Scott Weathersby, 90th Personal Services Battalion chief of military operations at Kleber Kaserne.
“When Sept. 11 happened, the Army gave everybody maximum coverage,” Chief Weathersby said. “You had a certain period of time where you could reduce coverage and get your money back. You can still reduce it now, but you can’t recoup any money if you reduce it.”
In addition, each dependent child in the family is automatically insured for $10,000 free of charge. The spousal limit cannot extend beyond the amount of coverage on the servicemember, and can be increased or decreased with a trip to the records office, he said.
To stop or change coverage servicemembers must fill out an 8286A form for his or her spouse and bring it to the Enlisted or Officer Records offices. The cutoff period each month is the 20th.”
When a servicemember gets married or has a child, this new Family SGLI deduction will appear on the LES.
“It’s always a good idea to insure your spouse,” said Sgt. Todd Marchesano, Enlisted Records NCOIC at Kleber Kaserne. “Think about it as an investment. It just makes sense to cover yourself. It doesn’t cost that much.”
