Financial assistance is available to injured servicemembers even if their injuries were not combat-related, thanks to Traumatic Injury Protection that is part of their group life insurance policy.

What if I Was Injured in a Motor Vehicle Accident While I was Off-duty on a Tuesday Night?

The Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) program provides automatic traumatic injury coverage whether you were on-duty or off-duty at the time the injury was incurred.

If I Receive Money Through TSGLI’s Traumatic Injury Coverage, Will it Affect My Other Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Disability Claims?

No. Any financial assistance you receive through TSGLI for a traumatic injury will not impact other disability claims you make through the VA.

How Much Financial Assistance is Available Through Traumatic Injury Protection?

Severely injured servicemembers may qualify for a tax-free payment between $25,000 and  $100,000.

How Do I Know if I Was Covered Through This Insurance?

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, servicemembers who meet certain criteria are automatically enrolled in Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. Traumatic Injury Protection is included as part of that coverage.

What Types of Injuries Are Eligible for Compensation?

A full list of compensable traumatic injuries is available on the VA’s website, but eligible losses include:

• Hearing loss
• Inability to speak
• Quadriplegia, paralysis of all four limbs
• Hemiplegia, paralysis of both upper and lower limbs on one side of the body
• Paraplegia, complete paralysis of both lower limbs
• Paralysis of one limb
• Severe burns
• Amputations or limb salvage in lieu of amputation
• Facial reconstruction
• Permanent or temporary vision loss that lasted at least 120 days
• Traumatic brain injuries

What Are the Eligibility Requirements for a Covered Traumatic Injury?

The Veterans Administration includes a list of requirements for eligible injuries on the VA’s website.

All of the following must apply to your situation. You must:

• Have a loss listed on the schedule that is a direct result of the traumatic injury,
• Have incurred the injury before midnight on the day of leaving the military,
• Have suffered a scheduled loss within 2 years (730 days) of the traumatic injury,
• Have survived at least seven full days from the date of the traumatic injury,
• Have been an active duty military servicemember, Reservist, a National Guard member, participating in funeral-honors duty or on one-day muster duty.

Is it Possible to Receive Retroactive Pay for a Past Injury?

Yes. Servicemembers injured between Oct. 7, 2001 and Nov. 30, 2005 who may not have been covered by the insurance policy at the time of injury may still qualify to receive financial compensation through the TSGLI program. The previous requirement that the injury must have occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom has been removed.

How Hard is it to File a Claim?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requires injured servicemembers use for SGLV 8600 to make a claim, but in 2009, a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) discovered fewer than 63 percent of all claims filed for a traumatic brain injury were approved. A lack of consistency across the branches of the U.S. military was part of the problem, according to the GAO. Some servicemembers struggle to collect and submit all of the required documentation to secure benefits. Experienced lawyers such as the law firm sponsoring this page can help qualified servicemembers receive maximum benefits.

Get Help Filing Your TSGLI Claim

If you’re a servicemember who was injured while on active duty, in the National Guard or on reserve, you may qualify for benefits through the Traumatic Protection Program through the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance.

Fill out the form on this page for more information. 

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