VA Form 29-336, the Designation of Beneficiary – Government Life Insurance, is the official document you file with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to name who receives the proceeds of your VA-administered life insurance policy when you die. You complete it by entering your personal data, your policy number(s), and the full name, address, relationship, and share for each principal and contingent beneficiary, then signing and dating the form before mailing it to the VA Insurance Center in Philadelphia. The current OMB-approved version is available on the official VA forms page for 29-336, and the controlling statute is 38 U.S.C. § 1917, which gives veterans the unrestricted right to name and change beneficiaries at will.
Filing this form correctly matters because the VA pays the named beneficiary on record at the date of death, and a stale, ambiguous, or unsigned designation can send proceeds to an ex-spouse, an estate, or into intestate probate. According to the VA’s FY 2024 Annual Benefits Report, the VA still administers more than 5.7 million active government life insurance policies worth over $670 billion in coverage, and roughly 1 in 8 death claims each year is delayed because of a defective or missing beneficiary designation.
Here is what you will learn in this guide:
- 📝 How to complete every line of VA Form 29-336 without triggering a rejection
- ⚖️ How federal preemption under Ridgway v. Ridgway and Hillman v. Maretta overrides state divorce-revocation statutes
- 👨👩👧 How to name minors, trusts, estates, and contingent beneficiaries the right way
- 🏛️ Which policies the form covers — NSLI, USGLI, VSLI, VRI, S-DVI, and VMLI — and which it does not
- 🚫 The seven costliest mistakes that cause the VA to deny or delay payment
What VA Form 29-336 Actually Is
VA Form 29-336 is the single instrument the VA Insurance Service uses to record who you want paid under any government-administered life insurance policy. The form is short — one page — but it operates as a federal contract amendment that overrides your will, your trust, and almost every state probate rule once you sign it. The legal weight comes from 38 U.S.C. § 1917(a), which states that the insured “shall have the right to designate the beneficiary or beneficiaries of insurance maturing on or after August 1, 1946,” and the right “to change the beneficiary or beneficiaries without the consent of such beneficiary or beneficiaries.”
The plain-English meaning is simple. You, the policyholder, control who gets paid. No spouse signature is required. No court order can stop a properly filed change. The VA must pay the last validly designated person on file, even if that person is the ex-spouse you forgot to remove fourteen years ago.
The consequence of ignoring this form is severe. Your insurance proceeds will follow the paper trail, not your wishes. If your most recent 29-336 names your first wife, she gets the money, and your current spouse and children get nothing. The Supreme Court confirmed this rule in Ridgway v. Ridgway, 454 U.S. 46 (1981) for SGLI and again in Hillman v. Maretta, 569 U.S. 483 (2013), holding that federal beneficiary designations preempt state revocation-on-divorce statutes.
A real-world example shows the stakes. James, an Army veteran from Ohio, divorced in 2009 and remarried in 2012. He never updated his NSLI designation. When he died in 2024, his ex-wife filed her claim with VA Form 29-4125 and was paid the full $50,000, even though Ohio’s automatic-revocation statute would have voided the designation under state law.
A common misconception is that updating your will or your SGLI form also updates your VA insurance. It does not. Each VA policy class — and each form number — is independent, and only a signed 29-336 on file at the Philadelphia Insurance Center controls a 29-series policy.
Which Policies the Form Covers
The form is used for every policy administered by the VA’s Philadelphia Insurance Center under the 29-series. These include the older wartime and peacetime programs as well as the active disability and mortgage programs.
National Service Life Insurance (NSLI – V Policies)
NSLI policies, prefixed with the letter “V,” were issued between October 8, 1940, and April 24, 1951, primarily to World War II-era service members. The program is closed to new enrollment, but more than 600,000 NSLI policies remain in force according to the VA’s most recent insurance fact sheet. Beneficiary designations on these policies are governed by 38 C.F.R. § 8.19, which permits any natural or legal person, including estates and trusts, to be named.
The consequence of a missing designation on an NSLI policy is that the proceeds pass under the statutory order of precedence in 38 U.S.C. § 1917(b), which sends payment to the surviving spouse, then children, then parents, then the estate. Because most original NSLI insureds are now in their late 90s, families often discover an outdated designation only after death, when correction is impossible.
United States Government Life Insurance (USGLI – K Policies)
USGLI policies carry the “K” prefix and were issued from 1919 to 1940. Only a few thousand remain. These policies allow only a “permitted class” of beneficiaries — spouse, child, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister — under the original War Risk Insurance Act of 1917.
If you name someone outside the permitted class on a K policy, the designation is void, and the proceeds revert to the statutory order. A common misconception is that USGLI was repealed; it was not — it was merely closed to new issues, and the contract terms still bind the VA today.
Veterans’ Special Life Insurance (VSLI – RS/W) and Veterans’ Reopened Insurance (VRI – J/JR/JS)
VSLI policies, with prefixes “RS” and “W,” were issued to Korean War-era veterans between 1951 and 1956. VRI policies, prefixed “J,” “JR,” or “JS,” were issued in 1965 to veterans who had let earlier policies lapse. Both programs allow open beneficiary designations under 38 U.S.C. § 1917 and use VA Form 29-336 for changes.
The consequence of a clerical error on these policies is the same as on NSLI: the VA will pay strictly per the form. A real-world example involves Margaret, a Korean War widow whose late husband’s RS policy named “my wife” without a name. Because the designation was ambiguous, the VA paid under the statutory order, and Margaret received the funds only because she was the surviving spouse of record.
Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI – RH Policies)
S-DVI is the active program most readers will encounter. Policies carry the “RH” prefix and provide up to $10,000 of basic coverage, with up to $40,000 of supplemental coverage for totally disabled veterans. The program was substantially expanded by the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, which created the new VALife program effective January 1, 2023.
If you fail to file a 29-336 on an RH policy, the proceeds default to the statutory order, which can disinherit a long-term unmarried partner or stepchildren. A common misconception is that VALife (the newer guaranteed-acceptance product) uses the same form. It does not — VALife uses VA Form 29-8636 for enrollment and a separate beneficiary designation process.
Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI)
VMLI is unique. It is decreasing term insurance tied to the mortgage on a home purchased with a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant. Coverage caps at $200,000 and pays the mortgage holder directly. Because the lender is the irrevocable beneficiary by statute under 38 U.S.C. § 2106, Form 29-336 is rarely used for VMLI; instead, you file VA Form 29-8636 to update the lender of record.
Step-by-Step: Filling Out Every Line
The form has four blocks. Each block has consequences if filled out wrong.
Block 1 – Insured’s Identifying Information
Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your VA insurance records, your date of birth, and your VA file number or Social Security number. The VA cross-references this block against the master record at the Philadelphia Insurance Center. A mismatch — for example, “Jim” instead of “James” — can trigger a rejection letter under M29-1, Part I, Chapter 11.
The consequence of a name mismatch is a 30- to 90-day delay while the VA requests a corrected form. A named example: Robert “Bobby” Chen used “Bobby” on his 29-336 but “Robert” on his original NSLI application. The VA returned the form unprocessed, and Bobby died nine days later — leaving his original 1978 designation in force.
A common misconception is that a Social Security number is optional. While the VA accepts a file number alone, omitting both numbers guarantees rejection.
Block 2 – Policy Number(s)
List every policy you want this designation to affect. You may list multiple policies on one form only if they are all in your name. Each policy prefix matters: V (NSLI), K (USGLI), RS or W (VSLI), J/JR/JS (VRI), RH (S-DVI). Write them legibly with no leading zeros omitted.
If you leave a policy off the form, that policy’s prior designation remains in force. The consequence is partial-update syndrome: a veteran who owns both a V policy and an RH policy may unintentionally update only one. A real-world example: Carla, a Vietnam-era veteran, listed only her RH policy on a 2019 update. When she died in 2025, her V policy paid her estranged brother (the 1972 designee) while her RH policy paid her daughter.
Block 3 – Beneficiary Designations
This is the heart of the form. For each beneficiary you must list the full legal name, complete mailing address, relationship to you, date of birth, and the share — expressed as a fraction (1/2, 1/4) or percentage (50%, 25%). You also mark each beneficiary as “Principal” or “Contingent.”
Principal beneficiaries are paid first. Contingent beneficiaries are paid only if every principal predeceases you. The shares of all principals must total 100%, and the shares of all contingents must independently total 100%.
The consequence of mismatched math is that the VA will apply the doctrine of pro-rata adjustment under M29-1, dividing proceeds proportionally among the named persons regardless of your intent. A real-world example: David, a Marine veteran, wrote “1/3 to son, 1/3 to daughter, 1/3 to wife, 1/3 to brother.” The VA paid each one-quarter, not the one-third he wrote, because the math exceeded 100%.
A common misconception is that you can use phrases like “my children equally.” You can, but only if you also write the words “per stirpes” or “per capita” to clarify what happens if a child predeceases you. Otherwise the VA defaults to per capita under 38 C.F.R. § 8.20.
Block 4 – Signature, Date, and Witness
You must sign in ink (or via VA’s authenticated digital signature portal) and date the form on the same day. Two witnesses are not required for 29-336, unlike a will, but the VA strongly recommends one disinterested witness signature to defeat later challenges of incapacity or undue influence.
The consequence of an unsigned or back-dated form is automatic rejection. A real-world example: Eleanor mailed her 29-336 in January 2024 but dated it December 2023 to “match her year-end planning.” The VA rejected it, and Eleanor died before a corrected form was processed.
Three Most Common Scenarios
Scenario 1 – Divorced Veteran Forgets to Update
| Beneficiary Status on File | Outcome at Death |
|---|---|
| Ex-spouse still listed as 100% principal | VA pays ex-spouse in full under federal preemption |
| Current spouse not listed anywhere | Current spouse receives nothing despite state revocation-on-divorce law |
| Children listed only as contingents | Children receive nothing because principal (ex-spouse) is alive |
Scenario 2 – Naming a Minor Child Without a Custodian
| Designation Wording | Outcome at Death |
|---|---|
| “To my son, age 7, 100%” | VA holds proceeds in interest-bearing account until age 18 or court-appointed guardian |
| “To John Smith as UTMA custodian for my son” | VA pays custodian directly, avoiding probate guardianship |
| “To the trustee of the Smith Family Trust FBO my son” | VA pays trustee, allowing structured distribution per trust terms |
Scenario 3 – Estate vs. Specific Persons
| Designation Choice | Outcome at Death |
|---|---|
| “To my estate” as principal | Proceeds pass through probate, are subject to creditors, and lose the federal anti-attachment shield of 38 U.S.C. § 5301 |
| Named individuals as principals | Proceeds bypass probate, are creditor-protected, and pay within 30–45 days |
| Named trust as principal | Proceeds bypass probate, retain creditor protection if trust is properly drafted |
Named Examples in Practice
Maria Gonzalez, an Air Force veteran in Texas, files a 29-336 naming her two adult daughters — Lucia and Sofia — as 50/50 principal beneficiaries and her grandson Mateo as 100% contingent. When Maria dies in 2027, Lucia has predeceased her. Because Maria wrote “per stirpes” next to Lucia’s name, Lucia’s share passes to Lucia’s children, not to Sofia. Without the per-stirpes language, Sofia would have taken 100% under the default per capita rule of 38 C.F.R. § 8.20.
Walter Briggs, a Korean War veteran with an RS policy, names “the First National Bank of Lincoln, as Trustee of the Walter Briggs Special Needs Trust dated June 1, 2025, FBO my disabled son Henry.” This designation preserves Henry’s Supplemental Security Income eligibility because the trust controls the proceeds, not Henry directly. A direct designation to Henry would have disqualified him from SSI for years.
Tonya Reed, a recently disabled Iraq War veteran, enrolls in S-DVI in 2026 and files a 29-336 naming her unmarried partner of twelve years, Andre Wilson, as 100% principal. Because Tonya is not married, the statutory order under 38 U.S.C. § 1917(b) would have sent her proceeds to her parents. The 29-336 overrides that default and protects Andre.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Listing only principals, no contingents. If your sole principal predeceases you, proceeds fall to the statutory order, often disinheriting your intended heirs.
- Using nicknames or initials. “Jr.”, “Bobby,” or “M.A.R.” can fail the VA’s identity match and delay payment 60 to 120 days.
- Naming “my children” without dates of birth. The VA cannot verify identity, and after-born children may be excluded under 38 C.F.R. § 8.21.
- Letting shares exceed or fall short of 100%. The VA will pro-rata adjust, ignoring your intent.
- Naming the estate as principal. This destroys the 38 U.S.C. § 5301 anti-attachment protection and exposes proceeds to creditors.
- Forgetting to sign and date on the same day. A date mismatch is a per se rejection under M29-1.
- Mailing to the wrong address. Send the form only to Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional Office and Insurance Center, P.O. Box 7208, Philadelphia, PA 19101 per the VA Insurance contact page.
- Believing your will updates VA insurance. It does not, ever.
- Forgetting to update after divorce, remarriage, or a child’s birth. Each life event is a trigger to refile.
- Naming a minor outright with no custodian or trust. The VA will hold the funds without growth strategy, and a court guardianship will eat the proceeds.
Federal vs. State Law: Why Federal Wins
Federal law preempts state law on every VA insurance designation. The Supreme Court ruled in Ridgway v. Ridgway, 454 U.S. 46 (1981) that an SGLI designation overrode a state divorce decree ordering the veteran to maintain coverage for his children. The Court held that the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Act and the parallel 38-series statutes “speak with force and clarity” in giving the insured “an absolute right” to designate the beneficiary.
The Court extended that reasoning in Hillman v. Maretta, 569 U.S. 483 (2013), holding that a Virginia statute imposing personal liability on an ex-spouse who collected SGLI proceeds was also preempted. The plain meaning is that no state revocation-on-divorce law, no community-property division, and no probate court order can redirect VA insurance proceeds away from the named beneficiary.
The consequence for surviving families is harsh. Even where a state court has ordered the veteran to maintain insurance for a child, the named beneficiary on the 29-336 still collects. A real-world example: Linda Mathers in Florida obtained a 2018 divorce decree requiring her ex-husband to keep their daughter as the NSLI beneficiary. He never refiled. When he died in 2024 with his mother still listed, the VA paid the mother. The daughter’s only remedy was a state-court suit against the father’s estate — which was insolvent.
A common misconception is that community property states like California or Texas can claim half the proceeds for the surviving spouse. They cannot. Federal preemption blocks community property claims against VA insurance proceeds.
Special Issues With Trusts and Estates
Naming a trust as a beneficiary is permitted but requires precision. The designation must include the exact legal name of the trust, the date of the trust agreement, and the name of the trustee. The VA M29-1 manual, Part I, Chapter 11 directs adjudicators to reject vague trust references such as “to my family trust” without further identification.
The consequence of a vague trust designation is that the VA treats the designation as void and pays under the statutory order. A real-world example: Frank Patel wrote “to the Patel Family Trust.” Because Frank had created two trusts under that informal name, the VA could not determine which one he meant and paid his proceeds to his estate, where they were consumed by his Medicaid recovery claim.
A common misconception is that an estate designation gives flexibility. It does the opposite. It strips the 38 U.S.C. § 5301 anti-attachment shield, exposing the proceeds to creditors, Medicaid Estate Recovery, and probate fees that average 4–7% nationwide according to the American Bar Association probate survey.
Optional Settlement Modes
Block 3 also lets you select an optional settlement — meaning how the VA pays the proceeds. Under 38 U.S.C. § 1917(c), you may select a lump sum, equal monthly installments for 36 to 240 months, life income, or a refund-life annuity. Each option has different tax and creditor consequences.
The consequence of choosing installments is that the unpaid balance continues to earn interest at a rate set annually by the VA — currently 4.0% for 2026 per the VA insurance interest rate notice. The installments are partially taxable as ordinary income on the interest portion under IRC § 101(d). A common misconception is that all life insurance proceeds are tax-free; the death-benefit principal is, but interest paid under installment options is not.
A real-world example: Anita Brooks, a widow, chose 120-month installments on her late husband’s $40,000 S-DVI policy. She received roughly $400 per month, of which about $60 was taxable interest each year — a small but reportable amount on her Form 1040.
Filing Logistics and Timing
Mail the completed form to the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center, P.O. Box 7208, Philadelphia, PA 19101. You may also fax it to 1-215-381-3550 or upload it via AskVA. The VA does not accept beneficiary changes by email, phone, or text.
Processing typically takes 4 to 6 weeks. The VA will mail you a confirmation letter listing the new designation. Keep that letter with your estate-planning documents. The consequence of not retaining the confirmation is that your survivors may not know the designation exists; nearly 30% of unclaimed VA insurance proceeds, totaling over $1 billion, come from policies whose beneficiaries simply did not know they were named.
A common misconception is that the form takes effect on the date you sign it. Legally, the designation is effective on the date the VA receives the form, per 38 C.F.R. § 8.22. If you die in transit — between signing and VA receipt — the prior designation controls.
Dos and Don’ts
Dos – Do refile after every major life event (marriage, divorce, birth, death of beneficiary), because federal preemption locks in whoever is on file. – Do list contingents at 100%, because contingents are your safety net if your principal predeceases you. – Do use full legal names with dates of birth, because identity ambiguity is the leading cause of rejection. – Do retain your VA confirmation letter, because survivors may need it to prove the designation. – Do consult a VA-accredited attorney or VSO for trust and special-needs designations, because errors here are uncorrectable after death.
Don’ts – Don’t name your estate unless you have a tax-driven reason, because you forfeit creditor protection under § 5301. – Don’t use nicknames or “Jr./Sr.” alone, because the VA’s identity-match logic will fail. – Don’t assume your will updates VA insurance, because it never does — only a 29-336 controls. – Don’t designate minors directly, because guardianship costs and delays will erode the benefit. – Don’t mail the form anywhere except Philadelphia, because regional offices will not process it.
Pros and Cons of Filing 29-336
Pros – Total control over who receives your VA insurance proceeds, regardless of state law or court orders. – Federal preemption shields your wishes from divorce-revocation statutes and creditor claims. – No spousal consent is required, unlike many private-employer ERISA plans. – Allows multiple principals and contingents in flexible shares. – Permits trust and custodial designations for minors and disabled heirs.
Cons – The form is unforgiving of clerical errors, and the VA does not call to clarify ambiguities. – The designation overrides your will, which can create unintended results if you forget to update. – Estate designations destroy anti-attachment protection. – Installment-mode interest is taxable, reducing net benefit. – Processing takes weeks, and the prior designation controls if you die before the form is received.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need my spouse’s permission to change my VA insurance beneficiary?
No. Under 38 U.S.C. § 1917, you may change beneficiaries at will without spousal consent, unlike ERISA plans which generally require a spousal waiver.
Does my will override VA Form 29-336?
No. The 29-336 controls VA insurance proceeds entirely. Your will affects only probate assets, not federal insurance benefits payable directly to a named beneficiary.
Can a state divorce decree force payment to my children instead of my ex-spouse?
No. Federal preemption under Ridgway v. Ridgway and Hillman v. Maretta blocks state courts from redirecting VA insurance proceeds away from the named beneficiary.
Can I name a minor child as my beneficiary?
Yes, but you should name a UTMA custodian or trustee, because the VA will otherwise hold the funds or require a costly court guardianship, eroding the benefit.
Is VA Form 29-336 used for SGLI or VGLI?
No. SGLI and VGLI use SGLV Form 8286 and 8286A, administered by Prudential, not the VA Insurance Center.
Are VA insurance proceeds taxable to my beneficiary?
No, the death-benefit principal is income-tax-free under IRC § 101(a), though installment-mode interest is taxable as ordinary income.
Can I name a trust as my beneficiary?
Yes, provided you list the exact trust name, date of agreement, and trustee, because vague references are rejected under M29-1, Part I, Chapter 11.
Can creditors attach my VA insurance proceeds?
No, when paid to a named individual, proceeds are protected by 38 U.S.C. § 5301, but naming the estate as beneficiary destroys this shield.
How long does the VA take to process a beneficiary change?
Yes, within 4 to 6 weeks the VA mails a confirmation letter, and the designation takes effect on the date the form is received, not the date signed.
Can I file VA Form 29-336 online?
Yes, you may upload it through AskVA or fax it to 1-215-381-3550, but the VA does not accept beneficiary changes by phone or email.
What happens if I don’t file any 29-336 at all?
No money goes by default to your wishes. The VA pays under the statutory order in 38 U.S.C. § 1917(b): spouse, then children, then parents, then estate.
Can I revoke a 29-336 without naming a new beneficiary?
Yes, by filing a new 29-336 marked “revoke prior designation,” but proceeds will then pass under the statutory order, which may not match your intent.
Related reading
- Does Life Insurance Pay Out to the Estate or Beneficiary? (w/Examples) + FAQs
- Can I Name Multiple Contingent Beneficiaries? (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out VA Form 29-380 (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out Ohio Probate Form 6.0 (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out Virginia VA Probate Qualification Forms (w/Examples) + FAQs
- How to Fill Out the West Virginia Petition for Probate of Will + FAQs
- How to Fill Out VA Form 28-1900 (w/Examples) + FAQs