Home and car insurance before a military deployment

Each insurance company handles a policyholder's deployment its own way. Going over your policies with your agent before you leave keeps them in force while you're gone.

Before you go

• Check each policy's renewal date and payment termsMake sure the coverage stays in force for the whole deployment.
• Renew early or set up automatic paymentsYou may be able to renew a policy before you leave, or have the premiums paid by automatic bank draft.
• Ask what each company does for deployed policyholdersSome companies let you suspend certain coverage while you're deployed.
• Arrange for the premiums to be paid on timeA lapse in coverage of more than 30 days can mean a higher premium later.

The car

• Ask which coverages can be suspendedSome companies let you suspend some coverage while no one drives the car. Not every state or company allows it, so ask your agent what yours does.

The house

• Find the policy's vacancy clauseThe policy says how it treats a house left empty for a long time. That matters if your family moves while you're deployed.
• Know vacant from unoccupiedA vacant house has no one living in it and no furniture. An unoccupied house is furnished but has no one living in it.
• Review the homeowners policy with your agentGo over it before you leave, and ask how the company defines a vacant house.

What you take with you

• Ask how your belongings are covered while you're awayMost homeowners and renters policies exclude damage caused directly or indirectly by acts of war. Ask your agent how yours treats what you take with you.

Life and health coverage

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is a low-cost group term program. Eligible service members are signed up for it automatically through their service branch, and as of 2026 it covers up to $500,000 in $50,000 steps. You can check your coverage and change your beneficiaries online through milConnect before you leave.

On active duty for more than 30 days, you and your dependents are covered by military health care, including the TRICARE program. Ask your civilian employer's benefits administrator what happens to that plan while you're on active duty. Your military unit can tell you more about TRICARE.