The Balance Between Incentivizing Death and Saving the Lives of Veterans, as Hundreds of Millions Are Paid Out to Families for Their Loss

When veterans take their own lives, their families may receive financial support if the veteran was covered by Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI).

The real question isn’t whether families should receive these payments, but rather if more could be done to prevent such tragic losses without encouraging financial motives.

It’s a delicate balance to strike, and it’s an issue that deserves careful, thoughtful consideration.

A recent article from The Gateway Pundit highlighted a question posed by the Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) program, which has raised concerns for Sonny Fleeman, a combat veteran and federal whistleblower. That is, “Is there a suicide exclusion?”

The response is, “No—claims related to suicide are not excluded.” For this reason, Fleeman contended that this might incentivize veterans to take their own lives in order to secure financial benefits for their families.

The combat veteran is not suggesting that the families of service members should be denied this financial benefit. What he previously expressed is that “the current design quietly weaponizes despair in a population already on the edge.”

His primary desire is for veterans to prioritize seeking help for their conditions rather than focusing on financial rewards for their families.

On October 28, 2025, Fleeman submitted a Freedom of Information Act request concerning VGLI death claims, suicides, and payout data. Once considered “not public interest,” the results are now in.

“Based on VA’s own totals from 1999 to 2023, 2,602 suicide-classified death claims out of 66,593 total claims—about 4%, or roughly one out of every 25—show that suicide is a meaningful and recurring share of VGLI payouts,” Fleeman told The Gateway Pundit.

“From 2004 to 2023,” he said, “those suicide-related claims accounted for more than $370 million, averaging tens of millions of dollars each year.”

The federal whistleblower emphasized that the dataset alone cannot determine whether VGLI’s experience is typical or uniquely elevated compared to private sector group life insurance.

“That requires apples-to-apples actuarial benchmarks—age and risk adjustments and comparable cause-of-death definitions—that aren’t publicly available to my knowledge,” he explained.

“Given that VGLI serves a known high-risk population and has no suicide exclusion,” Fleeman argued, “it’s reasonable to suspect the suicide share may be elevated, but confirming that is beyond me and requires independent benchmarking against private sector.”

Ultimately, he stated, it is “essential to find a solution” that prevents veterans from feeling as though the message conveyed by the policy is: “The only way to support your family is through your death.”

“Although families are entitled to the compensation, we need to find a better method to prevent some veterans from feeling that this is their only option,” Fleeman stated.

Fleeman spoke in his personal capacity. His views do not represent the views or official positions of the U.S. Government, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States military, or any organization with which he is or has been affiliated.

 

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