It is an incontestable fact that due to the nature of their work, the insurance needs of military personnel are significantly different from the insurance needs of the civilian population. And it is recognition of this fact the special military insurance packages were designed to adequately provide for the unique insurance needs of the military. And so phenomenal has been the growth of demand for military insurance over the years that we have come to a point in time where there are full-fledged insurance companies entirely devoted to the provision of such military insurance.



Now as more and more people come to realize the unique benefits of military insurance, eligibility issues for such military insurance ? which is also known as army insurance or forces insurance are increasingly being raised. Many people, for instance, wonder whether the family of a person in the military can take the forces insurance on the behalf of their loved one who is in patriotic duty, keeping in mind that military service tends to affect not only the people who enlist into the disciplined forces, but also the loved ones they leave at home. This fact comes to the fore in a world where the struggle for various (diminishing) natural resources means that the prospect of being called for war duty is never very far off from the minds of all people in active service, and even those in reserve service. So who exactly is eligible for army insurance, or military insurance ? if we don't want to alienate the members of the navy and the air-force?

Eligibility for forces insurance varies from provider to provider, and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but generally, any member of the armed forces in active duty or military reserve qualifies to take up military insurance, which typically covers both themselves and their loved ones. This includes people in both the serviceman and officer cadre - and not just the office cadre ? as could be wrongly assumed, where one mistakes army insurance to be an elite perk for the office cadre. The truth of the matter is that everyone in military service is exposed to some level of risk and would be well advised to take up forces insurance cover. Retired and former military personnel, too, typically qualify for military insurance too, in recognition of their distinguished service to the nation, and in appreciation of the fact that retired and former military personnel can always be recalled to active service should the need arise. Cadets in military academies, too, typically qualify for military insurance, and with some army insurance providers, all DOD (department of defense) personal are also eligible for military insurance.

And in recognition of the fact that military service tends to affect both the servicemen (or officers as the case may be) and their families, spouses, widows and children of people serving in the armed forces are also typically eligible for forces insurance.

And so, in the final analysis, almost everyone who stands to be affected by military service ? whether the serviceman or their family ? has an opportunity to access the unique benefits of military insurance.