Where to get more information:
• The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has information on life, home, auto, health and other types of insurance and factors to consider when shopping for policies, along with information geared toward the military. www.naic.org and www.insureuonline.org
• NAIC also has an interactive map to link you to your state's insurance regulators. Check out insurance companies to ensure they are licensed in your state and that they haven't run afoul of state regulators. These offices also often issue insurance-related advisories to consumers. www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm
• The Insurance Information Institute. www.iii.org
• Military OneSource is a Defense Department information and referral program that can help answer questions or find resources on any topic, to include life, car, homeowners and other types of insurance. www.militaryonesource.mil; 800-342-9647
Life insurance
• The Veterans Affairs Department administers the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, Family SGLI, Traumatic SGLI and Veterans' Group Life Insurance programs, and provides soup-to-nuts information on eligibility, premiums, forms and instructions for filing claims, changing coverage or beneficiaries, and other information. VA also provides an insurance needs calculator, which is being upgraded at the moment. www.insurance.va.gov
• The military has a website that will locate your nearest military legal assistance office in the continental U.S., which can help you with questions about a life insurance product and discuss whether it's in your best interests before you buy. http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php
Disability insurance
• The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has information about military disability retirement. www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/disability/disability.html
• VA publishes a guidebook on its specific disability benefits programs. www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp
• The Council for Disability Awareness provides information about reducing your chances of disability, preparing for the possibility and resources. www.disabilitycanhappen.org
• The federal government has a website with information on disability programs and services in communities across the country. www.disability.gov
Long-term care insurance
• The Federal Long Term Care Insurance program website has details on eligibility, how to determine needs and other information, including a tool to help you calculate the cost of long-term care in different areas of the country. www.ltcfeds.com 800-LTC-FEDS (800-582-3337)
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
