Free basic insurance for national servicemen from 1 Jul

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) unveiled details of fully subsidised life and personal accident insurance coverage on 17 Jun for national servicemen.

The basic coverage comes in two parts: Group Term Life (GTL) and Group Personal Accident (GPA) insurance and will be given to all servicemen in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force from 1 Jul.

Under the Core Scheme of this new MINDEF & MHA Group Insurance, servicemen will receive $150,000 GTL and $150,000 GPA insurance coverage during their full-time National Service (NS) and operationally-ready NS (ORNS) duties. This initiative is one of 30 Committee to Strengthen NS recommendations accepted by the Government in 2014 to better recognise the contributions of servicemen to national defence and security.

Explaining the reason for this initiative, Director of National Service Affairs Colonel (NS) Simon Lim said: "Our national servicemen form the backbone of the SAF and perform valuable service to our nation. The provision of this GTL and GPA insurance, which is on top of our current welfare and compensation frameworks, is our way to thank them for their contributions to national defence."

Apart from national servicemen, the coverage will also be provided to regulars in MINDEF and the SAF (Military and Defence Executive Officers), as well as uniformed officers in the Home Team, during their period of employment. NS volunteers and those under the SAF Volunteer Corps, SPF Voluntary Special Constabulary and Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit are also covered under this scheme during their official duties.

Those who wish to further insure themselves outside these periods, or insure their dependants, can purchase additional coverage at competitive premiums under the Voluntary Scheme of the same plan. This scheme will be available from 1 Jul for MHA personnel and 1 Oct for MINDEF personnel.

Servicemen who are policyholders under each ministry's existing insurance scheme will have their coverage seamlessly ported over to the Voluntary Scheme. Both organisations will be working with the appointed insurance company, Aviva, to ensure the smooth transition of these schemes. Briefings and roadshows will be conducted to educate and inform the affected personnel.