Life Insurance

Your Life Insurance benefits are designed to provide financial security for your survivors in the event of your death.

Highlights

Your Benefits …

                   
… Provide Security for Your Family Through Basic Life Coverage
Your basic life insurance coverage pays a benefit of two times your Pay before age 65 to your beneficiary in case of your death from any cause. You and the Company share the cost of this coverage. At age 65, your coverage is reduced.

… Offer the Opportunity for Added Protection Through Supplemental, Spouse and Dependent Life Coverage
Supplemental life insurance coverage provides greater security for your beneficiary in case of your death from any cause.

What happens to your benefits when ...
For more information about what happens to your life insurance benefits when certain changes or events occur, see “How Changes Affect Your Benefits” in the “About Your Benefits” section.

Basic Life Insurance

While you were actively employed, basic life insurance coverage of at least two times your pay was available on an optional contributory basis. If you continue this coverage at retirement, it pays benefits to your beneficiary in the event of your death from any cause while you are insured.

If You Retired Before Age 65
If you retired before age 65, were eligible for an immediate pension benefit, and had basic life insurance coverage for at least one year immediately preceding retirement, you had these options:

  • continue your full basic life insurance amount until age 65 by continuing to make your regular premium payments

    or

  • take the reduced basic life insurance amount (as described under “If You Retired At Age 65 or After”) immediately at no cost to you.

When you reach age 65, your life insurance will be reduced.

If You Retired At Age 65 or After
If you retired at age 65 or after, a reduced amount of basic life insurance coverage will continue for the rest of your life provided you had basic life insurance coverage for at least one year immediately preceding retirement. This reduced coverage is currently provided at no cost to you.  Any difference between what was covered during active service and the basic life insurance reduced amount can be converted to an individual policy within 30 days from the date benefits were reduced by contacting any MetLife representative or by calling 1-877-275-6387 for the office nearest to you.

The term “Pay” is defined in the Glossary.
If you had basic life insurance coverage for at least one year but less than five years immediately preceding your retirement, your reduced insurance will be $625.

If you had basic life insurance coverage for at least five years immediately preceding your retirement, the amount of your reduced insurance will be the greater of:

  • 1% of your basic life insurance amount just before retirement times your years of service (including any fraction of a year), plus $500, with a minimum of $2,500 or 25% of your basic life insurance just before retirement, up to a maximum of $10,000

    or

  • 20% of your basic life insurance just before retirement.

If you retired after age 65, the amount of your reduced life insurance will be calculated using the amount of your basic life insurance in force at age 65.

Payment of Benefits


Basic and Supplemental Life death proceeds are deposited into a Total Control Account (TCA) Money Market Option. Interest is paid on the fund from the date of death.


The beneficiary can choose among other long term settlement options at any time including:

  • guaranteed interest certificates, (6 months – 7 years)
  • annuity options, which provide a guaranteed income for life.

Supplemental Life Insurance

While you were an active employee, supplemental life insurance coverage of at least one times your pay was available on an optional contributory basis. Salaried employees who retired prior to 2-1-2001 and hourly employees who retired prior to 8-1-2001 were eligible to continue coverage as described below.

If you retired before age 65 prior to 2-1-2001 for salaried employees, or prior to 8-1-2001 for hourly employees and:

  • you were eligible for an immediate pension benefit

and

  • you had supplemental life insurance coverage for at least one year immediately preceding retirement.

You had the following options:

  • continue your supplemental life insurance amount until age 65 by continuing to make your regular premium payments. After age 65, any difference between what was covered during active service and the reduced amount can be converted to an individual policy within 30 days from the date benefits were reduced by contacting any MetLife representative or by calling  1-877-275-6387 for the nearest office

or

  • take the reduced supplemental life insurance amount immediately at no cost to you.

Benefit Amounts

For salaried employees retiring after 2-1-2001 and hourly employees retiring after 8-1-2001


During Retirement — At Any Age
Your supplemental life insurance coverage terminates unless you convert it to an individual policy. Refer to “Conversion Privileges” at the end of this section if you would like to convert to an individual policy.

 

If you retired at age 65 or later prior to 2-1-2001 for salaried employees, or prior to 8-1-2001 for hourly employees

A reduced amount of supplemental life insurance coverage will continue for the rest of your life at no cost to you. The amount of coverage is based on your years of plan participation as shown in the chart below:

Years of Plan Participation Prior to Retirement

Insurance Amount

Less than one year

$0

One year but less than five years

$312 supplemental life insurance

Five or more years

The greater of (a) or (b):

(a) 1% of your supplemental life insurance amount just before retirement*times your years of service (including any fraction of a year) plus $250 supplemental (minimum: $1,250)or 12.5% of your supplemental life insurance just before retirement* (up to a maximum of $5,000)


or


(b) 10% of your supplemental life insurance just before retirement.*

*  If you retired after age 65, the amount of your reduced life insurance will be calculated using the amount of your supplemental life insurance at age 65.

Any difference between what was covered during active service and the reduced amount can be converted to an individual policy within 30 days from the date benefits were reduced by contacting any MetLife representative or by calling 1-877-275-6387 for the nearest office.

Other Important Information

The following information applies to your life insurance benefits.

Naming Your Beneficiary
You may name anyone as your beneficiary and you may change your beneficiary designation at any time by completing the appropriate form available from the Benefit Plans Office. Forms are also available on the forms web page. The beneficiary you name for basic life insurance benefits will automatically be your beneficiary for supplemental life, unless you elect otherwise in writing.

If you do not designate a beneficiary, basic and supplemental life insurance benefits will be paid to your estate.

Tax Consequences
Under current tax law, employer-paid insurance coverage in excess of $50,000 may result in additional taxable income for federal income and FICA tax purposes. This additional taxable income, called imputed income, is reported on your W-2 earnings statement as “other income.”

Claiming Benefits

You or your beneficiary must file a claim with the Benefit Plans Office in order to receive any life insurance benefits. By contacting the Benefit Plans Office, you or your beneficiary will receive the neessary forms, as well as instructions and assistance in filing forms.

Living Benefit


If you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, with six months or less to live, and have at least $10,000 of life insurance (basic and supplemental coverage combined), you may make a one-time request to receive a portion of your life insurance benefit before you die. You must furnish satisfactory proof of your illness to the insurance company before any benefits can be paid.

You may receive up to 50% of the amount of your basic and supplemental life insurance coverage, with a maximum living benefit of $250,000 of your basic life insurance coverage and $250,000 of your supplemental life insurance coverage. Benefits will be paid in a lump sum.

Living benefit payments may be taxable and may affect your eligibility for certain government benefits, such as Medicaid. In addition, the amount of benefits payable to your beneficiary upon your death will be reduced by the amount of the living benefit you receive.

If you wish to apply for a living benefit, please contact the Benefit Plans Office for forms and instructions.

When Coverage Ends
Basic life insurance and supplemental life insurance coverage end on the earliest of the following dates:

  • the last day of the month for which your last contribution was made if you fail to make any required contribution
  • when you are no longer eligible
  • when you die
  • the date the plan is terminated.

If you should die within the 30-day period after your coverage terminates, basic life insurance and supplemental life insurance benefits will be paid.

Conversion Privileges
Within 30 days after your basic life insurance and supplemental life insurance terminate, you may convert all or part of these coverages to individual insurance policies without taking medical examination. The cost for individual coverage will be based on the insurance company’s regular premium rates for the type and amount of insurance available to you through the conversion privilege.

If your basic life insurance coverage is reduced at retirement, you will also have an opportunity to convert the amount of discontinued insurance to an individual policy within 30 days after the reduction without taking a medical examination.

If your life insurance coverages terminate, you may contact the Benefit Plans Office to request conversion information.

Administrative Information
Information about the administration of your life and accident insurance benefits can be found in the section entitled “Administrative Information.”