Disability and Life Insurance

Assurant automatically provides a competitive level of disability coverage to replace earnings that would otherwise be lost due to your own serious health condition, pregnancy or following a qualifying accident or injury. Assurant also automatically provides Basic Life and Basic Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance. You have the option to purchase additional Long-Term Disability coverage, life insurance protection for yourself or your dependents, as well as additional AD&D insurance for yourself. MetLife and Lincoln Financial certificates for long-term disability and life insurance benefits are available upon request via ERIN. 

Assurant automatically enrolls you and pays for Short-Term Disability Plan coverage. The Plan provides income in the event you cannot work due to illness, injury or pregnancy. Benefits begin after you have been disabled for seven consecutive calendar days and is payable for the duration approved by Lincoln Financial, the short-term disability administrator, up to a maximum of 25 weeks.

¹ Refer to the Assurant Health and Welfare Benefit Plan Summary Plan Description (SPD) for the definition of Base Pay and other Plan details.

After you’re employed with Assurant for 90 days and actively at work, all benefits-eligible employees will be eligible for up to eight weeks of Pregnancy Leave*, paid at 100%. 

You may use your available PTO to get paid during the Short-Term Disability plan’s one-week qualifying period.

If you are eligible for FMLA, any Pregnancy Leave and STD Leave will be taken concurrently with FMLA leave.

 

*Typically, Pregnancy Leave is six weeks for the birth of a child, though up to eight weeks may be approved based on any complications.

To request a leave, report intermittent FMLA usage, check on the status of a request, or to view your available leave balances, please contact Lincoln Financial, Assurant's leave administrator, at 1-800-213-1939 or submit your request online and use the code word "Assurant" to apply at mylincolnportal.com.

Your Short-Term Disability premium is fully paid by Assurant. However, you do not pay imputed income on the cost of coverage for STD coverage, though you will be taxed on the benefit when you use it.

Note: If you are enrolled in the Assurant health plan, Anthem Blue Care Consultant services provides a team of registered nurses and specialized clinicians to guide you through health programs that may offer additional support for your medical condition.

Assurant automatically enrolls you and pays for your Long-Term Disability Plan (LTD) Core coverage of 50% of your monthly Plan Pay up to $15,000 per month. The premium is added to your taxable earnings for tax purposes only. This means that, because you are taxed on the premium for this coverage, any future benefits you may receive are exempt from income taxes to the extent allowed by law. You have the opportunity to enroll in the LTD Core plus 10% buy-up option which covers 60% of your Plan Pay at the time of disability, up to $15,000. If you elect the LTD Core plus 10% buy-up option, you pay the premium for the buy-up option on an after-tax basis each pay period.

Benefits under the LTD Plan can begin after you are continuously disabled for six months and may continue as long as you are disabled under the terms of the plan. Benefits cover up to 60% of your annual plan-pay at the time of disability until you recover or, if earlier, you reach your normal retirement age (as defined by the Social Security Administration). Special rules apply if your disability begins at or after age 60 or if your disability is due to a mental or nervous condition, or substance abuse.

Newly eligible employees may elect the Long-term Disability (LTD) buy-up option for an additional 10% of coverage without providing evidence of insurability. Enrollment after 30 days of eligibility (late enrollment) or any future enrollment changes require evidence of insurability through MyHR. If your LTD election requires evidence of insurability (EOI), you will receive the required Lincoln Financial EOI form and instructions via your Assurant email address and it must be approved by Lincoln Financial before your coverage takes effect. The LTD buy-up option coverage is subject to a Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion. “Pre-Existing Condition” means a condition resulting from an injury or sickness for which the covered person is diagnosed or received treatment within six months prior to the covered person’s effective date of coverage. This policy will not cover any disability or partial disability:

• Which is caused or contributed to by, or results from, a Pre-Existing Condition; and
• Which begins in the first 12 months immediately after the covered person’s effective date of coverage.

Assurant automatically enrolls you and pays for your Basic Life Insurance coverage in the amount of one times your annual Plan Pay. A benefit is paid to your designated beneficiary upon your death. If your annual Plan Pay is greater than $50,000, you may elect coverage of either one times your Plan Pay or $50,000.

The value of Basic Life Insurance coverage greater than $50,000 is considered taxable income. Contact your financial advisor for additional details.

After your initial enrollment period, if you elect to increase your Basic Life Insurance coverage from $50,000 to one times your annual Plan Pay, you must provide a statement of health to be approved before your new election will take effect.

Assurant automatically enrolls you and pays for your Basic AD&D Insurance coverage in the amount of one times your annual Plan Pay. The maximum benefit is $1.5 million. A benefit is paid to you or your designated beneficiary if, as the result of an accident, you become dismembered (benefit is equal to all or a portion of the coverage amount) or die (benefit is equal to the full coverage amount).

In addition to your Basic Life and Basic AD&D Insurance, the following supplemental coverage options are available.