Life Insurance Coverage

Supplemental Life Insurance allows you to buy additional life insurance above your Basic Life coverage, at a low group premium. With Supplemental Life Insurance, you can choose to increase your current life insurance benefit in increments of $10,000. Premiums are based on age and pay schedule and are available for purchase in $10,000 increments up to a maximum of $500,000. When purchasing Supplemental Life Insurance, evidence of insurability will be required if purchasing more than $20,000. Proof of good health may be required, and your premiums will be deducted from your paycheck on a post-tax basis. Note: If you have been previously denied coverage, you will need to complete the Evidence of Insurability [PDF] process before being approved for any increase in coverage.

You can only enroll in Supplemental Life Insurance every year during open enrollment. Once you enroll in Supplemental Life Insurance, your coverage remains the same from year to year unless you change it. You may increase, decrease or discontinue your coverage every year during open enrollment. You may change your coverage during the year if necessary due to a change in family status such as marriage, divorce or adoption. In these cases, contact the Benefits Office for enrollment information.

Supplemental Life Insurance is eligible for accelerated benefits. This means you can collect a percentage of your benefit if you are deemed to be terminally ill with twelve months or fewer to live as indicated by a physician. Your Supplemental Life Insurance has no savings or cash-value benefit. The supplemental life plan does contain some exclusions, such as limits to when benefits are payable due to a suicide.

Dependent Life Insurance

With Dependent Life Insurance, you may choose to cover your spouse and children at a low, group premium. Premiums for Dependent Life are blended, meaning you pay one flat premium regardless of the number of family members you cover. There are three levels of Dependent Life from which to choose:

• Option 1: $5,000 of coverage for your spouse with $2,000 of coverage for each child, or
• Option 2: $10,000 of coverage for your spouse with $5,000 of coverage for each child, or
• Option 3: $20,000 of coverage for your spouse with $10,000 for each child

Individuals eligible for Dependent Life Insurance are your:

• Spouse or Domestic Partner
• Unmarried Children, from live birth to the attainment of age 26. Coverage may be extended for children who are physically or mentally incapable of self-support. See plan certificate for details.  

You must notify the university when a dependent is no longer eligible for coverage. All premiums paid for dependents who are no longer eligible for coverage will be refunded without any payment of a life insurance benefit.

Once you enroll in Dependent Life Insurance, your coverage remains the same from year to year unless you change it. You may increase, decrease or discontinue your coverage every year during open enrollment. You may change your coverage during the year if necessary due to a change in family status such as marriage, divorce or adoption. In these cases, contact the Benefits Office for enrollment information.

When you enroll in Dependent Life Insurance, you automatically become the beneficiary. Dependent Life Insurance is not eligible for accelerated benefits, nor does it have any savings or cash-value benefit.

Beneficiaries

Life insurance beneficiaries may be updated at any time using MPI: Benefits Self Service. A beneficiary can be any individual(s). NOTE: You may also name trusts, estates or other non-individuals, as well as individuals for which you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN), however, these must be documented on a paper Beneficiary Form [PDF]. Please download, complete and return to:
Ohio University Benefits
Grosvenor West 103
1 Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701 

Questions regarding this process? email benefits@ohio.edu