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What is supplemental life insurance?
Life insurance provides a death benefit to a designated beneficiary (or beneficiaries) in the event of the insured person’s death. “Supplemental” life insurance is extra or additional life insurance that typically is purchased in addition to other life insurance (usually referred to as “basic” life insurance).
How do I purchase supplemental life insurance through Justworks?
If your employer offers supplemental life insurance, you’ll have 30 days to sign up from the day you complete your Justworks profile and are otherwise eligible under the terms and provisions of the insurance policy. We’ll send you emails to notify you of the opportunity and to remind you to sign up!
If you missed your opportunity to sign up but still wish to get coverage, you can do so by going through the Statement of Health process. Please see the section below for more details.
How much life insurance should I buy?
Since supplemental life insurance is a voluntary benefit, this is up to you! For employees, the insurance carrier requires a minimum amount of $50,000, and you may purchase additional coverage in increments of $50,000, up to a maximum of $1,000,000, provided that any amount in excess of $150,000 is subject to satisfying the insurance carrier’s health underwriting requirements (more on this below).
If you are looking for some assistance to decide how much life insurance makes sense for your personal situation, consider using the helpful calculator found on the Justworks website.
When thinking in more detail about how much to buy, you may want to think about the value of your mortgage or other loans, and the cost of college for your children. You may also want to consider if an extended family member is currently or likely to be dependent on your future income.
How does pricing work?
Prices for both employee coverage and spouse coverage depend on the amount of coverage and on the employee's age.
Pricing details will be available in your Justworks account - You > Benefits > Ancillary Benefits - when you have the opportunity to sign up.
Statement of health
Applying for higher amounts:
If you would like to purchase higher amounts of coverage, you must submit a statement of health for each applicable insured person to MetLife. Higher amounts of coverage will only become available if the insured person satisfies MetLife’s health underwriting requirements.
The appropriate statements of health will be available to you in Justworks and will be emailed to you from MetLife when you sign up.
Send the statement of health form only to MetLife (SOHSubmissions@metlife.com) within two weeks of signing up.
Once MetLife has reviewed your statement of health, you will receive an email from MetLife with their decision. The approval or denial will be updated in your Justworks account within two weeks time.
Applying for coverage outside of enrollment period:
If you missed your enrollment period, you can still apply for coverage by submitting a statement of health. This process will not have a guaranteed amount for approval and you will be subject to all of MetLife's underwriting requirements.
Once MetLife has reviewed your statement of health, you will receive an email from MetLife with their decision. The approval or denial will be updated in your Justworks account within two weeks time.
Do I get to keep my coverage if I leave the company?
If you're terminated or your employer stops using Justworks and you wish to keep your coverage, you can do so by porting the coverage. You can simply get in touch with us to ask for a portability form to submit to MetLife, and you'll work directly with them to set up continuing your coverage.
What happens if I die?
Your designated beneficiary (or beneficiaries) will need to file a claim for death benefits with MetLife.
What if I don’t submit my beneficiary information?
If you do not designate a beneficiary (or beneficiaries), any death benefit will be paid to the applicable default beneficiary set forth in the life insurance policy. In order to avoid unintended consequences, it is highly recommended that you complete your beneficiary designation form.
Disclaimer
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, legal or tax advice. If you have any legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, then you should consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.