Group Life Insurance

The Group Life Insurance Branch provides all administrative services of the state contract, which includes the following duties: keeping an updated eligibility data base, reviewing and processing enrollments, bill generation and payment processing, claims screening and submission, distribution of all materials and supplies, providing customer service and providing each employee with a summary of coverage.

The state paid Basic Life Insurance amount for all eligible employees is $20,000 with an equal amount of Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance. Your employer pays the Basic Life Insurance premium.

The Group Life Insurance Program offers you the option of purchasing additional insurance on yourself and/or your eligible dependents. Payments are made through payroll deduction. There are four optional plans and five dependent plans available. Your insurance coordinator with your agency has available employee packets with enrollment forms that describe the plans, dependent eligibility, and rates.

You can enroll in Optional Life Insurance and/or Dependents Group Life Insurance within 30 days of your employment by the Commonwealth of Kentucky without having to provide an Evidence of Insurability statement.

If you are enrolled in Optional Life Insurance Plan 3 or Plan 4 (coverage based on your annual salary), you have 30 days following the date of a pay increment to increase your insurance to corresponding plan volumes. Increasing your amount of insurance will also increase your premium.

You are also eligible to enroll in Dependents Group Life Insurance within 30 days of the time when you first acquire a dependent.

You can apply for or increase Optional and/or Dependents coverage at any time by completing a medical history statement (Evidence of Insurability) and submitting it to the insurance company.

State sponsored group life insurance is term insurance. There is no cash value or paid-up value.

Your insurance takes effect on the first day of the second month following the month you were employed.

If you choose to purchase Optional Life Insurance and/or Dependents Group Life Insurance for your family at the time of your employment, this insurance coverage becomes effective on the first day of the second month following the month you were employed.

In the event of your death, your beneficiary will be paid the amount of Life Insurance at the time of your death. The amount of benefits payable includes the amount of your Basic Insurance and any additional amount purchased under the Optional Life Insurance Plan.

If the loss of life is caused by an accident, the Accidental Death Benefit is payable to your beneficiary in an amount equal to your Basic Life Insurance and Optional Life Insurance, if selected.

If you select the Dependents Group Life Insurance for your family and a covered dependent dies, benefits will be paid to you.

You have the right to choose a beneficiary. If there is a beneficiary for the insurance, benefits are payable to that beneficiary. Any amount of insurance for which there is no beneficiary at your death will be payable to the first surviving class of the following classes of successive preference beneficiaries: your (a) surviving spouse; (b) surviving children; (c) surviving parents; (d) surviving brothers and sisters; and (e) estate

You may designate a new beneficiary at any time by completing a Beneficiary Designation form.

Your insurance may be continued for up to a maximum of one year during an approved leave of absence without pay. After one year has expired, your coverage will terminate unless you return to work as an eligible employee. While on leave, you are responsible for making timely payments of the required contributions for Basic, Optional and Dependents Group Life Insurance.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky will continue paying your Basic Life Insurance. You are responsible for timely payments of your insurance premiums for Optional Life Insurance and Dependents Group Life Insurance.

If you terminate employment (including through disability retirement), you are guaranteed the opportunity to convert all or part of your Basic, Optional and Dependents Group Life Insurance to an individual policy within 31 days following the date your insurance coverage ends, without having to provide Evidence of Insurability.

If you are enrolled in Dependents Group Life Insurance, a covered dependent can convert to an individual policy should your insurance end due to death or termination of employment. A spouse in a divorce situation and a dependent child who reaches the limiting age may also convert.

Your insurance ends on the first day of the second month following your employment termination date.

In the event of your death, Dependents Group Life coverage will end on the first day of the month following the date of death.

Any questions regarding the state sponsored life insurance should be addressed with your agency's insurance coordinator or the Group Life Insurance Branch.  In Frankfort, call 502-564-4774, or use the toll-free number, 1-800-267-8352, from anywhere in the state.