Disability

If you experience disability through a serious accident or a chronic major illness, what will happen to your benefits?

Your Long Term Disability

Learn about your LTD coverage

• Please contact Alliance Benefits early rather than later.
• The six-month waiting period begins from the date of disability.
• It is important that you and your employer keep accurate records.

Your Health Plan

When you are in the process of filing a disability claim, how long may you continue your health coverage?

If you are totally disabled at the time your coverage terminates due to termination of active employment, medical benefits, excluding outpatient prescription drug benefits, will be continued for covered services directly related to the condition causing such total disability. This benefit extension does not apply to covered services relating to other conditions, illnesses, diseases or injuries and is not available if your termination was due to fraud or intentional misrepresentation of a material fact. This total disability extension of benefits will be provided as long as you remain so disabled as follows:

• Up to a maximum period of 12 consecutive months; or
• Until the maximum amount of benefits has been paid; or
• Until the total disability ends; or
• Until you become covered without limitation as to the disabling condition under other group coverage, whichever occurs first.

Your benefits will not be continued if your coverage is terminated because you failed to pay any required premium.

Totally Disabled (or Total Disability)

Total Disability is a condition resulting from illness or injury as a result of which, and as certified by a physician, for an initial period of 24 months, you are continuously unable to perform all of the substantial and material duties of your regular occupation. However: (i) after 24 months of continuous disability, "totally disabled" (or total disability) means your inability to perform all of the substantial and material duties of any occupation for which you are reasonably suited by education, training or experience; (ii) during the entire period of total disability, you may not be engaged in any activity whatsoever for wage or profit and must be under the regular care and attendance of a physician, other than your immediate family. If you do not usually engage in any occupation for wages or profits, "totally disabled" (or total disability) means you are substantially unable to engage in the normal activities of an individual of the same age and sex.

You may become eligible for Medicare health coverage based upon your disability. Please contact Alliance Benefits to learn how become eligible for Medicare will affect your C&MA Health Plan coverage.

Your Life Insurance

• When you file a Long Term Disability claim, the disability company will automatically process a Waiver of Premium claim on your life insurance.
• If approved, your life insurance may be continued at the disability company’s expense, without cost to you or to the C&MA Health Plan.
• If a Long Term Disability claim is not filed, your life insurance will end when you are no longer physically working 20+ hours per week.
• In that case, or if Waiver of Premium is not approved, you may be eligible to purchase a Conversion Life Insurance Policy within 30 days of ending active coverage.

Your 403(b) Plan

Your 403(b) Plan includes an option for distribution in the event of permanent disability. To learn more, please call Great West at 800-701-8255.

403(b) Distribution/Direct Rollover Request