Retirees

To help you, your dependents, and your beneficiaries cope with loss. Your MetLife employer-paid life insurance plan offers you, your dependents, and your beneficiaries access to grief counseling¹ sessions and funeral related concierge services to help cope with a loss – at no extra cost.

Grief counseling services provide confidential and professional support during a difficult time to help address personal and funeral planning needs. At your time of need, you and your dependents have 24/7 access to a work/life counselor. You simply call a dedicated 24/7 toll-free number to speak with a licensed professional experienced in helping individuals who have suffered a loss. Sessions can either take place in-person or by phone. You can have up to five face-to-face grief counseling sessions per event to discuss any situation you perceive as a major loss, including but not limited to death, bankruptcy, divorce, terminal illness, or losing a pet.¹ In addition, you have access to funeral assistance for locating funeral homes and cemetery options, obtaining funeral cost estimates and comparisons, and more. You can access these services by calling 1-855-609-9989 or log on to https://griefcounseling.harrisrothenberg.net/default.aspx (Username: metlifeassist; Password: support).

Download this helpful Funeral Planning Guide at www.metlife.com/funeralguide.

Ensuring your final wishes are honored. As a MetLife group life policyholder, you and your family may have access to funeral discounts, planning and support to help honor a loved one’s life - at no additional cost to you. Dignity Memorial provides you and your loved ones access to discounts of up to 10% off of funeral, cremation and cemetery services through the largest network of funeral homes and cemeteries in the United States. When using a Dignity Memorial Network you have access to convenient planning services - either online at www.finalwishesplanning.com, by phone (1-866-853-0954), or by paper - to help make final wishes easier to manage. You also have access to assistance from compassionate funeral planning experts to help guide you and your family in making confident decisions when planning ahead as well as bereavement travel services - available 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year - to assist with time-sensitive travel arrangements to be with loved ones.

For immediate access to death proceeds. The Total Control Account® (TCA) settlement option provides your loved ones with a safe and convenient way to manage the proceeds of a life claim payments of $5,000 or more, backed by the financial strength and claims paying ability of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. TCA death claim payments relieve beneficiaries of the need to make immediate decisions about what to do with a lump-sum check and enable them to have the flexibility to access funds as needed while earning a guaranteed minimum interest rate on the proceeds as they assess their financial situations. Call 1-800-638-7283 for more information about options available to you.

To help ensure your decisions are carried out. When you enroll for supplemental term life coverage, you will automatically receive access to Will Preparation Services at no extra cost to you. Both you and your spouse/domestic partner will have unlimited in-person or telephone access to one of Hyatt Legal Plans’ nationwide network of 14,000+ participating attorneys for preparation of or updating a will, living will or power of attorney.* When you use a participating plan attorney, there will be no charge for the services.* Like life insurance, a carefully prepared will (simple or complex), living will and power of attorney are important.

• A will lets you define your most important decisions, such as who will care for your children or inherit your property.
• A living will ensures your wishes are carried out and protects your loved ones from having to make very difficult and personal medical decisions by themselves. Also called an “advanced directive,” it is a document authorized by statutes in all states that allows you to provide written instructions regarding use of extraordinary life-support measures and to appoint someone as your proxy or representative to make decisions on maintaining extraordinary life-support if you should become incapacitated and unable to communicate your wishes.
• Powers of attorney allow you to plan ahead by designating someone you know and trust to act on your behalf in the event of unexpected occurrences or if you become incapacitated call 1-800-821-6400 and a Client Service Representative will assist you.

Personal service and compassion assistance to help probate your and your spouse’s/domestic partner’s estates. MetLife Estate Resolution Services^SM provides probate services in person or over the phone to the representative (executor or administrator) of the deceased employee's estate and the estate of the employee's spouse/domestic partner. Estate Resolution Services include preparation of documents and representation at court proceedings needed to transfer the probate assets from the estate to the heirs and completion of correspondence necessary to transfer non-probate assets. ERS covers participating plan attorneys’ fees for telephone and face-to-face consultations or for the administrator or executor to discuss general questions about the probate process.

Self-service online legal document preparation. Employees and spouses/domestic partners have access to WillsCenter.com, an online document service to prepare and update a will, living will, power of attorney, funeral directive, memorandum of wishes or HIPAA authorization form in a secure 24/7 environment at no additional cost. This service is available with all life coverages. Log on to www.willscenter.com to register as a new user.

So you can keep your coverage even if you leave your current employer. Should you leave Columbus City Schools for any reason, and your Supplemental insurance under this plan terminates, you will have an opportunity to continue group term coverage (“portability”) under a different policy, subject to plan design and state availability. Rates will be based on the experience of the ported group and MetLife will bill you directly. Rates may be higher than your current rates. To take advantage of this feature, you must have coverage of at least $10,000 up to a maximum of $2,000,000. Generally, there is no minimum time for you to be covered by the plan before you can take advantage of the portability feature. Please see your employer or certificate for specific details. Please note that if you experience an event that makes you eligible for portable coverage, please call a MetLife representative at 1-888-252-3607 for more information.

Assistance identifying solutions for your financial situations. Transition Solutions provides assistance for important, time-sensitive benefit and financial decisions due to change in benefits including:

• Group Life Insurance Continuation Options
• Lump-sum distributions
• Reduction in benefits for active or retired employees
• Benefits coordination due to layoffs, merger, acquisition or bankruptcy
• Define Contribution Plan termination
• Retiree Group Life elimination

Yes, you may be eligible to continue your basic term life and optional term life insurance in retirement.

Premiums for basic and optional life are paid by retirees.  Rates are not guaranteed and are subject to change.  Your life insurance premiums are based on information provided by PEIA.

During the initial retiree enrollment period, you may also elect to increase your optional insurance, or add or increase dependent coverage.  EOI is required for any increase in the amount of optional coverage.  Any amount of coverage requiring EOI will be effective on the first day of the month following the date MetLife approves the application.

Optional life insurance cannot be elected or increased outside of this period unless you have a newly eligible dependent spouse and child(ren). For newly eligible dependents, Plan 1 can be elected without providing EOI. All other plans are subject to EOI for dependent spouse.