Postdoc Life and Disability Insurance

Basic Life and AD&D Insurance

The University of Chicago provides Basic Life insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, in the amount of $50,000 each, to all benefits eligible Postdoctoral Researchers. This coverage is provided at no cost to you.

Basic Life insurance helps provide financial protection by promising to pay a benefit in the event of an eligible member’s covered death. Basic Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance may provide an additional amount in the event of a covered death or dismemberment as a result of an accident.

Additional features provide extra payments to your beneficiary in certain circumstances.  For instance, AD&D includes additional benefit payment for seat belt and air bag use if a covered member is injured or dies as the result of an automobile accident, and there are family benefits that include additional payments for career adjustment, childcare and higher education for eligible surviving family members.  Review the Postdoc Life and AD&D Summary of Benefits in the Benefits Plan Documents for additional details.

Please Note: International Postdoctoral Researchers holding a J-1 Visa (and their J2 dependents) DO NOT need to purchase supplemental medical evacuation and repatriation coverage to meet J1 and J2 Visa requirements. The Life/AD&D plan satisfies these requirements, even if the postdoctoral waives the medical, dental and vision coverage.

Supplemental Life Insurance

You have the opportunity to purchase up to $200,000 of additional life insurance protection for yourself. You pay the full cost of this coverage through after-tax payroll deductions.

During your initial 31-day enrollment period:

• You may purchase coverage between $10,000 and $200,000 in increments of $10,000.  The guaranteed issue amount is $100,000, which means you will be approved for coverage of up to $100,000 without answering health questions.

• If you elect coverage above $100,000 during your initial enrollment period, or any amount of coverage after your initial enrollment period, you will be required to complete Evidence of Insurability.

During the annual Open Enrollment Period:

• You may elect to increase your existing Supplemental Life insurance by $10,000 (up to $100,000) without evidence of insurability.

• If you are electing coverage for the first time outside of when you were first eligible for coverage, you are required to provide evidence of insurability.

During the rest of the year:

• You can purchase Supplemental Life insurance, but you will be required to provide evidence of insurability for all levels of coverage.

Evidence of Insurability

• Insurance coverage amounts requiring evidence of insurability will not become effective until The Standard approves your evidence of insurability.

• A copy of the health questionnaire is found here.

Designating Your Beneficiary

A beneficiary is the person or people you would like your life insurance benefit to be paid to in the event of your passing. A contingent beneficiary is the person or people who you would like the benefit to be paid to in the event that all of your primary beneficiaries have predeceased the insured. Visit the How to Designate My Beneficiary page of this site to learn more about the importance of naming a beneficiary and how to complete the task in Workday.

Cost of Coverage

The cost of the Supplemental Life coverage is based on your age and the amount of your coverage. Refer to the following chart to determine the monthly cost for $1,000 of coverage based on your age.

Disability Plans

The University of Chicago provides Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability from The Standard to Postdoctoral Researchers as a way of protecting your income if you become unable to work due to your own non-work-related illness or injury.  This coverage is provided at no cost to you and you are automatically enrolled in this coverage. Disability periods run concurrently with other types of leaves of absence, such as job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. For more details on your eligibility for leaves of absence, visit the Postdoctoral Researchers Benefits and Leaves page on the Provost Office's intranet site.

Short-Term Disability Insurance (STD)

Short-Term Disability (STD) provides income replacement if you have a non-work-related illness or injury that makes you unable to work for more than two (2) work weeks.  This benefit pays 60% of your pre-disability earnings, up to a maximum of $600 per week, beginning after fifteen (15) calendar days of continued disability and lasting no longer than ninety (90) days.

Long-Term Disability Insurance (LTD)

Long-Term Disability (LTD) replaces a portion of your income if you are totally disabled for more than ninety (90) days. The LTD benefit payment is 60% of your pre-disability earnings, up to a maximum of $2,500 per month, beginning after ninety (90) days of continuous disability and lasting until you are able to return to work or until you turn age 65, whichever is sooner.  Disability from illnesses or injuries for which you have been diagnosed or treated during the three (3) months prior to your LTD enrollment date will not be covered until you have been enrolled in the plan for twelve (12) months.

Extended Travel Assistance

When you are traveling internationally for more than 180 days in a year, you have access to travel medical, personal and assistance services included with your group life insurance coverage from The Standard. Your spouse and your children age 25 and younger also have access to these services.

The Standard contracts with Generali Global Assistance (GGA) to help you obtain the care and attention you need in case of an emergency while traveling. GGA has a presence in 200 countries and territories worldwide, with 35 assistance centers staffed with multilingual coordinator, case managers and medical and security personnel 24/7.  They can assist with emergency transportation services such as medical evacuation and medically necessary repatriation, travel support services such as medical monitoring and assistance with replacement medications or medical devices, personal assistance services including pre-trip information and providing translation services and security assistance with evacuation assistance in case of political, security or natural disasters.

See the Generali Postdoc Medical Evacuation and Repatriation FAQ under Resources for more information about these services.