Life Insurance
An overview of Life Insurance benefits available to faculty and staff.
Life insurance helps to protect your family’s financial future by replacing your income if you pass away
All benefits-eligible faculty and staff have access to two life insurance options:
Mississippi State and School Employees’ Life Insurance Plan: This plan gives you access to affordable group term life insurance coverage. Coverage is guaranteed for new hires or employees who recently became eligible for benefits when enrollment is completed within 31 days of the qualifying event. All late applicants are subject to underwriting.
UNUM Life Insurance: This supplemental life insurance is an age-rated plan with 100% of the premium payable by the employee. Coverage is guaranteed for new hires or employees who recently became eligible for benefits when enrollment is completed within 31 days of the qualifying event. All late applicants are subject to underwriting.
Benefits-eligible employees may elect to enroll in a life insurance plan:
- Within 31 days of date of hire or eligibility date
- During Open Enrollment in October of each year for an effective date of January 1 of the following year
- Within 60 days of a qualifying event, as long as the insurance change is consistent with the status change
Learn more about both plans below.
Mississippi State and School Employees’ Life Insurance plan overview
This is a post-tax insurance option. It is gguaranteed for new hires or employees who recently became eligible for benefits when enrollment is completed within 31 days of the qualifying event. All late applicants are subject to underwriting.
| Provider | The State and School Employees’ Life Insurance Plan |
| Contact Information | The State and School Employees’ Life Insurance Plan |
| Eligibility | Benefits-Eligible Employees |
| Coverage | Life Insurance Coverage includes:
|
| Cost | Shared premiums, 50% paid by employer. |
Frequently asked questions
Employees who elect life insurance coverage should designate one or more beneficiaries with Minnesota Life Insurance Company, an affiliate of Securian Financial to ensure that any benefits are paid in accordance with their wishes.
To manage your beneficiary designation online:
- Log in to bcbsms.com. If you have not previously registered, information will be required from your BCBSMS ID card to complete the registration process.
- Go to the My Benefits tab.
- Under the Life Benefits section, click the link to update the beneficiary information. You will see a notification asking you to "Agree" to be transferred to a secure portal provided by Minnesota Life. Click "I Agree."
- Click "View beneficiary."
- If you need to make any changes, click "Update Designation," and provide the name(s), relationship(s) and respective benefit shares.
- After this information has been entered, you will receive an email acknowledgment, as well as a letter in the mail confirming your changes to your beneficiary designation.
While online, you can edit your profile, and make any updates to your email address and phone numbers.
If you would rather designate your beneficiary using a paper form, please go to Forms and Documents to download a beneficiary designation form.
UNUM Life Insurance Overview
This is a post-tax supplemental life insurance options. View UNUN's Privacy Notice here.
| Provider | UNUM Life Insurance |
| Contact Information | Contact your benefits representative |
| Eligibility | All actively employed employees working at least 20 hours each week for your employer in the U.S. and their eligible spouses and children (up to age 26). |
| Coverage | Coverage options vary by person:
|
| Cost | Varies by election. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Current employees: If you and your eligible dependents are enrolled in the plan and wish to increase your life insurance coverage, you may apply during your designated annual enrollment period for any amount of additional coverage the lesser of 3 times salary or $200,000 for yourself and any amount of additional coverage up to $25,000 for your spouse. Any life insurance coverage over the guaranteed amount(s) will be subject to answers to health questions.
New employees: To apply for coverage, complete your enrollment within 31 days of your eligibility
period. If you apply for coverage after 31 days, or if you choose coverage over the amount you are
guaranteed, you will need to complete a medical questionnaire which you can get from your plan
administrator. You may also be required to take certain medical tests at Unum’s expense.
The fastest way to file a claim is with the UNUM online system. Simply log into your account to get started, check on the status of a previously filed claim or find answers to the common claim questions.
Contact the HR Service Center
If you have a question, need help, or are dealing with an HR problem, the HR Service Center is here for you. Whether it's about benefits, pay, leave, insurance, tuition waivers, or anything else, our team of experienced HR Service Coordinators is ready to get you the answers you need as quickly as possible.
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