Benefits » Other Insurance » Dependent Life Insurance
Policy Number: GL-395155
The Hartford: 1-800-303-9744
The Hartford is the carrier for the LANS Dependent Life Insurance Plan.
Dependent Life insurance provides a financial benefit to you in the event you experience the loss of a dependent. Dependent life insurance is offered in basic and expanded coverage levels. Dependent life insurance is paid by the employee.
Eligibility is based on type of appointment for employment; different appointments have different eligibility criteria to meet. Please review the LANS Summary Plan Description (pdf), for details regarding eligibility for dependent life insurance.
In general, you may typically enroll your legal spouse/same-sex domestic partner, unmarried natural/adopted child, stepchild, legal ward, and same-sex domestic partner’s child in dependent life insurance. You may enroll in your dependent life insurance within 31 days of a qualified life event including: new hire, birth/adoption of new child, marriage/enter into same-sex domestic partnership, gain of eligibility (only if plan is a newly available option to you), divorce/termination of domestic partnership, death of dependent, or you lose other coverage due to your spouse’s loss of employment.
Statement of Health:
A statement of health is required if you miss your PIE. You may submit a statement of health to The Hartford. A statement of health is an application that informs the insurance company about your medical history. The insurance company may or may not accept your request for coverage based on the statement of health.
To request a statement of health, email the Benefits Office Rapid Response Desk at rr-desk@lanl.gov. In your request state what you would like a statement of health for (i.e., supplemental life coverage), and indicate the level of coverage you are requesting. If your statement of health is approved, you have 31 days from the approval date on your letter to submit an enrollment form to the Benefits Office (a copy of the letter stating approval must be received with your form).
Your options for coverage will depend on the life insurance plans in which you are enrolled.
| If you are enrolled in | then you can enroll your dependents in |
|---|---|
| Basic or Life only | Basic Dependent Life |
| Supplemental Life | Basic or Expanded Dependent Life |
Basic Dependent Life:
Insurance covers your legal spouse or domestic partner and eligible children for $5,000 each.
Expanded Dependent Life:
Your spouse may be covered for a Guaranteed Issue Amount (GIA) of $50,000 with a maximum of $200,000. Dependent children are covered for a maximum amount of $10,000 each. Coverage for a spouse may never exceed 50% of the supplemental life insurance amount in place for the employee.
The amount of spouse "supplemental" (life) coverage may never exceed 50% of the "supplemental" amount of life Insurance in force for the employee. This is based on a State of New Mexico rule which limits the amount of life insurance for spouses to 50%. If there is no employee supplemental life in force, 50% of 0 is 0, meaning no coverage for dependents.
You may transfer your dependents from the Expanded plan to the Basic plan at any time. However, to transfer from the Basic plan to the Expanded plan, you must submit a statement of health for your legal spouse or domestic partner.
LANS rules do not allow dual coverage. You may not be covered as an employee and dependent at the same time nor may a dependent be covered by more than one employee. If both parents of an eligible dependent are LANS employees, only one parent can cover the children.
Your costs will depend on several factors, including
You may calculate your cost by using the rates and calculations available on the Life and Supplemental Disability Insurance Premiums page.
If a dependent covered under your Dependent Life insurance plan dies, you are the beneficiary, which means you will receive benefits (i.e., funds) from that person's insurance policy. Under the Expanded plan, you may designate someone else to receive benefits if a spouse or domestic partner covered under the plan dies.
This is only an overview of the dependent life insurance plan. For more information please review The Hartford Dependent Life Insurance plan summary (pdf).
LANS plans are group term life plans, which mean they stay in effect for a certain term. In this case, the term is as long as you remain an eligible employee. Term life policies do not accumulate a cash value over time.
This plan is not available to retirees. Coverage for your dependents stops if you cancel or lose your life insurance coverage. However, you may be able to convert your Dependent Life insurance to an individual policy. Please review The Hartford plan summary, Conversion Right section (pdf), for more details.
Questions? Contact the Lab's Benefits Office at 505-667-1806.
