Beneficiaries
Reminder to review/update/designate beneficiaries for all of your life insurance plans. The beneficiary designation with the most recent date, in good order and properly signed, constitutes the only effective designation.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions.
This special enrollment is an easy opportunity to make sure your loved ones have the cash benefits they would need to make ends meet if something happened to you.
It's an exceptional opportunity to:
- Build a dependable financial foundation if you're just starting out in your career
- Reinforce your coverage to keep up with growing family and professional responsibilities
- Replace benefits that may be ending due to age as you near retirement
For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions.
An Easy-To-Activate Solution To Make Sure Your Loved Ones Have Extra Money If Something Happens To You
It could happen at any time. An accident on the way home from work. A sudden diagnosis of a serious illness. But if the worst happened ... and your loved ones needed to build a new life without you ... you'd want them to have extra money to make ends meet and continue their dreams of the future.
Your Supplemental Life Insurance plan can be an important way to give your family the extra money they may need if you passed away.
During the current open enrollment period, you can now purchase Supplemental Life Insurance up to the lesser of 4 times your annual base pay or $500,000 in new or additional coverage and up to $30,000 in supplemental life insurance for your spouse, to a maximum of $100,000, without submitting proof of good health – also known as evidence of insurability (EOI).* In addition, if you participate in this program, your eligible children are also invited to take advantage of this special offer -- up to $10,000 in coverage. You are required to have coverage in order to request new or additional coverage for your spouse and eligible children. Coverage amounts higher than those listed above in the special offer may be purchased with EOI. For example, with an $80,000/year salary - If you currently have 4 times salary life insurance coverage now, that would be $320,000 in coverage. Since the offer is the lesser of 4 times salary or $500,000, in this case the employee is already at 4 times salary life insurance coverage, which is the lesser of the two in this example. Thus, if you increase your coverage beyond 4 times salary, it would require EOI.
*EOI is required for those previously denied coverage.
The deadline for enrollment is October 29, 2021. You must enroll online beginning October 18, 2021 at personal-plans.com/duke or your signed Special Enrollment Form must be received by Mercer Voluntary Benefits, at the address or fax # on the enrollment form, by October 29, 2021.
Premiums will be conveniently handled through payroll deduction.
Automatically Keeps Pace With Inflation
The dollar in your pocket buys less today than ten years ago. Life insurance is no different. Coverage you set up years ago probably won't stretch nearly as far today ... let alone, in the future. But this Supplemental Life Insurance plan includes a special feature that helps fight the impact of inflation on your coverage.
Each year, you will be eligible for an automatic coverage increase effective January 1, using your annual pay as of July 1.
Your benefits can automatically increase each year as your annual pay increases. There are no health questions or medical exams required. You can rest assured your benefits will gradually step up each year...reinforcing your financial safety net.
Tap Into Your Benefits Before Your Death With The Accelerated Benefit Option
Sometimes the diagnosis of a serious illness brings an avalanche of bills ... before your death. That's why the Supplemental Life Insurance plan gives you the ability to receive up to 80% (up to a maximum of $500,000) of your life benefit early if your doctor diagnoses you with a terminal illness with less than 12 months to live. (May vary by state.) Use the benefits to help cover extra medical bills, to replace a portion of your income, to fly loved ones back home, or however you see fit. The remainder of your coverage will be paid to your beneficiaries after your death.
When Your Insurance Will Start
Coverage is effective on January 1, 2022 or the first day of the month after the plan administrator, Mercer Voluntary Benefits, receives underwriting approval (for applications requesting coverage amounts above the special offer) from Lincoln Life Assurance Company of Boston. Upon approval, a Coverage Verification Page will be mailed to you from Mercer Voluntary Benefits.
Money-Saving Rates Help Hold Costs Down
As a Duke employee, you can take advantage of specially negotiated rates for this Supplemental Life Insurance program. Because coverage is extended exclusively to Duke employees and their family members, administrative costs are streamlined and rates held as low as possible.
Rate Table
Monthly Cost of Insurance per $10,000 Coverage Unit
Age-Bands** | Active Non-Smoker | Active Smoker |
---|---|---|
<30 | $0.182 | $0.208 |
30-34 | $0.242 | $0.270 |
35-39 | $0.303 | $0.339 |
40-44 | $0.398 | $0.447 |
45-49 | $0.615 | $0.686 |
50-54 | $0.918 | $1.033 |
55-59 | $1.585 | $1.782 |
60-64 | $2.581 | $2.900 |
65-69 | $6.798 | $7.651 |
**Use age as of January 2022. Rates are adjusted on each January 1 program anniversary date to reflect the age of the insured adult.
Child coverage is $1.00 for $10,000 in coverage. This rate covers all eligible children regardless of the number of children. Rates for age bands of 70 and above are available here.
Easily calculate your monthly premium by using the above rate table.
To calculate monthly premium per individual:
Divide the amount of coverage elected (multiple of salary) $_____________ by $10,000, then multiply by the applicable rate for your age $____________.
For example, a 45-year old employee, with an annual base salary of $50,000: $200,000 in coverage (4 x $50,000 annual base salary) divided by $10,000 = 20 x $0.615 = $12.30 per month premium cost.
Please note: Coverage is rounded up to the next higher $10,000 increment if not an even $10,000.
Personal Accident Insurance
Reminder: You can enroll anytime, with no medical questions, in the Duke Personal Accident Insurance plan, which provides protection for you and your loved ones in the event of your accidental death or dismemberment or in the event of permanent, total disability as a result of an accident.
Rates are at an all-time low! Look for the link to enroll or increase your coverage in Personal Accident Insurance in your Duke@Work account as you go through the Open Enrollment process.
The monthly premium for each $10,000 unit of Principal Sum is:
Individual Plan: $0.15/$10,000
Family Plan: $0.27/$10,000
Sample Rates
Principal Sum* | Individual Plan ($0.15/$10,000) |
Family Plan ($0.27/$10,000) |
---|---|---|
$50,000 | $0.75 | $1.35 |
$100,000 | $1.50 | $2.70 |
$250,000 | $3.75 | $6.75 |
$500,000 | $7.50 | $13.50 |
$750,000 | $11.25 | $20.25 |
*A minimum of $50,000 in coverage to a maximum of 10 times annual salary (up to $750,000) can be selected.
Additional details can be found at the Personal Accident Insurance website.