Life Insurance
Active hourly and salaried employees holding regular coded positions and working one-half time or more per week are eligible for County-sponsored life insurance.
Basic Life Insurance (Provided by the Standard Insurance Company)
Employees in most bargaining units receive $25,000 of basic life insurance coverage. The County pays 100% of the cost for full-time coded employees. Part-time employees pay a prorated amount of the rate based on the number regular hours worked in each pay period.
You may designate any beneficiary for your County-provided life insurance benefits. However, it’s important to understand that California is a community property state. As such, you may want to consult with an attorney for legal advice regarding community property laws and how they apply to the distribution of your life insurance benefits.
Supplemental Life Insurance (Provided by the Standard Insurance Company)
To add to your basic life insurance coverage, you may choose to purchase supplemental life insurance.
The amounts available for purchase are based on your bi-weekly salary, and you pay for the full premium cost for this coverage. Refer to your Benefits Guide (PDF) to see the costs.
Making Your Supplemental Life Insurance Election
- You have the option to elect an “automatic increase formula” or a “fixed formula” when choosing your benefit. If you elect the “automatic increase formula,” your coverage will be updated automatically as your base salary changes as a result of a pay increase. If you choose the “fixed benefit“ option, your coverage option amount remains fixed and does not change when your salary changes.
- Your first opportunity to enroll occurs as a new hire - you may select any option you are eligible for and enroll within 30 days of your hire date. You are not required to provide “evidence of insurability” (defined in the plan's Summary Plan Description) if you enroll within your initial new hire window.
- As you continue employment with the County, you may enroll (or change your election) at any time. But if you missed your initial new hire window, you’ll be required to provide evidence of insurability.
What is Evidence of Insurability?
When you sign up for certain benefits, such as life insurance and long-term disability insurance, the insurer may require you to provide information about your health status - also called “evidence of insurability.” This may include the release of your medical records and/or a getting a physical exam.
The Standard Insurance Company (our insurer) may ask you to complete the evidence of insurability process if:
- You do not enroll for supplemental life insurance or long-term disability insurance coverage within 30 days of your date of hire.
- If you request a change or increase to your coverage amount.
If required, the Standard Insurance Company will provide you with instructions and the form(s) needed for completing this process. It may take up to three months for an approval or denial of coverage from Standard.