Additional Benefits

Basic Term Life Insurance also pays additional benefits, including:

• Accelerated Benefits — If an employee or his or her spouse or registered domestic partner becomes terminally ill and is not expected to live for more than 12 months, he or she may request an accelerated benefit equal to a maximum of 50% of his or her combined life insurance benefit (Basic Life Term Insurance and Supplemental Term Life Insurance). The minimum accelerated benefit amount is $10,000 and the maximum is $250,000.

  Any remaining benefit amount will be paid to the employee's, spouse's or registered domestic partner's designated beneficiary upon his or her death. For a covered person to qualify for an accelerated benefit, two doctors must certify his or her condition.

• Seat Belt(s) Benefit — If an employee dies as a direct result of an accident and the following conditions are met, CIGNA will pay a seat belt benefit to the designated beneficiary. The benefit will be at least $1,000, to a maximum of 10% of the employee's benefit or $10,000, whichever is less. An employee's beneficiary will receive the seat belt benefit if:
  • The private passenger car the employee was driving/riding in was equipped with seat belts;
  • The seat belt(s) was in actual use and properly fastened at the time of the covered accident; and
  • The position of the seat belt(s) was certified in the official report of the covered accident or by the investigating officer. A copy of the police accident report must be submitted with the claim. If certification is not available but it is clear that the employee was properly wearing a seat belt, CIGNA will pay the additional benefit. If, however, certification is not available and it is not certain that the employee was wearing a seat belt, then the benefit will be fixed at $1,000.

  No benefit will be paid if the accident causing the employee's death occurred as a result of participation in a race, or a speed or endurance test.

  "Private passenger car" means a validly registered four-wheel vehicle limited to private passenger cars, station wagons, Jeeps, pick-up trucks, and van-type cars.