UTU bus members gain disability insurance

The UTU has selected Lincoln National Life Insurance Co., a member of the Lincoln Financial Group, to provide a national group voluntary short-term disability plan for all bus members.

Coverage is for off-duty accidents and illness, and is automatic unless bus members opt out.

The Lincoln National Life disability insurance plan provides a basic “safety net” of coverage for UTU bus members, and is designed to work in combination with state-mandated disability programs.

The Lincoln National Life plan pays up to $200 per week for up to 52 weeks a year, and provides coverage for off-the-job accidents and sickness.

The cost is $26.50 per month, and is collected through payroll deduction.

New UTU members will be enrolled automatically, unless they choose to opt-out of the plan by submitting a waiver form to the UTU International.

A disability-plan membership information kit will be mailed to all new members and will include a plan overview, as well as instructions for waiving coverage (opting-out of the plan) if they so choose.

Any member waiving coverage who desires to obtain coverage under the plan in the future, must make application to Lincoln at that later date. There will be no guarantee of acceptance.

Once enrolled, everyone is subject to a so-called 3/6 pre-existing condition provision. This provision excludes, for the first six months that a member is covered, any disability claims relating to treatment, diagnoses or existing condition that existed in the three months just prior to the enrollment date.

After the first six months that an enrollee is covered, the pre-existing condition limitation expires.

The member information kit describes the plan in greater detail, and also provides answers to frequently asked questions. Members are not required to complete any paperwork to enroll in the plan, but must complete a waiver form if they choose not to participate.

Members desiring additional disability insurance coverage may purchase an individual policy through the UTU Insurance Association. This individual coverage would pay in addition to the Lincoln plan, without any offset or reduction in benefits to either plan. Contact your Field Supervisor or call the UTUIA Sales Department at (216) 228-9400 for more information.