STATE OF CONNECTICUT
	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER
Kevin Lembo State Comptroller	55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	Martha Carlson Deputy Comptroller

COMPTROLLER'S MEMORANDUM NO. 2011 - 12

May 25, 2011

TO THE HEADS OF ALL STATE AGENCIES

I. INTRODUCTION

Comptroller's Memorandum No. 97-8 announced the commencement of the Supplemental Employee Benefits Program (Program), an initiative designed to provide employees with access to offerings that complement those basic benefits the state funds either in whole or in part. All benefits under the Program are paid for in their entirety by voluntary employee payroll deductions through the central payroll system.

Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Section 3-123g, at least every five years the Comptroller conducts a competitive procurement to review publicly solicited proposals from firms interested in participating in the Program. The Vendor Advisory Committee (VAC), consisting of management and labor representatives, meets to review the RFP responses and makes recommendations to the Comptroller regarding products which would in its collective judgment be of value to state employees. The process concluded with the Comptroller's selection of eight firms to participate in the Program.

The purpose of this memorandum is to (1) provide a summary of the selected vendors along with a brief description of the benefits offered and (2) restate program eligibility requirements.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Program Components

The eight vendors that now participate in the Program offer the following supplemental benefits: (1) short term disability insurance, (2) long term disability insurance, (3) auto and homeowners insurance, (4) universal life insurance (5) term life insurance, and (6) long term care insurance.

A brief description of the benefits offered as well as the authorized vendors and their telephone numbers follows. This description should help familiarize agency personnel and payroll officers with information relative to supplemental products currently available.

Short Term Disability Insurance ¹ Two vendors offer this product

Colonial Life - (800) 884-0689 or (860) 645-8833

 

Available to full-time active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week, this product protects against the short-term loss of income due to an on the job or off the job covered accident or illness.

 

Dearborn National - (866) 858-1171

 

Available to full-time active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week, this product protects against the short-term loss of income due to an off the job covered accident or illness, including pregnancy and complications of pregnancy.

Long Term Disability Insurance ¹ One vendor offers this product

Hartford Life & Accident Insurance Company - (888) 723-8583

 

Available to full-time active employees, working at least 30 hours a week, this product protects against the long-term loss of income due to accident or illness. This offering should be of particular interest to members of Tier II and Tier IIA of the State Employee Retirement System as they are not covered by non-service connected disability provisions before completing ten years of vesting service.

Auto & Homeowners Insurance Three vendors offer this product

Liberty Mutual - (888) 257-4889

 

MetLife - (800) 438-6381

 

Travelers- (888) 695-4640 (New enrollment); (800) 842-5075 (Existing enrollment)

 

Available to full-time active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week, retirees, and spouses², this product protects against liability and damage to, or loss of, auto, home and other personal property.

Universal Life Insurance ¹ One vendor offers this product

ING Employee Benefits- (888) 909-4274

 

Available to full-time, active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week, spouses², children and grandchildren (grandchildren who are residents of New York and under the age of 14 ? are not eligible) interested in supplementing their life insurance coverage offered on a qualified issue basis.

Term Life Insurance ¹ One vendor offers this product

Dearborn National - (866) 858-1171

 

Available to full-time active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week, retirees, spouses² and dependent children interested in supplementing their life insurance coverage (employee/retiree must participate in the State's Basic Group Life Insurance Program). Available in amounts from $10,000 up to $500,000.

Long Term Care Insurance One vendor offers this product

Transamerica - (800) LTC-CT89

 

Transamerica has been selected as the State's new Long Term Care provider.

 

Available to full-time, active employees working 17.5 or more hours per week and retirees, spouses², parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and adult children age 18 or older, this product protects against the cost of long term health care, whether at home, adult day care, an assisted living facility or in a nursing home. This discounted policy is approved by the Connecticut Partnership and, as such, protects a subscriber's assets from depletion due to the cost of long-term care services.

 

Eligible employees will be allowed to enroll during their agency's open enrollment period with simplified underwriting.

 

Transamerica will extend simplified underwriting to new full-time employees ages 18 - 65 applying for coverage after they have been employed for a 6 month period. New employees will have 30 days after the 6 month period to apply under the simplified underwriting program. After that eligibility period all applicants will be required to answer additional medical questions.

 

Current MetLife participants will continue to be serviced by MetLife. Questions regarding current long term care participation with Metlife may be addressed to Metlife at 888-565-3761.

 

Current UNUM participants will continue to be serviced by MedAmerica. Questions regarding current long term care participation with UNUM may be addressed to MedAmerica at 1-877-202-6043.

¹ Open enrollment periods are conducted for these benefits. Eligible employees will be allowed to enroll during their agency's open enrollment period without the need for medical underwriting or a physical examination, subject to certain coverage limitations. This privilege will be extended to new employees hired within 31 days after the open enrollment period concludes.

² A "spouse" means a person legally married to or joined in a civil union with a State employee.

B. Implementation

Subject to operating needs, agencies are encouraged to accommodate the Program's authorized vendors so that they may speak to, meet with, and enroll employees. With the exception of ING, the State's third party administrator for its Defined Contribution Plans, agencies are specifically directed to deny access to any other firms seeking to market products or services to state employees, as they have not received the Comptroller's "official seal of approval".

The specific responsibility to administer payroll deductions for employees who elect to participate in the Program has been assigned to the Comptroller's Payroll Services Division (PSD), which will coordinate directly with each vendor for payroll deduction processing. Payroll Services Division will not accept deduction override transactions for the following supplemental benefit program deduction codes:

Supplemental Benefits Program Vendors Deduction Codes: COLLIF, COLSTD, HAILIB, HAITRV, HAIMET, LIFING, LIFMDS, LIFTRM, LTDISB (include Transamerica long term care deduction code).

III. CONCLUSION

In the event an employee has a deduction for a benefit for which they have not enrolled, the individual vendor must be contacted directly by the employee for assistance.

The general responsibility to administer the Program has been assigned to the Comptroller's Healthcare Policy & Benefit Services Division (HCPBSD); accordingly, administrative and related concerns should be directed to the HCBSD at (860) 702-3543. Payroll inquiries should be directed to PSD at (860) 702-3461.

Very truly yours,

KEVIN LEMBO
STATE COMPTROLLER

KL/AA/MH

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