1419 - Group Legal Services Insurance

Category

Benefits and Insurance

Audience List

• Personnel Officers
• Personnel Transactions Staff
• Personnel Transactions Supervisors

Synopsis

This policy:

• Provides information about the state’s Group Legal Services Insurance Plan for eligible employees, retirees, and their eligible dependents
• Provides eligibility criteria
• Enrollment opportunities
• How to enroll

Introduction

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) administers the state’s Group Legal Services Insurance Plan (Plan) for eligible state employees, retirees and their eligible dependents. The purpose of this policy is to provide the most current Plan benefit, eligibility and premium rates for employees.

Statement

The Plan is a voluntary, employee-paid benefit that provides comprehensive legal coverage. It is designed to meet the most common personal legal needs for an individual and their family. 

The Plan provider is ARAG Insurance Company.

Benefit

The Plan offers individual coverage or family coverage to active state employees and retirees.

Eligibility Criteria

Employees eligible to enroll in the Plan include:

• Permanent or probationary employees with a time base of half-time or more, who are designated rank and file, managerial, supervisory, confidential, or excluded/exempt;
• Permanent-Intermittent employees who worked a minimum of 480 paid hours each six-month qualifying control period ending June 30 or December 31 or a total of 960 paid hours in two consecutive control periods (January through December).
• Employees in a limited-term appointment, who otherwise meet the eligibility criteria may enroll only if they have a mandatory right of return to a position that meets the above criteria.

Employees off work or on a leave of absence cannot enroll until they return to active status. However, if an employee is on military leave and is not available during the specified enrollment period, their spouse/domestic partner (with power of attorney) may enroll during the open enrollment period on their behalf.

State of California retirees/annuitants who are members of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Judges Retirement System (JRS I and II), or Legislators’ Retirement System (LRS) are eligible to enroll.

Dependent Eligibility

Eligible dependents are defined as:

• A lawful spouse or registered domestic partner;
• Any dependent child, who has never been married under the age of 26;

a. Children include natural, stepchildren, adopted children, or children for whom the employee is the legal guardian, and children of the domestic partner; and

b. Any economically dependent child 26 years of age or older, if he/she is incapable of self-support because of a physical disability or mental incapacity who has never been married and is chiefly dependent on the eligible employee for support and maintenance.

Family members not eligible include the eligible employee’s/retiree’s parents and grandparents, children under the age of 26 who are married, or who have been married, and children over the age of 26, unless disabled as specified above.

Employees should be reminded that they are responsible for notifying their department’s personnel office and completing the necessary paperwork when a dependent child loses eligibility.

Retirees are responsible for notifying ARAG Insurance Company of any changes.

Questions

If employees have questions regarding the Plan or how to continue into retirement, the employee can contact ARAG at (866) 762-0972.

Premium Rates

Refer to the CalHR State Employee website or the CalHR Benefits Administration Manual for current rates.

The links to the websites are listed below under resources.

Administrative Fee

There is an administrative fee of $0.85 cents paid per month by the employee/retiree.

Enrollment for Newly Hired or Newly Eligible

Newly hired or newly eligible employees may enroll in the Plan within the first 60 days of employment.

Effective Date of Coverage for Newly Hired or Newly Eligible

Newly hired and newly eligible employees have 60 days to enroll. The form must be received by ARAG Insurance by the end of their 60-day eligibility period.

The employee’s effective date of coverage will begin on the first day of the month, following the first premium deduction.

• If the Online Enrollment application is processed by the 10th day of the calendar month, the insurance will become effective on the first day of the next calendar month.
• If the Online Enrollment application is processed after the 10th day of the calendar month, the insurance will become effective on the first day of the second calendar month.

If the employee submits a form, the form must be mailed or faxed to ARAG Insurance by the close of the 60-day eligibility period.

*Do not mail forms to the State Controller's Office.

Open Enrollment

Open enrollment is held annually in the fall. 

During open enrollment, eligible employees may enroll and employees currently enrolled may change their plan coverage options to add or delete dependents. 

Employees and retirees already enrolled are not required to re-enroll during open enrollment in order to continue their current coverage.

Employees can cancel coverage any time throughout the year.

Effective Date of Coverage for Open Enrollment

The employee’s effective date of coverage for open enrollment is January 1.

Please do not mail forms to the State Controller's Office for processing.

How to Enroll

Eligible state employees can enroll online by visiting the ARAG Insurance website.

The link is listed below under resources.

Employee Communications for Open Enrollment

Eligible employees not enrolled in the Plan will receive an enrollment packet with a Plan letter, a detailed flyer, enrollment instructions, and an enrollment authorization form.

Fill and Print Enrollment Authorization Form

A fill and print enrollment authorization form is available on CalHR’s website.  Employees can complete the form online, print it, sign it, and send to ARAG via mail or fax.

Where to Mail or Fax Forms

ARAG Legal Insurance

Attn: Client Support

500 Grand Ave., Suite 100

Des Moines, IA 50309

Email forms to: service@ARAGlegal.com

Fax forms to: (515) 246-8816

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time

Ordering Enrollment Kits

Personnel offices should always maintain an adequate supply of the current marketing and enrollment materials during the annual open enrollment for employees who become newly eligible to enroll throughout the year or who may wish to cancel the Plan coverage.  CalHR does not maintain these materials for distribution to departments. Please order supplies directly from ARAG Insurance Company by:

• Contacting the ARAG Material Ordering Service at 1-800-888-4184, Extension 605
• E-mail your request to: clientsupport@ARAGlegal.com

Your request must include your department name, name of contact person, the actual physical street address with zip code, room number or mail station, telephone number and extension, and the quantity of enrollment kits needed.  ARAG ships via UPS ground delivery and supplies are not deliverable to a P. O. Box (allow five to ten business days for delivery).

Application

Departments should ensure employees receive benefit information when newly eligible and during open enrollment.

Departments should guide employees to the CalHR benefit website for state employees to obtain detailed information and guidance on the enrollment process, changes to benefits, and vendor contact information.

Authorities

• Bargaining Contracts - MOUs
• Government Code section 19889.7
• Government Code sections 19849.10 to 19849.13

Resources

Forms

• Group Legal Services Insurance Active Employee Enrollment Form 200849: Group Legal Services Insurance Active Employee Enrollment Form 200849
• Group Legal Services Insurance Other Employees Enrollment Form 200635: Group Legal Services Insurance Other Employees Enrollment Form 200635
• Group Legal Services Insurance Retiree Enrollment Form: Group Legal Services Insurance Retiree Enrollment Form

Web Pages

• ARAG Insurance Company: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan: ARAG Insurance Company: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan
• CalHR State Employee: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan for state employees: CalHR State Employee: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan for state employees
• CalHR State Retiree: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan for state retirees: CalHR State Retiree: Group Legal Services Insurance Plan for state retirees

Authorized By

Benefits Division
Benefits Division Inquiries
Benefits Division

Contact Person

Group Legal Services Insurance
CalHR
Phone: 916-909-2863
Email: Grouplegal@calhr.ca.gov

Superseded Policies

History

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