About

Optional life insurance provides additional insurance over and above your basic life insurance if you pass away while employed at the U of S.

  • Optional life insurance covers death by natural or accidental causes.
  • Optional accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance covers death or loss of limbs, sight, hearing or speech by accidental causes.
  • In the case of an accidental death, optional AD&D insurance will be paid in addition to your basic life insurance and your optional life insurance (if enrolled in the coverage).
  • There is no medical evidence of insurability required to purchase AD&D. You may enroll at any time.

You and your spouse can each apply for up to $500,000 of optional life insurance in units of $25,000. If both of you are employees of the University of Saskatchewan, you and your spouse are eligible for an overall maximum of $500,000 each of optional life insurance and $500,000 each of optional AD&D insurance.

You can enroll in the optional AD&D without applying for optional life insurance.

Eligibility

You and your spouse may be eligible for optional life insurance and/or optional AD&D. You can check your eligibility to see if this benefit is available for you and/or your spouse.

Applying

Increasing optional life insurance

Within 90 days of your hire or a life event (marriage, birth or adoption of a child)

  • You may apply for or increase your optional life insurance up to $500,000 without providing medical evidence of insurability.
  • Your spouse may apply for or increase their coverage for the first $50,000 of optional life insurance without providing medical evidence of insurability. They will need to complete a health statement to provide medical evidence of insurability for any amount above $50,000.
  • Since you do not have to provide medical evidence of insurability, you will pay premiums from the insurance effective date (date of hire or date of life event), regardless of when during those 90 days you submit your application.

After 90 days from your date of hire or life event (marriage, birth or adoption of a child)

  • You and/or your spouse may apply for or increase your optional life insurance but will have to complete a health statement to provide medical evidence of insurability. Our insurance provider, Sun Life, will underwrite the application and let you know if you are approved.
  • You will pay premiums from the effective date provided to you in your approval letter from Sun Life.
  • If you apply to increase your coverage, your current optional life amount will remain in effect, even if the additional amount is declined.

Application forms

You will receive an employee optional life insurance form and a spousal optional life insurance form in your benefits package when you begin your employment. 

Complete application form(s)

  • Ensure you have checked off the amount of coverage desired, named a beneficiary(s) and have signed and dated the form, and return to ConnectionPoint.
  • If you are a new hire, even if you do not wish to apply for optional life insurance, you must check “None”, sign and date the form and return to ConnectionPoint.
  • If your spouse applies for optional life insurance, both you and your spouse’s signatures are required.
  • If your spouse does not apply for coverage, the form does not need to be returned.

If medical evidence of insurability is required by you and/or your spouse

  • A health statement will be sent to you by ConnectionPoint.
  • Send your completed health statement directly to Sun Life (address provided on the form). Do not return your completed health statement to ConnectionPoint.

Beneficiaries

For the employee optional insurance, you may name any beneficiary you wish

  • If you have more than one beneficiary, the percentage of insurance that the beneficiaries receive must equal 100 per cent. Only whole numbers can be accepted for percentages (no decimals).
  • It is recommended you also name a contingent beneficiary in the event there are no surviving primary beneficiaries at the time the benefit is to be paid. If no contingent beneficiary is named, and the primary beneficiary is no longer alive, the benefit will be paid to your estate.
  • If any of your primary or contingent beneficiaries are under the age of 18, then a trustee must be designated
  • If you do not designate a beneficiary, the beneficiary is your estate.
  • You may update your beneficiary at any time

For the spousal optional life insurance and spousal optional AD&D, you (the employee) are automatically the beneficiary, and this cannot be changed.

Rates

Rates are determined by your age and smoking status. If you reach a new age band, your new rate will come into effect on the July 1, following your birthday. For example, if you turn 40 on March 15, 2023, your new rate will come into effect on July 1, 2023.

Age

Employee Monthly Cost per $1,000 coverage

Employer Monthly Cost

 

non-smoker

smoker

 

Under 40

$0.019

$0.034

$0.00

40 - 44

$0.029

$0.068

$0.00

45 - 49

$0.058

$0.131

$0.00

50 - 54

$0.146

$0.272

$0.00

55 - 59

$0.219

$0.389

$0.00

60 - 64

$0.306

$0.486

$0.00

65 - 69

$0.583

$0.826

$0.00

Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment

$0.027 per $1,000

$0.00

Optional Life and Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment terminates at age 70

Examples of premium calculation for Optional Life *

$100,000 of coverage. Age = 35. Non-Smoker. $0.019 per $1,000

  •  $100,000 * .019 / 1000 = $1.90/month

$250,000 of coverage. Age 52. Smoker. $0.272 per $1,000

  •  $250,000 * .272 / 1000 = $68.00/month

*Monthly premiums will be split and deducted from your salary every semi-monthly pay day.

Smoking Status

Smoking status affects your rates for optional life insurance. If your smoking status changes, fill out the declaration of smoking status form and return to ConnectionPoint. You must not have used tobacco products and/or e-cigarettes for 12 months to be considered a non-smoker. Misrepresentation of your smoking status may invalidate any claim.

Terminating or decreasing

Terminating or decreasing your optional life insurance and/or AD&D

  • To terminate your and/or your spouse’s optional life insurance coverage, use the same application forms (employee optional life insurance form and a spousal optional life insurance form), complete it and select “terminate coverage” in the ‘Reason for application’ section.
  • To decrease your coverage amount, select “reduce coverage” in the ‘Reason for application’ section, then select the new amount of coverage you would like.
  • Sign and date the form and return to ConnectionPoint, or scan it and email to connectionpoint@usask.ca. Any changes to your coverage will be in effect on the first of the following pay period.

The form must be completed in order to terminate or decrease coverage. Verbal or email requests will not be accepted. As life insurance premiums are not prorated, you will pay premiums for the full pay period and coverage will be terminated the 1st day of the following pay period. If you have the spousal coverage, it is very important that you complete the form to terminate coverage in the event of a divorce or dissolution of a common-law relationship . Premiums paid after a divorce or dissolution of a common-law relationship will not be refunded.

Getting Help

Sun Life Customer Call Centre

Sun Life has a Customer Call Centre that provides information directly related to your benefits, claims submitted and status of your claim. Other questions or scenarios that Sun Life can assist with are:

 1-800-361-6212 during the work week from 8am to 8 pm EST.

Or connect online through your MySunLife account. Visit www.mysunlife.ca and enter your access ID and password. 

ConnectionPoint 

Types of questions ConnectionPoint can assist with:

Online support
(306) 966-2000
1-844-697-4865 
 connectionpoint@usask.ca
Virtual one-on-one support

Come see us in person
Arts Building, Room 258
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm (closed 12-1 pm)