Life Insurance and Death Benefits

Life Insurance

Yale provides basic term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage at no cost to eligible faculty and staff with the option to purchase additional coverage.

Supplemental life insurance

As a new hire, you can elect Supplemental Life Insurance coverage (within 60 days of hire), for up to two times your annual earnings (the Guaranteed Issue Amount (GIA)), without Evidence of Insurability (EOI). Requests for increased coverage beyond two times your annual GIA require an EOI.

If you have a Qualifying Life Event, you can elect Supplemental Life Insurance coverage (within 60 days), in one increment increases (up to the GIA) without EOI.

Insurance Detail
Basic Life Insurance Yale provides $5,000 of basic term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage at no cost.
Supplemental Life

You can purchase Supplemental Life Insurance for up to five times your annual salary to a maximum of $1,500,000* or choose a flat dollar amount of $25,000 or $50,000 (less the $5,000 basic life insurance amount).

Requests for any level of increased coverage (including up to the Guaranteed Issue amount of two times your annual salary) made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.

EOI will be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You request coverage up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue) within 60 days of hire; or
  • You request an increase of one increment of coverage (up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue)) within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event, and you have not been previously denied coverage.

For requests to increase your coverage beyond these limits or from three to five times your annual earnings, you must submit EOI.

Insurance Detail
Basic Life Yale provides $50,000 of basic term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage at no cost.
Supplemental Life

You can purchase Supplemental Life Insurance of up to six times your annual salary to a maximum of $2,000,000* or choose a flat dollar amount of $25,000.

Requests for any level of increased coverage (including up to the Guaranteed Issue amount of two times your annual salary) made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.

EOI will be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You request coverage up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue) within 60 days of hire; or
  • You request an increase of one increment of coverage (up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue)) within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event, and you have not been previously denied coverage. 

For requests to increase your coverage beyond these limits or from three to six times your annual earnings, you must submit EOI.
Spousal Life

You can purchase an additional $25,000 or $50,000 spousal coverage.

Dependent spouse: Requests for coverage made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.
Dependent Life

You can purchase $5,000 or $10,000 in child life coverage.

Dependent child(ren): EOI is not needed. The contribution amount is the same regardless of the number of children you cover.

Insurance Detail
Supplemental Life

You can purchase Supplemental Life Insurance for up to six times your annual salary to a maximum of $2,000,000* or choose a flat dollar amount of $25,000 or $50,000. 

Requests for any level of increased coverage (including up to the Guaranteed Issue amount of two times your annual salary) made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.

EOI will be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You request coverage up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue) within 60 days of hire; or
  • You request an increase of one increment of coverage (up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue)) within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event, and you have not been previously denied coverage.
Spousal Life

You can purchase an additional $25,000 or $50,000 spousal coverage.

Dependent spouse: Requests for coverage made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.
Dependent Life

You can purchase $5,000 or $10,000 in child life coverage.

Dependent child(ren): EOI is not needed. The contribution amount is the same regardless of number of children you are covering.

Insurance Detail
Basic Life Yale provides $10,000 of basic term life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage at no cost.
Supplemental Life

You can purchase Supplemental Life Insurance for up to five times your annual salary to a maximum of $1,500,000* or choose a flat dollar amount of $25,000 or $50,000 (less the $5,000 basic life insurance amount).

Requests for any level of increased coverage (including up to the Guaranteed Issue amount of two times your annual salary) made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.

EOI will be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You request coverage up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue) within 60 days of hire; or
  • You request an increase of one increment of coverage (up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue)) within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event, and you have not been previously denied coverage. 

For requests to increase your coverage beyond these limits or from three to five times your annual earnings, you must submit EOI.

Insurance Detail
Basic Life Yale provides $50,000 of basic term life insurance at no cost and accidental death and dismemberment coverage. In addition, there is a “line of duty” accidental death and dismemberment coverage in effect.
Supplemental Life

You can purchase Supplemental Life Insurance for up to five times your annual salary to a maximum of $1,500,000* or choose a flat dollar amount of $25,000.

Requests for any level of increased coverage (including up to the Guaranteed Issue amount of two times your annual salary) made outside of your 60-day new hire window or outside of a Qualifying Life Event, require you to provide EOI by completing and submitting a Medical History Statement. Your request must be approved to receive coverage.

EOI will be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

  • You request coverage up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue) within 60 days of hire; or
  • You request an increase of one increment of coverage (up to two times your annual earnings (Guaranteed Issue)) within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event, and you have not been previously denied coverage.

For requests to increase your coverage beyond these limits or from three to five times your annual earnings, you must submit EOI.

*The maximum amount of supplemental life insurance noted includes your basic life insurance coverage amount.

Death Benefits

In the unfortunate event of the death of an employee, certain benefits and compensations may be available to support their family and beneficiaries.

If a regular employee scheduled to work 20 or more hours each week dies while in active service, salary will be paid up to and including the date of death. In addition, any unused vacation entitlement, and 50% of unused sick time, payable to the estate of the employee.

Additionally, a benefit-eligible employee’s spouse (or, in the absence of a spouse, group term life insurance beneficiary, if no beneficiaries listed the estate) will be paid:

  1. an amount equivalent to one month’s wages, including any holiday or recess days that may fall within the 30-calendar-day period immediately following the death, and
  2. an amount equivalent to 50 % the remaining unused and non-forfeited sick days.

Note: If a staff member has no spouse and assigned different beneficiaries for the basic and supplemental life, the one-month wage and 50% sick time payment will be paid to the basic life beneficiary.

If a faculty with an appointment of at least 50% time dies while in active service, his or her salary will be paid up to and including the date of death.

In addition, a benefit-eligible spouse (or, in the absence of a spouse, group term life insurance beneficiary, if no beneficiaries listed, the estate) will be paid:

  • an amount equivalent to one month’s wages, including any holiday or recess days that may fall within the 30-calendar-day period immediately following the death.

Note: If a staff member has no spouse and assigned different beneficiaries for the basic and supplemental life, the one-month wage will be paid to the basic life beneficiary.

If a regular employee scheduled to work 20 or more hours each week dies while in active service, salary will be paid up to and including the date of death. In addition, any unused vacation entitlement, and 50% of unused sick time will paid. These payments will be made to the estate of the employee.

Additionally, a benefit-eligible employee’s spouse (or, in the absence of a spouse, group term life insurance beneficiary, if no beneficiaries listed, the estate) will be paid:

  1. an amount equivalent to one month’s wages, including any holiday or recess days that may fall within the 30-calendar-day period immediately following the death, and
  2. an amount equivalent to 50% the remaining unused and non-forfeited sick days.

Note: If a staff member has no spouse and assigned different beneficiaries for the basic and supplemental life, the one-month wage and 50% sick time payment will be paid to the basic life beneficiary. 

If a postdoctoral associate with an appointment of at least 50% time dies while in active service, his or her salary will be paid up to and including the date of death.

In addition, a named Yale University Group Term Life Insurance beneficiary (or, in the absence of a named beneficiary, the estate) will be paid:

  • an amount equivalent to one month’s wages, including any holiday or recess days that may fall within the 30-calendar-day period immediately following the death.

If a regular employee scheduled to work 20 or more hours each week dies while in active service, salary will be paid up to and including the date of death. In addition, any unused vacation entitlement, and 50% of unused sick time, payable to the estate of the employee.

Additionally, a benefit-eligible employee’s spouse (or, in the absence of a spouse, group term life insurance beneficiary, if no beneficiaries listed, the estate) will be paid:

  1. an amount equivalent to 50% the remaining unused and non-forfeited sick days.

Note: If a staff member has no spouse and different beneficiaries listed for basic and supplemental life, the final 50% sick time payment will be paid to the basic life beneficiary.