Group Life Insurance through The Hartford
New Employee
You will receive an email from The Hartford that will be sent to your @usu.edu email address. This email will contain your unique log-in information. You will need to log into the website provided in the email to declare your beneficiaries of the life insurance policies and make supplemental life insurance elections within 30 days of your date of hire.
Not a New Employee
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is held in May and is an opportunity to make changes to life insurance. To make changes, log on to The Hartford and follow the website directions to complete the process. It must be during open enrollment or after a life event to make any changes.
Outside of Open Enrollment
Beneficiary Information
There are many places where you will have a beneficiary, including The Hartford Life Insurance, Zurich AD&D, your Retirement Vendors and Utah State University.
- To change your beneficiary with your retirement contact that vendor directly
- To change your beneficiary with Zurich turn in the Zurich Form and fill out only the top section and from beneficiary designation and below
- To change your beneficiary with The Hartford Life Insurance, login to The Hartford Life Insurance website
- To change your beneficiary for the USU Death benefit please complete the USU Beneficiary Form
Life Event: Special Enrollment
If you experience a qualifying life event, you, your spouse and eligible children may enroll or make changes to your life insurance within 30 days of the effective date of the event. A life event is:
- Marriage
- Birth/Adoption
- Divorce
- Death
- Loss of coverage
- Change in employment classification from part-time to full-time or from full-time to part-time
To make changes, login to The Hartford and follow the website directions to complete the process.
If you need assistance or have questions call HR Solutions Center (435) 797-0122.
The Hartford Website Login Help
- Password resets every year in May for open enrollment
- Username: Your User ID is either your initials followed by the last four digits of your SSN or your full employee ID.
- Password: If this is your first time logging in, use your default password: your initials (lowercase) followed by your date of birth (MMDDYYYY). If you have previously logged in please select Reset Password.
Employee Basic Term Life Insurance
The University pays the premium for Basic Life Insurance of one times your annual salary (up to $250,000) rounded to the next higher $1,000, if not already a multiple of $1,000.
Employee Supplemental Term Life Insurance
You may enroll with The Hartford for supplemental insurance up to $500,000 without evidence of insurability if done at the employee’s initial enrollment for benefits. In addition, life insurance may be increased in units of $10,000 to a maximum of $1.5 million with evidence of insurability.
Dependent Term Life Insurance
You may enroll your spouse and dependent children in term life insurance programs with The Hartford. Dependent Basic life: $10,000 of coverage for spouse and $5,000 for qualified children. Supplemental Dependent Life in units of $10,000 to a maximum of $250,000 for spouse and in units of $5,000 to a maximum of $20,000 for children. Coverage after the $20,000 supplemental for spouse requires proof of insurability. Child life insurance does not require proof of insurability.
Life Insurance Rates and Premiums
Hartford Life Insurance Conversion and Portability
How It Works - The Portability option allows terminating employees to continue their life insurance coverage under a separate group policy. This means you can take your coverage with you at a reasonable group rate when you leave your job.
The Hartford will mail a letter to your home address after terminating with the University. This letter will contain all the information you need to set up the Conversion and Portability. For information on taking your life insurance policy(ies) with you when you leave USU or converting to your own policy with The Hartford, please call the Portability/Conversion Unit at 877-320-0484.
- Group Life Portability and Conversion Comparison Guide
- Life Insurance Conversion Rates
- Life Insurance Portability Rates
Login to Hartford Online
To make changes, log on to The Hartford and follow the website directions to complete the process. It must be during open enrollment or after a life event to make any changes.
Contact The Hartford
PH: (855) 396-7655
Summary Plan Documents
Short Term & Long Term Disability Coverage
Short Term Disability Coverage
What is Short Term Disability?
Short-term disability is a leave benefit available to those who are out of work for sickness, injury, or maternity. This benefit covers 66.67% of your salary while disabled. In addition, your medical, dental, STD and life insurance programs remain in force, also your premiums are waived and contributions to your retirement plan will continue. Voluntary benefit premiums and voluntary retirement contributions can continue only if arrangements are made with the vendors.
New employees are automatically enrolled in this benefit. The cost is $6 per month for employees. You may opt-out of this benefit within your first 30 days of employment or during annual open enrollment, which is held once a year. If you choose to opt-out, your only future opportunity to enroll would be during the open enrollment period each year. If you decide during open enrollment to enroll, you will be required to complete a health questionnaire which will be reviewed and approved or denied by Hartford’s underwriting. Understanding the implications is important prior to opting out of this benefit. If you do want to opt-out, you will need to go to The Hartford’s website, login, and follow the process to opt-out.
How do I use the Short Term Disability benefit?
If you will be gone from work for more than 10 consecutive days due to sickness, injury, or maternity contact Heather Cheatham (435) 797-0197.
For more information see Policy 357.
Long Term Disability Coverage
What is Long Term Disability?
This insurance covers beyond short term disability. The Hartford will pay the disabled individual’s salary at the rate of 66.67%. While disabled, The Hartford will continue to contribute to your retirement plan.
All employees are automatically enrolled in this benefit and premiums for this benefit are paid by the University. For more information see Policy 357.
Additional Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
USU provides employees with life and AD&D insurance through The Hartford. If you want to enroll in additional voluntary AD&D through Zurich, then you can fill out the application paper application.
This election can only be made as a new hire and then every year during open enrollment. Coverage can be for employee only, employee and spouse/domestic partner, or employee plus spouse/domestic partner and children.
Each person can only be covered on one Zurich policy. You cannot cover any one person on more than one policy. For more information, please read the Zurich AD&D Summary.
Please note that when you sign up for Zurich AD&D, you also have access to their travel assistance program and business travel accident coverage. To learn more, read the Zurich Travel Assist brochure.
USU Death Benefit
In the event of the death of a benefit eligible employee, USU pays one months salary of that employee as a death benefit. This is in addition to any other life insurance that the employee has. This death benefit is a payment based on the deceased employee’s salary for a 30 day period from the date of the death. In addition, any annual leave is also payable.
The USU Death Beneficiary Form can be completed and returned to Human Resources.
Questions? Please call the Benefits Helpdesk at (435) 797-0122.