MMC Benefits Handbook
The Plan at a Glance
Plan Feature
Highlights
How the Plan Works
  • This Plan provides life insurance protection along with an investment feature that allows eligible employees to contribute additional premiums into various investment portfolios, including an interest-bearing account with a minimum guaranteed crediting rate.1
  • You can elect a death benefit for you:
    • Equal to one to eight times your salary rounded to the next $1,000, if not already an even multiple of $1,000; minimum $10,000.
    • This benefit is in addition to any benefit received under the Company-paid Basic Life Insurance Plan.
    • The Plan will pay up to a maximum death benefit amount of $5 million.
    • Evidence of Insurability is required for amounts over six times your salary (up to $1,200,000) when you are first eligible.
      • If you have previously declined coverage, and you wish to later enroll in the plan, guaranteed issue will not apply and you will need to provide evidence of insurability.
  • You can elect a death benefit for your eligible spouse/domestic partner in $10,000 increments up to a maximum of $150,000.
    • Elections of amounts over $30,000 when you are first eligible require Evidence of Insurability.
  • You can elect a death benefit for your eligible dependent child(ren) equal to $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000.
    • Evidence of Insurability is not required.
  • The Plan's tax-deferred investment feature, gives you the option to contribute additional premiums, above the cost of insurance, to a select group of investment portfolios2 that could potentially help you meet your long-term financial goals.
  • You can take loans and withdrawals from your accumulated cash value on a tax–free basis up to the cost basis (cost of insurance plus investment contributions), provided coverage is not lapsed or terminated.3,4 Loans and withdrawals will reduce your cash value and death benefit.
  • There is the potential to defer income tax on amounts that would otherwise be immediately taxable to you. 4,5
Eligibility
  • You are eligible to participate in this Plan if you meet the eligibility requirements listed below.
  • See "Participating in the Plan" for details.
Spouse and Domestic Partner Eligibility
  • You can cover your spouse or same gender or opposite gender domestic partner under this Plan.
Dependent Children Eligibility
  • For your child to be covered, your child must meet the following requirements:
    • Be dependent on you for maintenance and support, and
    • Be under 26 years of age (through age 25), not employed on a full-time basis, and unmarried.
  • See "Participating in the Plan" for details.
Enrollment
  • You must have a valid US Social Security Number and enroll within 60 days of your eligibility date or within 31 days of a qualified change in family status.
  • After the first 60 days of eligibility, you can enroll in the Plan at any time after satisfying the Evidence of Insurability requirements.
Will Preparation
  • The Plan includes the MetLife's Will Preparation service feature. This feature is automatically available at no cost to Plan participants or their spouses.
  • MetLife's Will Preparation service gives Plan participants and their spouses' access to a participating MetLife Legal Plans' attorney to prepare or revise a will.
  • See "Will Preparation" for additional information.
Estate Resolution
  • The Plan includes the MetLife Estate Resolution Services feature. This feature is automatically available at no cost to plan participants or beneficiaries.
  • MetLife Estate Resolution Services covers attorney's fees for telephone and office consultations to discuss matters related to probating the insured's estate.
  • Provides assistance to your Executor or Administrator in probating your estate.
  • See "Estate Resolution" for additional information.
Digital Estate Planning
  • The Plan includes a Digital Estate Planning service feature. This feature is automatically available at no cost to Plan participants or their legally married spouses.
  • MetLife's Digital Estate Planning is a platform which provides for the creation of estate planning documents, such as Last Well and Testament, Living Will, and Durable Financial Power of Attorney by answering a few questions through a guided electronic experience.
  • See "Digital Estate Planning" for additional information.
Contact Information
For more information, contact the Claims Administrator:
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
13045 Tesson Ferry Road
Mail Code A2-10
St Louis, MO 63128
For additional questions, please contact Mercer Voluntary Benefits (provided by Mercer Health & Benefits Administration) at +1 800 225 2265, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern time and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern time and you will be transferred to a MetLife GVUL Customer Service Representative.
  • To enroll in the Plan, you may also contact the GVUL Customer Service at +1 800 846 0124 Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Eastern time.
  • To speak with a GVUL Customer Service Representative regarding service, please contact MetLife GVUL Customer Service at +1 800 756 0124, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Eastern time.
Marsh McLennan does not administer this Plan. The decisions made by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company are final and binding.
1 The minimum guaranteed crediting rate is subject to the financial strength and claims paying ability of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The guarantee does not apply to the variable portfolios.
2 Money allocated to the variable investment portfolios is subject to market risk, and when redeemed may be worth more or less than your original investment. Please review the GVUL prospectuses for important information regarding the variable investment portfolios, including charges and expenses.
3 If coverage is lapsed or terminated, loans generally become taxable as withdrawals.
4 In general, if the funding of a certificate exceeds certain limits, it will become a "Modified Endowment Contract" (MEC), and become subject to "earnings first" taxation on withdrawals and loans. An additional 10% penalty for withdrawals and loans taken before age 59-1/2 will also generally apply. MetLife will notify participants if a contribution would cause the certificate to become a MEC. Withdrawals and loans reduce the death benefit and cash value and thereby diminish the ability of the cash value to serve as a source of funding for cost of insurance charges, which increase as you age. Withdrawals are subject to a partial withdrawal charge equal to the lesser of $25 or 2% of the amount withdrawn.
5 You should consider your investment time horizon, tax rates and the effect of any premium expense charges when evaluating the benefit of the GVUL Policy's tax-deferred investment feature.