Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission Life Insurance

The MA Group Insurance Commission (GIC) offers benefited employees two (2) term life insurance coverage options. Life insurance provides financial protection for the beneficiaries of covered employees in the case of an employee's death and can also provide an 'accelerated death benefit', resulting in partial payment of life insurance to the employee while alive.

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A GIC life insurance plan overview and premium information appear in the GIC Benefit Decision Guide. Please reference the GIC/MetLife webpage for more information about the GIC life insurance policy.

Note that GIC Optional life insurance premiums:

  • Automatically increase when a member turns 35 years of age and every five years thereafter until the member is over 70 years of age.
  • GIC Optional life insurance rates for retirees are higher than those for employees. Premiums increase upon retirement and every five years thereafter until after the member turns 100 years of age. Please reference the GIC's State Retiree & Survivor's Benefits Guide for premium information.

The GIC offers two life insurance coverage options to benefited employees:

Basic Life Insurance
Basic Life Insurance is a flat $5,000 term life insurance benefit benefit for which employees contribute 20% or 25% of the premium (based on date of hire). Enrollment in basic life insurance is required in order to purchase GIC health insurance coverage.

Optional Term Life Insurance
Optional term life insurance is available as:

  • A flat dollar amount in increments up to $1,000 less than the employee’s annual salary.
  • A multiple of one-to-eight times (1-8x) the employee's base annual salary. Life insurance coverage, and corresponding premiums, increase as base annual salary increases.

Benefited employees may:

  • Enroll for GIC life insurance coverage within 21 days of hire into a benefited position. For employees hired into a benefited position before July 1, 2024, coverage is effective the first day of the month following sixty (60) days in a benefited position. For those hired into a benefited position on or after July 1, 2024, if hired:
    • On the first day of the month, coverages are effective on date of hire.
    • After the first day of the month, coverages are effective the first day of the following month.
  • Apply for GIC life insurance after the 21 day initial enrollment period. The GIC's life insurance carrier reviews applications based on medical evidence of insurability and approves or denies coverage on that basis. You may apply for the coverage online via the MyGICPortal (navigating to Benefits > My Benefits Summary > Life Insurance) or by completing  and returning a GIC Enrollment/Change Form 1 to the UMass Amherst Human Resources Employee Service Center.
     
  • Employees actively at work, who are carrying basic life insurance and who have the following qualifying family status changes may enroll in, or increase, optional life insurance coverage without evidence of insurability in an amount not to exceed four times (4x) their salary: marriage, birth/adoption, divorce and death of a spouse. Proof of the qualifying event and the enrollment request must be received by the GIC within 31 days of the qualifying event.

    To apply for the coverage online via the MyGICPortal (navigating to Qualifying Events) or by completing  and returning a GIC Enrollment/Change Form 1 to the UMass Amherst Human Resources Employee Service Center.

Employees (and retirees) may reduce or cancel coverage effective the first day of a future month by submitting the request online via the MyGICPortal (navigating to Benefits > My Benefits Summary > Life Insurance) or by completing  and returning a GIC Enrollment/Change Form 1 to the UMass Amherst Human Resources Employee Service Center.

Employees may apply to re-enroll for, or increase, coverage thereafter and may be approved or denied coverage by the GIC's life insurance vendor based on medical evidence of insurability.