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Voluntary Benefits
Sick Leave Bank
The SLB is a pool of local days contributed by employees to be used by members of the bank who are on approved medical leave and have exhausted their own accumulated PTO. If you have a serious medical condition and are likely to exhaust your accumulated PTO, you may request up to 20 SLB days per school year.
What are the eligibility requirements?
- You must be enrolled in the program for the current school year.
- You must be on an approved medical leave of absence.
- You must exhaust all PTO time (local & state)
- YOU MUST complete a Sick Leave Bank Application
Hospital Indemnity with MetLife
Hospital Indemnity Coverage through MetLife helps pay for hospital expenses, such as deductibles and coinsurance amounts, when admitted. This plan pays benefits in addition to any other coverage you may have and will not be reduced by other benefits.
- Low Option: $150.00 on the day of admission, and $75.00 each day after.
- High Option: $300.00 on the day of admission, and $150.00 each day after.
More details on Hospital Indemnity provided by Metlife
Critical Illness with MetLife
Critical illness coverage through MetLife supplements any other coverage you may have for medications, treatments, surgeries, and hospital stays related to a covered critical illness diagnosis.
Handling the emotions that come up when experiencing an unplanned and severe illness is difficult enough. Worrying about your financial stability on top of this can obviously be overwhelming. With critical illness insurance, MetLife helps you and your family have the financial stability necessary to focus on healing during a difficult time.
Critical Illness Insurance through your employer may offer benefits for:
- A lump sum benefit payment to use as you see fit
- Dependent coverage for a spouse or partner and children
- No obligation to submit expense receipts
- Portable coverage options should you leave your current employer
More details on Critical Illness provided by Metlife
Short & Long-Term Disability with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
Short-Term Disability (STD)
All active, full-time and part-time employees who are active contributing members of the Teacher Retirement System or who are employed for 20 or more hours per week may elect to enroll for voluntary short-term disability.
- The benefit is 50% of your weekly earnings up to a maximum of $1,500 per week.
- You pay 100% of the premium for the voluntary STD.
Covering non-occupational injuries and illnesses, STD benefits will begin after you have satisfied the elimination period or when PTO is exhausted and if approved, Sick Bank is exhausted, whichever is later. When you enroll for coverage, you may select plan option 1 with a 14-day elimination period or plan option 2 with a 30-day elimination period. Benefits will continue for up to 13 weeks, or until LTD benefits begin.
STD claim converted to LTD claim. If you are receiving STD benefits, no claim is required for LTD. BCBSTX will automatically begin evaluating your claim for LTD and Life Waiver of Premium benefits.
Long-Term Disability (LTD)
All active, full-time and part-time employees who are active contributing members of the Teacher Retirement System or who are employed for 20 or more hours per week may elect to enroll for voluntary long-term disability.
The monthly benefit is 50% of your monthly earnings up to a maximum of $8,000 per month.
- You pay 100% of the premium for the voluntary LTD.
LTD benefits will begin after you have been disabled for 90 days and may continue until you reach age 65 or beyond, as indicated in the chart below.
File Disability Claim
To file a disability claim;
- You may submit it online (https://ancillary.bcbstx.com/#!/)
- Telephonically (877-442-4207, 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CST, Monday - Friday),
- or via US Mail (download the STD claim forms at bcbstx.com/ancillary/employees/ forms.)
Once completed, you can email them to BCBS at DisabilityClaimsTX@bcbstx.com, or you can fax or mail them to the number/address on the claim form).
** Any disabilities that occurred prior to October 1, 2022, should be filed with the Standard. (800) 368-1135
Pre- Existing Conditions
Benefits may not be payable for a condition that existed before enrolling for coverage. A pre-existing condition means a condition that was caused by or results from a sickness or injury for which you received medical treatment or advice was rendered, prescribed, or recommended, whether or not the sickness was diagnosed at all or was misdiagnosed within 12 months before your effective date, and results in a disability that begins in the first 12 months after your effective date. Time enrolled with the prior carrier does count toward satisfying the pre-existing condition.