COVID-19 and Kansas City Life Group insurance policies
Since our foundation 125 years ago, Kansas City Life Insurance Company has been a “people” company, one in which our people serve the needs of others. Kansas City Life has never lost sight of the tremendous responsibility we have to our policyowners, associates, agents, shareholders and community.
With that in mind, Kansas City Life is actively monitoring the changing situation related to COVID-19 and wants to address concerns related to our group insurance policies.
Our life and disability insurance contracts do require an employee to be actively at work with the employer on a day that is a regularly scheduled workday. An employee is deemed actively at work on a day that is not a scheduled workday (i.e. vacation) only if the employee was actively at work on the preceding scheduled workday. If the employee is quarantined and unable to work, the employer may continue the employee’s life and/or disability insurance by continuing to pay premiums and granting the employee a leave of absence or approving FMLA absence. Documentation of the approved gap in service will be required at time of claim.
Regarding disability claims, we will promptly pay all valid claims in which an eligible member has a qualifying and documented medical event, including an event related to COVID-19. Claims for COVID-19 will be evaluated the same as any other illness and as with all claims, must satisfy the definition of disability under our policies.
Should an employee test positive but remain asymptomatic and under quarantine, under most disability contracts, it would not be a compensable disability claim. However, we would examine every claim based on its own merits and the contract under which the individual is insured. |
