Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance
A financial cushion to help you if you can't work.
Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance
Imagine a car accident left you with broken ribs and a separated shoulder. The doctor says you'll be fine in a few months … but in the meantime you can't see patients. How would your family make ends meet if you couldn't work for a few months? The AOA's Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance Plan can help you fill the gap. This temporary solution can help replace your personal income for up to six months if a sudden accident or illness keeps you from working. Plus, you can use this AOA plan to help set up a safety net for your employees as well.
Overview
A Split-Second Accident Could Change Your CareerImagine you’re building a new deck for your home. As you struggle to remove the decking from your old deck, you suddenly slip from the ladder and land awkwardly on your knee. After a trip to the emergency room, you discover you’ve torn ligaments in your knee. You’ll need surgery to repair the damage and will be out of work for weeks while it heals.
Your medical coverage will take care of the ER, doctor and hospital bills. But what about your personal income? For the weeks you’re recuperating, you probably won’t be able to see patients. So your income will stop … but the bills at home will keep coming.
That’s why the AOA set up the Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance for doctors of optometry. This coverage is underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company and can help replace up to 66.7% of your average monthly income (not counting bonus or overtime pay) if a sudden accident or injury keeps you from working.
Plus, as an added privilege for doctors of optometry who own their own practices, this coverage can also be extended to your eligible staff members as an employee short-term disability benefit option.
A Six-Month Safety Net For Your Income
The AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance helps replace up to 66 2/3 of your personal income for up to six months if a sudden illness or injury keeps you (or one of your covered employees) from working. Benefits can start on the first day of your disability if it’s caused by an injury. Benefits begin on the eighth day after a covered illness causes a disability.
Extended To The AOA Members & Their Employees
As an AOA Member, you can apply for benefits up to $3,500 a month (to a maximum of 66 2/3 of your base average monthly income excluding bonus and overtime pay). Employees of an AOA member can apply for monthly benefits up to $2,000 as long as their benefit amount doesn’t exceed 66 2/3 of their Average Monthly Income pay.
Printable Application
Benefits
A “Just-In-Case” Cushion If You Can’t Work For A Few MonthsAs an AOA Member under age 60, you can now apply for up to $3,500 monthly benefits in the AOA Group Short-Term Disability Insurance Income. You must reside in the United States (excluding NH, VT and territories) and work at least 20 hours a week. The benefit amount you can qualify for depends on your current income and any other disability protection you may have.
If you own your own practice, your employees can also apply for the AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance through your membership. Employees must be under age 60, reside in the United States (excluding NH, VT and territories), and work at least 20 hours a week to be eligible.
Collect Again If Your Disability Comes Back
It’s not unusual to recover from a disability … go back to work … and then find your disability once again prevents you from working. So the AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance gives you benefits for these types of situations.
After you meet your original elimination period (the waiting period before benefits begin, see the Terms tab) for a disability, any disability due to the same or related medical conditons will be treated as one continuous period of disability. That means your disability benefits can start again … right away … if you become disabled again after returning to work for LESS than two consecutive weeks.
Printable Application
Rates
Member Exclusive Rates Deliver Exceptional ValueAs you’d expect from any AOA insurance, this Insurance coverage can be valuable due to the program’s rates. As a result, many AOA members report this program is an economical way to provide a valuable benefit to both themselves AND their employees.
Group Short Term Disability Income Insurance Current 2022 – 2023 Monthly Contributions
Your Age | $1000 Benefit | $1500 Benefit | $2000 Benefit |
---|---|---|---|
Under 45 | $58.80 | $88.20 | $117.60 |
45-59 | $106.80 | $160.20 | $213.60 |
60-69* | $219.00 | $328.50 | $438.00 |
*Rates for age 60-69 are renewal rates only.
Other benefit amounts are available. Call 1-866-331-0180 for more information.
Printable Application
FAQs
What kinds of disability will the coverage pay for?The AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance pays valuable benefits if a covered injury or illness leaves you totally disabled and unable to perform the material and substantial duties of your occupation. That means you’re covered for injuries caused by car accidents, falls, exercise or sports injuries, or serious illnesses like cancer, strokes, heart disease, complications of pregnancy, and much more. Please refer to the Terms tab for more information on exclusions and limitations.
Will I have to pay taxes on my benefits?
Under current tax law, your AOA Group Disability Income Insurance benefits may be tax-free as long as you pay your own premiums with after-tax dollars. That means you will receive the benefit amount you applied for in the event of a covered disability. If you own your own business, you may instead choose to claim your premium (or premiums for your employees) as a tax deduction. Check with your accountant for details and guidance on current tax law and the options available to you.
Will I have to pay premiums while I’m disabled?
If you are under age 60, then after you’re totally disabled for 6 consecutive months, we will waive any further premiums that come due as long as you remain disabled from that injury or sickness.
Printable Application
Terms
When Coverage Begins:Your coverage will begin on the first of the month following the date your application is approved by New York Life Insurance Company, provided you are Actively-at-Work full-time on the date, meet required evidence of insurability requirements and the premium is paid. Benefits will begin on the first day of a covered total disability after completion of the applicable Waiting Period. Benefits will continue until the earlier of (a) the day the insured ceases to be totally disabled or (b) the end of the maximum benefit period.When Coverage Ends:Your coverage will end when you are no longer an AOA member, you are no longer at full-time work, you reach age 70, you stop paying your premiums when due, when you receive covered total disability benefits for the maximum benefit period, when you begin active duty in the armed forces, or the date the group policy ends.
Important Definitions
Average Monthly Income means a person’s average monthly wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, fees and any other amounts received by such person for personal services, including the cost of his or her fringe benefits and share of total surplus. It does not include income from overtime, other extra compensation, interest, dividends, rent, royalties, annuities, other insurance and other unearned income.Covered Total Disability is an incapacity that completely and continuously prevents the insured member from doing the material and substantial duties of his/her regular occupation during the waiting period and during the next 12 consecutive months and any occupation for which he/she is or may become qualified by reason of education, training or experience, after the waiting period and the initial 12 consecutive month period has elapsed. Note: An insured member will not be considered to have incurred a covered disability if at any time he/she is engaged in any occupation for pay or profit.
A loss of license, in and of itself, does not constitute an incapacity that prevents the insured member from doing the material and substantial duties of his or her regular occupation and will not be deemed a Covered Total Disability.
Such covered disability must begin while the insured member is insured under the Policy and be the result of: (1) and injury, For a Covered Total Disability to be considered to have resulted from an injury, the Covered Total Disability must begin within 365 days after an accident, if the accident occurs while the insured member is insured under the policy. If more than 365 days has elapsed, such Covered Total Disability will be considered to have resulted from an Injury; (2) a sickness; or (3) an organ donation that an insured member makes, provided he/she has been insured under the Policy for at least six consecutive months on the day of such donation.
Successive Periods of Covered Total Disability will be considered one period of Covered Total Disability if such disabilities are due to the same or related causes, and which are separated by less than 14 days of return to continuous full-time work during which you are not totally disabled or different or unrelated causes are not separated by return to full-time work.
Waiting Period is the initial, continuous period of a Covered Total Disability which must be completed before such Covered Total Disability benefits become initially payable.
General Exclusions
The following Exclusions apply to all benefits of the Policy.
Exclusions: The following Exclusions apply to all benefits of the Policy. Exclusions: The Policy does not cover, and will not pay a benefit for any Loss or Disability: is related to; 1) the insured’s engagement in any of the following in a role other than as a victim: war, an act of war, or an armed conflict which involves the armed forces of one or more countries.2) due to an act of intentionally self-inflicted Injury or occurs while intentionally injuring oneself while sane; 3) due to participation in or incarceration resulting from any of the following in a role other than as a victim: (a) the commission of a felony; (b) an illegal occupation or activity; (c) an insurrection; (d) terrorist activity; or (e) a riot 4) due to pregnancy (except that Complications of Pregnancy are covered); 6) due to or related to a service in the military, naval or air force of any country, alliance or international organization or in a civilian unit which severs such forces 7) a disability that occurs during, is due to or relating to the insured member travel in, on or fall from any aircraft which is used to train, test or experiment or is part of the military , naval or air force.
Impairment Restriction is a disability that is due to or related to a condition which has an Impairment Restriction. However, at any time and at his or her own expense, the INSURED MEMBER can give medical evidence of insurability for a condition which has an Impairment Restriction. After review of such evidence, New York Life will determine: (a) if and when such Impairment Restriction should be removed or liberalized; or (b) if it should be continued.
Important Information from New York Life Insurance Company: New York Life Insurance Company reserves the right to request medical information to determine applicant’s medical eligibility for coverage. Based on the age of the person proposed for insurance and the amount of coverage requested, a physical examination, EKG, blood test or other information may be required. Not all applicants will have to supply additional information. However, if it is required, New York Life will arrange for an independent professional paramedic to contact you to perform these simple tests at your convenience. The exam and blood test are free-of-charge.
If we can provide the coverage you requested, we will inform you as to when such coverage will be effective. Under no circumstances will coverage be effective prior to this date. Payment of a premium contribution with your application does not mean that there is any insurance in force before the effective date as determined by New York Life.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
How New York Life Obtains Information and Underwrites Your Request For Group Short Term Disability Income InsuranceIn this notice, references to “you” and “your” include any person proposed for insurance. Information regarding insurability will be treated as confidential. In considering whether the person(s) in your request for insurance qualify for insurance, we will rely on the medical information you provide, and on the information you AUTHORIZE us to obtain from your physician, other medical practitioners and facilities, other insurance companies to which you have applied for insurance and MIB, Inc. (“MIB”). MIB is a not-for-profit organization of insurance companies, which operates an information exchange on behalf of its members. If you apply for life or health insurance coverage, a claim for benefits is submitted to an MIB member company, medical or non- medical information may be given to MIB, and such information may then be furnished by MIB, upon request, to a member company.
Your AUTHORIZATION may be used for a period of 24 months from the date you signed the application for insurance, unless sooner revoked. The AUTHORIZATION may be revoked at any time by notifying New York Life in writing at the address provided. Your revocation will not be effective to the extent New York Life or any other person already has disclosed or collected information or taken other action in reliance on it, or to the extent that New York Life has a legal right to contest a claim under an insurance certificate or the certificate itself. The information New York Life obtains through your AUTHORIZATION may become subject to further disclosure. For example, New York Life may be required to provide it to insurance, regulatory or other government agencies. In this case, the information may no longer be protected by the rules governing your AUTHORIZATION.
MIB and other insurance companies may also furnish New York Life, its subsidiaries or the Plan Administrator with non-medical information (such as driving records, past convictions, hazardous sport or aviation activity, use of alcohol or drugs, and other applications for insurance). The information provided may include information that may predate the time frame stated on the medical questions section, if any, on this application. This information may be used during the underwriting and claims processes, where permitted by law.
New York Life may release this information to the Plan Administrator, other insurance companies to which you may apply for life and health insurance, or to which a claim for benefits may be submitted and to others whom you authorize in writing, however, this will not be done in connection with test results concerning Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). We may also make a brief report of your protected health information to MIB, but we will not disclose our underwriting decision.
New York Life will not disclose such information to anyone except those you authorize or where required or permitted by law. Information in our files may be seen by New York Life and Plan Administrator employees, but only on a “need to know” basis in considering your request. Upon receipt of all requested information, we will make a determination as to whether your request for insurance can be approved.
If we cannot provide the coverage you requested, we will tell you why. If you feel our information is inaccurate, you will be given a chance to correct or complete the information in our files. Upon written request to New York Life or MIB, you will be provided with non-medical information. Generally, medical information will be given either directly to the proposed insured or to a medical professional designated by the proposed insured. Your request is handled in accordance with the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act procedures. If you question the accuracy of the information provided by MIB, you may contact MIB and seek a correction. MIB’s information office is: MIB, Inc., 50 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 400, Braintree, MA 02184-8734, telephone 866-692-6901. For Canadian residents, the address is: MIB Information Office, 330 University Avenue, Suite 501, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1R7, telephone 416-597-0590. Information for consumers about MIB may be obtained on its website at www.mib.com.
For NM Residents: PROTECTED PERSONS1 have a right of access to certain CONFIDENTIAL ABUSE INFORMATION2 we maintain in our files and they may choose to receive such information directly. You have the right to register as a PROTECTED PERSON by sending a signed request to the Administrator at the address listed on the application. Please include your full name, date of birth and address.
1PROTECTED PERSON means a victim of domestic abuse: who has notified us that he/she is or has been a victim of domestic abuse; and who is an insured person or prospective insured person.
2CONFIDENTIAL ABUSE INFORMATION means information about: acts of domestic abuse or abuse status; the work or home address or telephone number of a victim of domestic abuse; or the status of an applicant or insured as family member, employer or associate of a victim of domestic abuse or a person with whom an applicant or insured is known to have a direct, close, personal, family or abuse-related relationship.
New York Life Insurance Company 8.12 ed.If we can provide the coverage you requested, we will inform you as to when such coverage will be effective. Under no circumstances will coverage be effective prior to this date. Payment of a premium contribution with your application does not mean that there is any insurance in force before the effective date as determined by New York Life.
Questions? Call toll-free 1-866-331-0180
When program experience has been good New York Life Insurance Company will periodically return excess premiums in the form of dividends to the AOA as the policyholder. The AOA will retain these dividends in a Dividend on Deposit Account with New York Life. The AOA will in turn periodically make these dividends available through premium credits to existing insureds in the programs which generated the dividends. Sufficient reserves will be retained by the AOA in the Dividend on Deposit Account to cover administrative and marketing costs generated by the New York Life Insurance Programs sponsored by the AOA. These programs are administered together to take advantage of the savings resulting from this integrated approach.
Administrative expenses incurred by the AOA to provide the valuable membership benefits resulting from these sponsored insurance programs are reimbursed from available program dividends. New York Life may also, out of premium, pay a reasonable fee to the AOA for making the AOA assets available to it to promote these programs to the membership. These assets include the AOA Intellectual Property Rights and mailing lists of eligible members.
Endorsed By
Administered by:
AGIA Insurance Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 26860
Phoenix, AZ 85068
A.G.I.A., Inc., is licensed/authorized to transact business in all 50 United States, and the District of Columbia. Their state of domicile is California. Matthew Bishop California Agent insurance license number is 0F00863. Matthew Bishop Arkansas Agent insurance license number is 8493373.
The Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance is underwritten by: New York Life Insurance Company
51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010
under Group Policy G-29336-2 on
Policy Form GMR-FACE/ G-29336-2
New York Life is licensed/authorized to transact business in all the 50 united states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Please note that this coverage is not available in all states.
New York Life Insurance Company’s state of domicile is New York and their NAIC ID # is 66915.
Printable Application
No Hassle
NO RISK WITH 30-DAY FREE LOOKAs soon as your application is approved, we’ll mail your Certificate of Insurance outlining the terms and conditions of this AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance. Take up to 30 days to look it over. If it wasn’t what you had in mind, mail back the Certificate, without claim and your insurance will be invalidated.
ACT IMMEDIATELY FOR PROMPT COVERAGE
With the AOA’s Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance, you can set up a cost-effective financial cushion to help protect your income (or that of your employees) against the financial impact of a sudden illness or injury.
Just download the Application Form on this website. Then complete, sign and date your application and mail it to: the AOA Group Short-Term Disability Income Insurance, P.O. Box 26860, Phoenix, AZ. 85068-9961.
Printable Application
Apply through our online portal today!
- Visit the link below to view the online application.
- Please complete all fields on the online form.
- Conveniently submit your application online.
If you do not wish to apply online, you may download either the application below and mail in your completed application using the instructions below or you may download the web editable application to upload online.
Activate Your AOA Benefits Now
30-DAY FREE LOOK
You are under no obligation today.
Your official Certificate of Insurance outlines the terms and conditions of this AOA program. Take up to 30 days to look it over. If it’s not what you had in mind, mail back the Certificate for a 100% refund; less any claims paid.