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Additional frequently asked questions about long term care policies

An individual wishing to continue Group Long Term Care coverage must submit a signed and dated Election to Continue Coverage form to Unum within the time period defined in the contract (also known as Portability period).

To determine the Portability period for your policy, please contact the Unum Customer Service Center at 1-800-227-4165 for assistance Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5pm ET.

For more information about the cost of Group Long Term Care specific to your area, please see the following website: https://acl.gov/ltc/costs-and-who-pays/costs-of-care. Cost of care information provided on this website may be useful as you review your current Group Long Term Care Insurance plan design. Please note: The website providing cost of care information is an official U.S. government website maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of the site are not maintained by Unum.

Inflation protection benefit allows the benefit amount to grow at an annual rate of 5.0%. The inflated benefit amount is calculated using the inflation coverage type (Compound, CPI, Simple, or Scheduled Growth) and years of inforce coverage. The annual inflated benefit amount calculation occurs either on the anniversary of the individual’s coverage effective date (GLTC04 product series) or on January 1st of each year (B.LTC/GLTC95 product series).

A Unum representative is available to support you through this process, assist with a timeline and provide materials to simplify the communication process to your employees, including the option for the employee to continue their Group Long Term Care coverage on a direct bill basis. To speak directly with a representative from Unum, please contact our Customer Contact Center at 1-800-227-4165. Our representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. E.T.

No, Group Long Term Care does not allow for self-accounting bills.

If your GLTC insurance plan indicates that current employee participation is below the minimum requirement as defined in the policy, the group policy will be terminated at a given date. Communication will be sent to the Administrator for the plan prior to the termination. In the event you have newly eligible employees who will be covered on or before the scheduled termination date provided in the communication materials, it may be possible to prevent termination of the policy.
Upon terminating a group policy, all employees may choose to continue their coverage as a voluntary benefit by filling out the "Election to Continue Coverage" form.

Once the inflation protection benefit is removed from coverage, the benefit amount will no longer receive future inflation increases. Inflation increases already applied to the benefit amount will remain intact, often referred to as a ‘parked benefit’. In order to remove the inflation protection benefit from coverage, the group policy must offer a plan design without inflation protection.

Contingent Non-Forfeiture (CNF) is a provision offered only at the time of a rate increase. The provision allows for continued, but reduced benefits if:

  • all premiums that are due up to the effective date of the premium increase are paid, and
  • premium payments are stopped on the premium effective date or within 120 days from the premium effective date

As a result, the lifetime maximum benefit will be lower. It will be the greater of these two options:

  1. one Facility Monthly Benefit payment or
  2. the total premium paid for your coverage (including any employer contributions, if applicable).

Certain states allow for an Enhanced Contingent Non-Forfeiture (ECNF) benefit which may be of higher value than what is outlined above.  These states include AL, AR, CO, GA, HI, ID, IL, KY, LA, ME, MD, MN, MS, MT, NV, NH, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI.  If ECNF is available to you, a separate packet of information will be provided.

Also referred to as ‘Election to Continue Coverage’ or ‘Continuation of Coverage’, Portability allows participants to elect to continue their long-term care coverage upon leaving an employer or if the employer terminates the plan. Participants choosing to continue coverage through portability are responsible for the entire cost of their coverage.

The inflation protection benefit is intended to help maintain the value of benefits an individual purchases to keep up with future increases in the cost of long term care.

List bill requires policyholders to pay the exact billed amount each month to avoid unnecessary billing and payment discrepancies, collection/past due actions and possible policy termination for non-payment or lack of proper administration. List bill accounts for all employee adjustments, however, the adjustment may be included a month following the employee change.

Group Long Term Care does not allow for self-accounting bills.

The plan administrator is responsible for providing portability materials to employees by:

  1. distributing the Election to Continue Coverage form directly to employees, or
  2. providing the URL directly to employees to obtain the required form.

These materials should be provided as soon as the plan administrator is aware of employment termination or termination of the group policy with Unum.

Group Long Term Care is a product that refers to medical and non-medical services provided to people who are physically or mentally unable to provide independent care for themselves. Long term care is the type of care received by someone who needs assistance performing basic activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, continence and eating, or needs assistance because of Severe Cognitive Impairment. Disabilities that require long term care can be caused by accidents, illnesses, or advanced age.