Connecticut General Statutes 38a-519 – Offset proviso prohibited in certain policies. Required disclosures for group long-term disability policies
(a) No group health insurance policy that provides disability income protection coverage, delivered, issued for delivery, renewed, amended or continued in this state, and no application, rider or endorsement used in connection therewith shall contain an offset proviso. For the purposes of this subsection, “offset proviso” means any provision of an insurance policy that allows the insurer to reduce its liability for loss or expense from sickness or from bodily injury of the insured by reason of any cost of living increase in other disability benefits that occur after the date a claim commences under such policy.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 38a-519
- Insurance: means any agreement to pay a sum of money, provide services or any other thing of value on the happening of a particular event or contingency or to provide indemnity for loss in respect to a specified subject by specified perils in return for a consideration. See Connecticut General Statutes 38a-1
- Insured: means a person to whom or for whose benefit an insurer makes a promise in an insurance policy. See Connecticut General Statutes 38a-1
- Policy: means any document, including attached endorsements and riders, purporting to be an enforceable contract, which memorializes in writing some or all of the terms of an insurance contract. See Connecticut General Statutes 38a-1
- State: means any state, district, or territory of the United States. See Connecticut General Statutes 38a-1
(b) For each group long-term disability income protection coverage policy delivered, issued for delivery, renewed, amended or continued in this state that contains an offset, the insurer shall disclose to a policyholder in a separate document and in a conspicuous manner in not less than fourteen-point boldface type: (1) That the policy contains an offset; (2) that such offset will function to limit payments to an insured under the policy, taking into account Social Security disability benefits and other benefits the insured may receive; (3) for what other categories of benefits the policy will offset; (4) the percentage of income the policy covers and the maximum dollar limit of the policy, if applicable; and (5) at least one example showing how such offset will operate. Such disclosure shall include a statement that, if an eligible individual wants a policy that does not contain an offset, the individual may contact an insurance agent or company for an individual policy.
(c) The policyholder shall provide to each eligible individual the information and the statement required to be disclosed under subsection (b) of this section.