|
have
you been getting
calls "from the union?"
Within the past few months, our members received two
letters from
American Income Life
(AIL) about a supplemental $2,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Benefit provided at no cost to WPEA members. Please note, these letter were sent from the WPEA office and
no personal information was given to AIL.
Members are automatically enrolled in this plan
through a group policy under WPEA/Local 365 and are not required to
contact AIL.
However, if you want to designate a beneficiary,
receive a certificate for your records, or learn more
about the option to increase the coverage by $10,000, you are
required to fill out and return the yellow business reply card
included with the mailing. The AIL letter advises that,
"If you fail to designate your
beneficiary, the benefit will be paid to your estate and
may be subject to probate. If you do not wish anyone to
contact you, do not send in the card."
Many members DID return the card and have
received phone calls from an AIL representative asking to schedule
an appointment to: designate a beneficiary and distribute the
certificate, with the hope of spending time with you explaining
other insurance options available for you to purchase. The AIL staff
may have explained that they were from the union and needed to come
to your home to "get things signed." In many instances, those who
filled out the card had forgotten they’d done so, and were surprised
that a stranger on the phone had so much personal information.
Remember, no personal information was
given to AIL from the union.
If you want to name a beneficiary and/or have a
certificate for your records, you must meet with the AIL
representative. However, AIL says, "The representative who contacts
you needs only enough time to explain the optional
benefits and get a signature on the free AD&D policy."
You are under no obligation whatsoever to
listen to anything else he or she has to say or offer.
If you don’t care that the benefit goes to your
estate rather than to a named person if you should accidentally die,
just tell them you do not want to meet with them!
If you have questions about American Income Life or
if one of the representatives is especially pushy and you want to
voice your concern, please contact the AIL Public Relations
Representative, Nancy Rising, at (425) 827-9181, or e-mail
her at
nancyrising@altig.com.
|
