Skip to main content

Life Insurance

As a retiree who meets regular age and service eligibility, your state-sponsored life insurance continues for you and your dependents at no charge to you. Your coverage is 25 percent of the coverage you carried when you left work; your dependents' policies are capped at $1,000 each.

If you become totally disabled prior to age 65, your amount of insurance being continued will be the amount in force on the day you became disabled, except that any dependent life insurance in force will be reduced to the retiree dependent plan. If you are still totally disabled on your 65th birthday, you will be considered retired and your life insurance amount will be reduced to 25% of the coverage in force on the day before you became disabled, and any dependents insurance you have will remain at the retiree dependent plan.

If you become totally disabled as described above on or after age 65, your life insurance will be continued at no cost to you at 25% of the coverage in force on the day you became disabled. If you have dependents insurance, it will reduce to the retiree dependents plan.

If you left as a deferred member you do not qualify for the state-sponsored life insurance.

The following qualified dependents can continue life insurance coverage after you retire if they were already enrolled while you were an active employee:

  • Your spouse.
  • Your unmarried dependent children under age 23.
  • Your incapacitated child who lives with you and depends on you for support as defined by IRS regulations.

Life insurance beneficiary

You can change your life insurance beneficiary by submitting the Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation (R0782GHB) form. Any person(s) can be named as beneficiary(ies) for your life insurance. You can also name a Trust or your estate.

Conversion coverage is available

Within 30 days of retirement, you may convert the remaining 75 percent of your active life insurance to a private direct pay policy. You may also convert the amount by which the dependent policy was reduced. For rates and the conversion application, go to the Civil Service Commission website or call Minnesota Life at 866-293-6047.

Keep your award letter

The award letter you receive when your retirement application is processed serves as your only proof of your life insurance coverage, so be sure to keep it with your important papers. The certificate of insurance with coverage provisions can be viewed by following the Employee Benefits links on the Michigan Civil Service Commission website.

Reliance Standard

If you purchased supplemental life insurance as an active member, you may choose to continue your coverage in retirement. As of 11/01/2020, Reliance Standard is the current administrator of this policy. For more information, contact your state police human resource office. If you choose to continue this benefit in retirement, complete the Reliance Standard Beneficiary Designation Form and mail to Office of Retirement Services, P.O. Box 30171, Lansing, MI 48909-7671 or fax to (517) 284-4416. For questions completing the form, contact the Benefit Resource Group at 810-735-6500.

Note: This designation is separate from your state-sponsored life insurance beneficiary designation as indicated above.