You are here: American University Human Resources Benefits Health & Welfare Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance

Back to top

Open Enrollment 2025

Life and accidental death & dismemberment insurance

The university provides basic life insurance in the amount of one (1) times your annual salary.

If your death is due to a covered accident or injury, your beneficiary will recieve an additional amount through accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage. The payable amount of your AD&D benefit depends on the type of loss.

Cost of coverage

AU pays the entire cost of the basic benefit and enrollment is automatic. Your coverage is subject to actively-at-work requirements.

Please note that the premium for life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000 is imputed income. The IRS requires that the value of the premium of life insurance benefits in excess of $50,000 for federal income tax purposes be subject to taxation.

Optional life and AD&D insurance options

If you would like to supplement the basic life and AD&D insurance amount, you may purchase additional voluntary coverage through the university.

  • Optional life for you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your dependent children.
  • Accidental death & dismemberment coverage for you and your family.

Terms to know

The Statement of Health is also known as Evidence of Insurability, or proof of good health. It's a few questions about your overall health that the insurer uses to evaluate your life insurance application.

When you are applying for optional life insurance for you or your spouse/partner as a benefit at American University, the Statement of Health is automated through our enrollment site. You will be redirected to the secure Prudential site to answer some health-related questions. You will receive either an immediate decision on your life insurance coverage election, or a request for additional health information and are provided with a link to return to AU's benefits enrollment site.

You have the option to complete the online Statement of Health within 30 days of your start date or 30 days from the date that your qualifying life event occurred by returning to the enrollment site. If you prefer, you may complete a paper form and mail or fax the completed form to Prudential. All health information, whether provided online or on paper, is shared directly with Prudential only; AU does not have access to the information that you provide to Prudential.

The optional life insurance complements your AU-paid basic life insurance by providing you an option to purchase additional coverage in the event of your death.

  • The coverage amount can be 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 times your base salary. The maximum election for employee optional life is $1,500,000.
  • You may purchase $10,000 - $100,000 in coverage for your spouse or domestic partner in increments of $10,000.

$0.080

Optional life coverage rates for full-time employees and their spouses/domestic partners
Age Monthly Rate per $1,000

29 and under

$0.036

30-34

$0.040

35-39

$0.046
40-44

$0.080

45-49

$0.134

50-54

$0.207

55-59

$0.387
60-64

$0.594

65+

$1.102

How to calculate voluntary life insurance for you and your spouse/domestic partner

To calculate your cost for you or your spouse/domestic partner, select the amount of coverage you want and multiply it by the rate based on your age.

Sample calculation

Clawed Eagle is 36 years old and has a salary of $50,000. He is electing optional life coverage of $100,000 (2 times his salary). Clawed's cost of optional life insurance is $100,000/$1,000 x $0.046 = $4.60 per month.

You may purchase life insurance for your eligible dependent children from live birth to age 26.

  • You may purchase $1,000 - $10,000 in coverage for your eligible dependent children, in increments of $1,000.

Optional life coverage rates for dependent children
Amount Monthly rate

$1,000

$0.10

$2,000

$0.21

$3,000

$0.31

$4,000

$0.41

$5,000

$0.52

$6,000

$0.62

$7,000

$0.72

$8,000

$0.82

$9,000

$0.93

$10,000

$1.03

The optional accidental death & dismemberment insurance complements your optional life coverage in the event of death due to an accident or covered disabling injury.

  • The coverage amount can be 1 - 10 times your base salary. If the coverage amount is not a multiple of $1,000, then it is rounded to the next higher multiple of $1,000.
  • The maximum election is $500,000.

This summary is provided for general information only since exclusions and limitations apply. 

Optional accidental death & dismemberment insurance
Coverage level Monthly Rate per $1,000

Single

$0.014

Family

$0.023

 

How to calculate optional AD&D insurance

To calculate your cost for you or your family, select the amount of coverage you want and multiply it by the coverage level rate.

During open enrollment, you may choose to enroll in optional life coverage for yourself or life insurance coverage for your spouse or domestic partner, or you may choose to increase your existing coverage.

For certain elections, a satisfactory Statement of Health will need to be provided to the insurance company before coverage can take effect.

For optional life coverage, a Statement of Health will be required if you are not already enrolled in optional life coverage, or you wish to increase your optional life coverage by more than 1 times your salary or to an amount which exceeds 4 times your salary or $600,000. 

For life insurance coverage for your spouse or domestic partner, a Statement of Health will be required if you are not already enrolled in coverage for your spouse or domestic partner, or you wish to increase coverage by more than $10,000 to an amount that exceeds $10,000 for your spouse or domestic partner

If you do not make an election during open enrollment, your current life and accident benefit elections will carry over to the next year. This includes optional life and personal accident insurance elections for you and your family.

Although you may not increase your coverage after open enrollment unless you have a qualifying life event, you may decrease or drop any optional life insurance coverage at any time during the year.

A primary beneficiary is the person, organization, trust, or entity you name to receive any benefits if you die.

A contingent beneficiary is the person, organization, trust, or entity you name to receive any benefits if the primary beneficiary is deceased.

Keep in mind that changes in your family situation, such as marriage, divorce, birth, or adoption, do not automatically alter or revoke your beneficiary designation. Therefore, it is important that you review your beneficiary designation from time to time.

Updates to life and accident beneficiary information can be made at any time by making changes through Workday.

 

American University makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information that appears on the benefits site. However, if there are discrepancies between the information presented and the legal documents governing a plan or program (the "plan documents"), the plan documents will always govern. American University reserves the right to amend or terminate any benefit plan at its sole discretion at any time, for any reason.

Open enrollment & new hire enrollment

2025 Enrollment Guide
See instructions below to make your elections.

Make your elections in Workday

Instructions to make your open enrollment elections in Workday

  • Log into Workday and go to your Inbox.
  • Click the Inbox icon, then open the Open Enrollment Change message.
  • Select Let’s Get Started to go to the enrollment page.

You’ll see one of the following options:

  • Manage: Update your elections.
  • Enroll: You’re not currently enrolled but can enroll for 2025.
  • View: Changes aren’t allowed for this benefit (e.g., core benefits like basic life insurance or benefits requiring vendor enrollment, like commuter benefits).

To add dependents

  • Click Add New Dependent and enter as much information as possible (fields marked with an asterisk are required and must be completed).
  • Click Save.

After you’ve made your elections click Review and Sign at the bottom of the screen. Review the summary, check "I Accept," and then click Submit and Done.

 

Prudential

Evidence of insurability application status: 
888-257-0412
www.prudential.com/mystatus

Terms to know