During Open Enrollment in October, eligible employees have the option to choose their benefit options for the upcoming year. While you’re probably aware you need to review your health and dental coverage, don’t forget to add legal insurance to your list of options to consider. Eligible employees may only enroll in, change or cancel ARAG legal insurance coverage during Open Enrollment in October.
Voluntary legal insurance through ARAG will pay for 100% of in-network attorney fees for covered matters. They also offer guidance and advice on a variety of legal situations. Review the following information to determine if legal insurance is right for you and your family. ARAG offers two types of legal insurance plans to MSU employees: UltimateAdvisor and UltimateAdviser Plus. Visit the MSU Benefits Plus website to find out what each plan covers and monthly premium costs.
Important Milestones
When you think of important milestones – marriage, childbirth/adoption, buying a house, moving – legal assistance may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But the truth is these important events usually require help from a legal professional. If you anticipate any of these events happening in the upcoming year, consider whether legal insurance may help. Some common uses include:
- Wills: create a will naming a beneficiary of property and assets, executor of your estate, and guardian of your dependents or minor children.
- Sale or Purchase of a Home: transfer property from one owner to another.
- Trusts: set up a trust to protect assets and reduce taxes, name a trustee to manage it, and name beneficiaries to receive the assets.
The Unexpected
While it’s hard to plan for the following situations, consider if having legal coverage just in case is worth the peace of mind. Some common uses include:
- Divorce: resolve an uncontested divorce where the couple agrees on the terms or a contested divorce where the couple disagrees, and the court must hear from both parties to make decisions based on law.
- Traffic Troubles: defend a traffic violation such as a speeding ticket.
- Family Law: create, change, or enforce alimony and child custody, support, and visitation agreements.
- Identity Theft: access to identity theft materials and monitoring services to help protect you from identity theft and restore your identity if it is stolen.
- Property Protection: resolve issues such as neighbor disputes, disputes with your landlord, or real estate, contract, or financing issues.
A Note to Current Members
If you’re currently enrolled in legal insurance, please note monthly costs for the 2023 plan year have increased. View new plan premiums on the MSU Benefits Plus website to determine if you’d like to continue your coverage (your coverage will continue unless canceled during Open Enrollment).
How to Enroll
Visit the MSU Benefits Plus website to enroll in coverage during the upcoming Open Enrollment period (October 1-31). For questions or help with enrollment, contact the MSU Benefits Plus customer care team at 888-758-7575.