A disability insurance plan for UTU Bus Department members will be announced prior to Dec. 1. There is no coverage contemplated for UTU Airline Department members.

UTU delegates voted overwhelmingly in June to amend the UTU Constitution to permit offering such a plan to members.

This selection of Anthem Life Insurance Co. concludes almost two years of effort by UTU International officers, the UTU Board of Directors, general committees, and multiple insurance brokers and insurance carriers.

Information packages have already been mailed to all UTU rail officers, with the enrollment process established in three phases:

•Phase 1 enrollees (those members employed by BNSF, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific) will have their disability insurance made effective Jan. 1, 2010. 

•Phase 2 enrollees (those members employed by Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and  Paducah & Louisville) will have their disability insurance made effective Feb. 1, 2010.

•Phase 3 enrollees (all other UTU members, including bus members) will have their disability insurance made effective March 1, 2010. 

A mailing to the UTU membership is underway for Phase 1 enrollees, and mailings to Phase 2 and Phase 3 enrollees will follow and be completed by year end. 

The Anthem rail disability insurance plan provides a basic "safety net" of coverage for UTU members, and was designed to work in combination with Railroad Retirement sickness benefits. 

The Anthem plan pays up to $346 per week for up to 52 weeks a year, and provides 24/7 coverage for accidents and sickness. The 24/7 means on- and off-duty coverage for accidents and sickness.

The cost is $31 per month, and is collected through payroll deduction. 

Everyone is guaranteed enrollment during the initial enrollment period. Anyone choosing to opt-out of the plan -- requiring they submit a waiver form to the UTU International -- may desire to enter the plan at a later date, but they will be required to make application to Anthem at that time, be subject to full underwriting, and have no guarantee that Anthem will approve their application to join the plan.

Henceforth, new UTU members will be enrolled automatically and have the same opportunity to waive coverage if they choose. Should they choose to opt out, they also would need to make application to Anthem to join the plan at a later date and have no guarantee of acceptance.

Once enrolled, everyone is subject to a so-called 12/12 pre-existing condition provision. This provision excludes, for the first 12 months that a member is covered, any disability claims relating to treatment, diagnoses or existing condition that existed in the 12 months just prior to the enrollment date. After the first 12 months that an enrollee is covered, the pre-existing condition limitation expires.

The mailing UTU members receive will describe the plan in greater detail, and also provide frequently asked questions and answers.

Members are not required to complete any paperwork to enroll in the plan, as enrollment will be automatic. 

Members choosing NOT to participate must complete and submit to the UTU International a waiver post card (included with the mailing, or via the form accessible by line at bottom of this article). Remember from the above paragraph that anyone choosing to opt out of automatic enrollment is not guaranteed entry at a later date.

You may view the plan brochure, FAQs and the waiver form by clicking on the links below.

* Anthem Voluntary Short Term Disability Insurance -- Rail Plan

* Frequently Asked Questions

* Anthem Short Term Disability Insurance Waiver of Coverage Form