Frequently Asked Questions

Miscellaneous

General Questions

1. Is this program the same as the long term care insurance offered by WAEPA, USAA, or various recreation associations targeted to Federal or military personnel?
    
2. Should I drop my health insurance coverage (FEHB, TRICARE, etc.) when I enroll in this new Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program?
    
3. Is this insurance the same as long term disability insurance?
    
4. Does the Program offer a spousal discount or any spousal benefits?
    
5. Can I apply my unused sick leave toward paying for the long term care insurance?
    
6. I am currently outside of the U.S. and am having difficulty dialing the 800 number. What should I do?
    
7. What is incontestability?

1. Is this program the same as the long term care insurance offered by WAEPA, USAA, or various recreation associations targeted to Federal or military personnel?

No, it is entirely separate from any other group long term care insurance program.

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and offered by John Hancock and MetLife, is the only program authorized by Congress to be officially offered as a Government-sponsored benefit to Federal employees and retirees, members and retired members of the uniformed services, and qualified family members.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

2. Should I drop my health insurance coverage (FEHB, TRICARE, etc.) when I enroll in this new Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program?

No. The new Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program is not health insurance and does not replace health insurance coverage such as the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program or TRICARE.

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program provides insurance to cover long term care needs such as nursing home care, assisted living facility care, formal and informal care in the home, adult day care, etc. -- care that is generally not covered by health insurance.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

3. Is this insurance the same as long term disability insurance?

No. Long term disability insurance or disability income insurance pays you a percentage of your gross income (for example, 45% or 60%) should a sickness or illness prevent you from working for an extended period of time. Policies may define "working" as working in your current occupation or perhaps doing any type of work that you're qualified to perform. Thus, the benefits are tied to your salary, and you "trigger" the benefits by being unable to work. Many such insurance policies stop paying benefits after 5 years or when you reach age 65.

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) provides insurance to help you pay for assistance you may need (such as bathing, getting in and out of bed, etc.) due to a chronic illness or injury.

There is no correlation to your job or your salary and there is no age cut-off for receiving benefits. You "trigger" benefits one of two ways -- by needing help with at least two activities of daily living with an expectation that you'll continue to need the help for at least 90 days, or by having severe cognitive impairment.

A long term disability insurance benefit helps replace part of your lost income (salary). The FLTCIP benefits help you pay for long term care you may need because you are unable to take care of yourself.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

4. Does the Program offer a spousal discount or any spousal benefits?

No. The Program does not offer a separate spousal discount or benefit or any other targeted discounts. FLTCIP rates are designed to be as low as possible for the entire eligible population.

If we offered a spousal discount or any other discount targeted to a specific segment of the group, rates for the rest of the group would have to be made higher to compensate for the discounts.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

5. Can I apply my unused sick leave toward paying for the long term care insurance?

No, there is no provision to do that.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

6. I am currently outside of the U.S. and am having difficulty dialing the 800 number. What should I do?

The 800 number, 1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) or TTY 1-800-843-3557, can be reached from approximately 175 countries outside of the United States, by using AT&T Direct Access.

Information on this feature, including a list of countries can be found here.

A downloadable wallet card of access codes can be found here under the section "Calling Tools".

You can also reach Long Term Care Partners by calling 603-430-6498. Please note that this is NOT a toll-free call.

[ Back to Top of Page ]
 

7. What is incontestability?

Incontestability is an insurance term and is part of the Federal Program. No statement made by you which relates to insurability will be used by Long Term Care Partners to contest the validity of your coverage or to deny an otherwise valid claim, unless the statement was contained in a written form that you signed and Long Term Care Partners provided you with a copy of such form.

If your coverage has been in force for less than 6 months, Long Term Care Partners may contest the validity of your coverage or deny an otherwise valid claim upon a showing of misrepresentation by you.

If your coverage has been in force for at least 6 months but less than 2 years, Long Term Care Partners may contest the validity of your coverage or deny an otherwise valid claim upon a showing of misrepresentation that is relevant to the condition (such as your severe cognitive impairment or inability to perform 2 activities of daily living due to a stroke) for which benefits are sought.

If your coverage has been in force for 2 years or more, Long Term Care Partners may contest the validity of your coverage or deny an otherwise valid claim only upon a showing that you knowingly and intentionally, by statement or omission, provided inaccurate information material to your insurability.

[ Back to Top of Page ]