Some members were concerned that the insurance paperwork they filled out did not represent the new bargain (I.e. two times their annual base salary) in board-paid life insurance coverage. DCSMEC addressed the subject with management. Below is the response from Management. I hope this addresses your concerns:

Good afternoon, Mr. Sardinas,

I want to first express my appreciation for our conversation this morning. As discussed, please accept this email as a follow-up to document the status of this negotiated benefit.

As discussed during the 2025 Bargaining Sessions, we negotiated through “Proposal #15” that employees represented by your unit will receive, effective January 1, 2025, two times their annual base salary in board-paid life insurance coverage.

However, as mentioned, the system has not yet been updated to reflect this negotiated amount, and employee records still show one-time the annual base salary.

Therefore, please consider this email as our commitment to the following:

• The coverage will be enforced retroactively to January 1, 2025.
• Employees who wish to cancel any current additional coverage they are purchasing will be allowed to do so. However, if they wish to increase their coverage in the future, they must go through the underwriting process, pending the carrier’s approval.
• We are closely monitoring death claims. If any employee represented by this unit passes away, we will manually override the system so that MetLife pays the correct amount.
• The system update is projected to be completed by the end of this month, or at the latest by March.
• Once the change is made, we will communicate this to the employees in your unit, allowing them the option to reduce their optional life coverage if they wish, as well as the importance of reviewing their beneficiary designation.

My sincere apologies for the delay in updating this benefit, and I want to assure you that your members will receive the negotiated coverage. We are also available to answer any questions they may have.

I appreciate your understanding and encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or need further information.

Thank you.

Rosa Novo

Administrative Benefits Director

Office of Risk and Benefits Management