Coronavirus MetLife Response | MetLife

MetLife is leveraging its existing Business Continuity Plans and revising these plans through the lens of a global pandemic. This includes reviewing several potential scenarios including employee and location outages as well as various work-from-home solutions and stress testing our plans.

We are focused on ensuring business operation continuity during this time. This includes responding to inquiries and processing and paying claims. To achieve this, we are conducting mock pandemic exercises, stress testing critical processes and systems, and determining alternative solutions for all critical processes, including resources and technology. Our planning also includes testing for a high number of employees being out due to illness and counter-measures and supplemental staffing should this situation arise.

MetLife remains committed to ensuring our customers get the service they expect, maintain the coverages they need and that we process all claims for all products in a timely manner. We are working with our customers in affected markets to promptly address their questions on coverage, claims, and treatment. This is being done on a local level to observe all regulations, adhere to insurance policy terms, and ensure our customers can easily and quickly engage with us as necessary.

Yes, MetLife is prepared to handle a shift to a remote workforce, if needed. Our employees are equipped to work remotely and securely. The MetLife claims teams are cross-trained and can be deployed in areas of the business with the greatest need. So, if a pandemic event results in increased claims activity across some of our benefit products, we can adjust accordingly and handle any spikes in volume.

The health and well-being of our employees is a top priority. MetLife is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation around the world. We are taking several proactive steps to protect the well-being of our employees. These include:

• A ban on all non-essential air travel, both internationally and domestically.
• Postponement of all large meetings, defined as 50 or more people, for the next 45 days
• 14-day self-quarantines for those who have traveled to impacted areas or might otherwise have come into contact with infected persons
• Deep cleaning of facilities where our people work, and
• Regular consultations with medical professionals to ensure our policies remain robust

Please know that each claim received will be reviewed consistent with policy terms and applicable insurance law.

Life Insurance: For Group Life Insurance (Basic, Optional, Dependent, GUL and GVUL), there are no policy limitations that would limit a claim payment resulting from COVID-19, provided the individual met all other certificate requirements.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D): AD&D policies do not cover diseases. Therefore, death due to COVID-19 is excluded, as are all deaths caused by disease.

Hospital Indemnity: Because COVID-19 is a viral infection it would be considered a sickness and the Sickness Hospital benefits (admission and confinement) would be payable provided the individual met all other certificate requirements.

Accident Insurance: The definition of an “accident” includes that it is not a sickness so this condition would not be covered under our standard accident plan for COVID-19. However, it would be covered if the accident plan included Sickness Hospital benefits (admission and confinement) and would be payable provided the individual met all other certificate requirements.

Critical Illness/Cancer Insurance: Because COVID-19 is not a listed “covered condition” it would not be covered under any of our Critical Illness product versions.

Disability Insurance: There are no policy limitations that would apply for COVID-19. MetLife will evaluate each claim in accordance with the terms of the policy and use claim processes already in place for disability claims.