
Full-time employees, part-time employees, and retirees are automatically provided with basic life insurance coverage. Full-time active employees and part-time participants in the Medical plan have the option to purchase additional supplemental life insurance coverage of either $10,000 or $50,000 at their own expense. Active part-time employees without Medical/Vision and Dental coverage through the Plan may only choose to add $35,000 in supplemental life insurance coverage. To enroll, you can download and complete the supplemental life insurance form.
Your designated beneficiary will receive a lump-sum benefit upon your death. Coverage under Metlife is necessary for your designated beneficiary to receive this benefit.
Additionally, the Plan offers an extra benefit to active employees in case of accidental death or dismemberment. If you are terminally ill, you may also qualify to receive up to half of your life insurance benefits.
The amount of the benefit your beneficiary can receive depends on your work status and other coverage you have, as outlined in the chart below.
Your Work Status | Life Insurance Benefit | Accidental Death Benefits | Available Supplemental Life Insurance |
---|---|---|---|
Active Full-Time Employees | $50,000 | $50,000 | Without evidence of insurability, $100,000. With proof of insurability, up to $500,000. |
Active Part-Time Employees with Medical/Vision and Dental Coverage from the Plan | $50,000 | $50,000 | Without evidence of insurability, $100,000. With proof of insurability, up to $500,000 |
Active Part-Time Employees without Medical/Vision and Dental Coverage from the Plan | $25,000 | None | $35,000 |
New Service Employees | $20,000 | None | None |
Retired Employees | $10,000 | None | None |
Widows and Dependents | None | None | Without evidence of insurability, $25,000. With proof of insurability, up to 50% of the member’s amount. |
Dependents | None | None | $5,000 or $10,000 up to age 25. Coverage terminates at age 26. |
- Supplemental Life Insurance Exclusion
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment Exclusions
- Life Insurance: Conversion Option for You
- Designating a Beneficiary
Supplemental Life Insurance Exclusion
The supplemental life benefit will not be paid out if you commit suicide within two years of acquiring the coverage.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment Exclusions

The accidental death and dismemberment benefit will not be paid out for any loss caused or contributed to by:
- physical or mental illness or infirmity
- infection, other than infection in an accidental wound
- suicide, attempted suicide, or intentionally self-inflicted injury
- service in the armed forces of any country or international authority, except the United States National Guard
- any incident related to travel in an aircraft as a pilot, crew member, flight student, or any capacity other than a passenger
- parachuting or exiting from an aircraft while it is in flight except for self-preservation
- travel in an aircraft or device used for testing by any military authority
- travel designed for travel beyond the earth’s atmosphere
- committing or attempting to commit a felony
- voluntary intake or use of any drug, medication, or sedative, unless it is prescribed by a Physician or an “over the counter” drug, medicine, or sedative taken as directed
- alcohol in combination with any drug, medication, or sedative
- declared or undeclared war, or act of war, insurrection, or rebellion
- any loss if the injured party is intoxicated at the time of the incident and is the operator of a vehicle or other device involved in the incident. Intoxicated means that the injured person’s blood-alcohol level met or exceeded the level that creates a legal presumption of intoxication under the jurisdiction’s laws in which the incident occurred.
Life Insurance: Conversion Option for You
If your life insurance coverage terminates, you may be offered the opportunity to purchase an individual policy from the insurance carriers, known as the “option to convert.” You are eligible for this option when your life insurance terminates due to the following reasons:
- You are no longer in an eligible class.
- Your employment ends.
- The group policy terminates, or it is amended to terminate life insurance for your eligible class, provided you have been insured for at least five years.
In the event of your death within 31 days after the termination of your life insurance coverage, proof of your death must be submitted to the Health & Welfare Plan. Upon approval, your designated beneficiary will receive the amount of life insurance coverage you were entitled to convert.
Designating a Beneficiary
Effective August 1, 2024, MetLife became the beneficiary record keeper for your insurance coverage through the Transit Employees’ Health & Welfare Plan (TEHW).
You can designate your beneficiary quickly and securely on MetLife’s MyBenefits site. To complete your online beneficiary designation, you’ll need your beneficiary’s full name, address, phone number and date of birth. For trusts, you will need the trust name, address, phone number and trust date. Online changes to your beneficiary are effective immediately.
Please follow these simple steps to update your beneficiary:
1. Visit metlife.com/mybenefits and type in Transit Employees’ Health & Welfare Plan (WMATA) in the ‘Employer or Association’ field. Click ‘Next’.
2. Click on ‘Register Now’ to perform the one-time registration process, instructions of how to register can be found starting on page 3 of this letter.
3. Once you log in, click on the ‘Group Life Insurance’ link.
4. On the top of the page, you’ll see a ‘Beneficiaries’ link. Click on that link and follow the instructions to add or update your beneficiary.