Federal Employees have access to valuable benefits designed to provide financial protection throughout their careers. But even with federal benefits, you may have financial risks that aren’t fully covered, particularly if you die unexpectedly or an illness or injury prevents you from working.
That’s where Term Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance can play two distinct but equally important roles.
Life insurance helps protect the people who depend on you if you die. Long term disability insurance can help protect your income if an illness or injury prevents you from working.
One protects your family. The other protects your income. Together, they can provide a more complete layer of financial protection around the people, responsibilities and goals that matter most.
Consider two questions:
What would happen to my family financially if I died?
What would happen to my household if I couldn’t work because of an illness or injury?
Term life and long term disability insurance are designed to address these two very different financial risks.
For Federal Employees, having both types of supplemental coverage can help address potential gaps between the benefits you already have and the financial protection your household may need.
Helps protect your family if you die.
Can provide financial support to help your loved ones replace lost income, manage debt, maintain their home and continue working toward long-term financial goals.
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Helps protect your income if you can’t work.
Can help replace a portion of your income when a covered illness or injury prevents you from working, helping you continue meeting everyday expenses and financial obligations.
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One Application. Two Important Types of Protection.
GEBA makes it easier to consider both. Eligible Federal Employees can apply for Group Term Life Insurance and Group Long Term Disability Insurance through one convenient application.
Life and Disability Insurance Can Help Protect Different Parts of Your Financial Life
Term Life Insurance
Helps protect your family’s financial future.
Long Term Disability Insurance
Helps protect your income and financial stability.
Life insurance isn’t only about replacing income. It can help preserve your family’s financial stability during one of life’s most difficult moments.
If you die, your family may still have everyday expenses, debts and long-term financial goals. Life insurance can provide financial support for needs such as:
Many households depend on more than one income. If your income disappears unexpectedly, life insurance can help provide financial support so your family can continue meeting everyday expenses.
Life insurance can help support long-term goals, including your children’s education and other future expenses, even if you’re no longer there to provide financial support.
Medical bills, funeral expenses and other final expenses can create a sudden financial burden. Life insurance can help your family manage these costs.
For many families, a home is both a major asset and a major financial obligation. Life insurance proceeds can help your family continue making mortgage payments or pay down the remaining balance.
Credit cards, auto loans, student loans and other debts can add financial pressure after a death. Life insurance proceeds can help your family address outstanding financial obligations.
Having life insurance through your federal benefits can provide an important foundation. But having coverage and having enough coverage for your individual financial needs are two different things.
Consider what your family would need financially if you were no longer there. Would your existing coverage be enough to help:
Replace your income for the years your family may depend on it?
Pay the mortgage or other housing expenses?
Manage outstanding debts?
Cover everyday living expenses?
Support childcare or education costs?
Protect long-term savings and financial goals?
As your income and financial responsibilities change, the amount of protection your family may need can change too.
Supplemental Group Term Life Insurance can help you add another layer of protection around the coverage you already have.
Your ability to earn an income is one of your most important financial assets.If an illness or injury prevented you from working for months or even years, your paycheck could be interrupted while many of your regular expenses continue.
Long term disability insurance is designed to help replace a portion of your income during a covered disability, helping you continue meeting financial obligations while you focus on your health and recovery.
people will experience a disability before retirement 2
It’s easy to associate disability with a serious accident or a dangerous occupation. But many disabilities are caused by illnesses and health conditions rather than accidents. Conditions such as cancer, heart disease and other illnesses can interrupt your ability to work regardless of whether you spend your workday in an office, in the field or somewhere in between.
That makes protecting your income worth considering for federal employees across a wide range of careers.
Federal benefits provide an important foundation for financial protection, but they may not cover every expense if an illness or injury keeps you from working for an extended period.
Federal Employees may have access to sick leave and, if eligible, FERS Disability Retirement benefits. However, these resources may replace only a portion of your income depending on your individual circumstances. FERS Disability Retirement benefits are calculated according to federal rules, and benefit amounts can also be affected by Social Security disability benefits and other factors.
The important question is not simply whether you have benefits. It’s whether you understand what those benefits would provide and how that amount compares with your household’s ongoing financial needs.
If you couldn’t work for an extended period, would your current benefits and savings provide enough income to cover your everyday expenses and financial obligations?
Here are some of the most common myths—and the facts you should know
I don’t need Disability Insurance because I have coverage through work.
The FERS retirement disability benefit is taxable and pays 60% of your salary for the first 12 months and then 40% until retirement eligibility.
My Federal benefits will fully protect my income if I become disabled.
Without traditional disability coverage, Federal Employees rely on sick leave and retirement disability, which can fall short.
I don’t need it because I don’t work in a “dangerous” job.
Most disabilities are caused by illness—not accidents—meaning they can happen to anyone, regardless of occupation.
Your financial responsibilities don’t stay the same throughout your career, and your insurance coverage shouldn’t necessarily stay the same either.
Consider reviewing your life and disability coverage when you:
Changes in your income, family responsibilities, mortgage, debt, savings and long-term plans can all affect the amount of financial protection your household may need.
A simple way to start is to look at your financial situation from both sides of the equation.
Would your family have enough financial resources to manage everyday expenses, housing, debt and long-term goals without your income?
Would your current benefits, insurance and savings provide enough income to maintain your household’s financial obligations for an extended period?
Review your federal benefits, existing insurance coverage, savings and financial responsibilities. Understanding what you already have can make it easier to identify where additional protection may be appropriate.
For eligible Federal Employees, GEBA Group Term Life Insurance and Group Long-Term Disability Insurance can help address both risks through supplemental coverage.
You’ve worked hard to build financial security for yourself and the people who depend on you. Protecting it means thinking about more than one “what if.”
What if my family had to move forward without my income?
What if I were still here, but an illness or injury meant I could no longer earn it?
GEBA makes it easier for eligible Federal Employees to consider both risks with Group Term Life Insurance and Group Long Term Disability Insurance available through one application.
There is no single amount that is right for everyone. Your life insurance needs can depend on factors such as your income, mortgage or housing costs, outstanding debt, dependents, education expenses, existing insurance and long-term financial goals. Reviewing those responsibilities alongside your current coverage can help you determine whether you have a potential gap.
Yes. GEBA Group Term Life Insurance is supplemental group life insurance available to eligible GEBA members and is separate from the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI).
Federal Employees may want to consider supplemental disability insurance because federal benefits may not fully replace their income if an illness or injury prevents them from working. Whether supplemental coverage is appropriate depends on your individual circumstances, existing benefits, savings and financial obligations.
No. FEGLI is life insurance coverage. It does not serve the same purpose as long term disability insurance, which is designed to help protect income when a covered illness or injury prevents you from working.
Term life insurance provides financial protection for your beneficiaries if you die while your coverage is in force. Long term disability insurance is designed to help replace a portion of your income if a covered illness or injury prevents you from working.
The two types of insurance address different financial risks. Life insurance can help protect your family financially after your death, while disability insurance can help protect your income if you become unable to work because of a covered illness or injury. Having both can provide a more comprehensive approach to financial protection.
Eligible federal employees can apply for GEBA Group Term Life Insurance and Group Long Term Disability Insurance through one convenient application. Eligibility, coverage limits and underwriting requirements apply.
Consider reviewing your coverage after major life events such as marriage, buying a home, having children or experiencing a significant change in income or financial responsibilities. It’s also a good idea to periodically review your coverage even when a major life event hasn’t occurred.
How Can We Serve You Today? Our Knowledgeable Member Services Staff Can Help!
Coverage is subject to eligibility requirements, limitations, exclusions, costs and other policy provisions. Coverage is not available in all states. Before applying, review the applicable policy information for details regarding features, costs, eligibility, renewability, limitations and exclusions.
This coverage is not available to Sponsored Family Members.
1Please consult a tax advisor for more information.
2QuickDecision℠ is available to eligible federal employees up to age 60 for up to $600k in life insurance and up to age 50 for monthly long-term disability benefits up to $3,000, subject to eligibility and underwriting.
3To qualify for this offer, you must be a U.S. citizen, 50 years or younger, and a civilian Federal employee, or Military, and not previously decline for coverage. To apply for this coverage, use gebafifty.nylinsure.com application.
4“Hey Gen X: Time to Protect Your Income,” Council for Disability Income Awareness, July 2024 & Disability Benefits (Publication No. 05-10029), Social Security Administration, February 2025
QuickDecision℠ processing may provide an immediate decision on your application. Approval is conditional upon verification of association membership status and coverage limit eligibility. In some cases, your application may be referred for additional underwriting review, and an underwriter may contact you to verify information. If you are not approved through QuickDecision℠ processing, you may still be eligible to apply for coverage through traditional underwriting.
QuickDecision℠ processing is not available in all states and is not available in Puerto Rico.
GEBA Group Term Life Insurance is underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010, on Policy Form GMR under Group Policy No. G-29555-1.
GEBA Group Long-Term Disability Insurance is underwritten by New York Life Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010, under Group Policy No. G-29344-0 on Policy Form GMR-FACE/G-29344-0.
Before applying, please review the additional policy information for details regarding features, costs, eligibility, renewability, limitations, and exclusions. Coverage is not available in all states. Visit www.geba.com/termlife for information on GEBA’s Group Term Life Insurance and www.geba.com/longtermdisability for details on GEBA’s Group Long-Term Disability Insurance.
NEW YORK LIFE and the NEW YORK LIFE Box Logo are trademarks of New York Life Insurance Company.
New York Life Insurance Company’s state of domicile is New York. NAIC ID #66915.
New York Life is licensed and authorized to conduct business in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Canada. However, not all group policies are available in all jurisdictions. Please refer to the applicable insurance brochures for current availability.
