Life, personal injury coverage for Mindef, MHA personnel doubled to $300,000 per policy
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The changes will benefit about 500,000 service personnel who are covered under the Mindef and MHA Group Insurance Scheme every year.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
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SINGAPORE – Life insurance coverage for Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) personnel has been doubled to $300,000, while a broader personal injury policy with the same coverage amount replaces a $150,000 personal accident policy.
The changes took effect on Jan 1.
Previously, all full-time national servicemen, operationally ready national servicemen, eligible volunteers and regulars were covered for up to $150,000 under both the group term life and group personal accident (GPA) insurance policies, which together comprise the group insurance scheme, in place since 2016.
In addition, the GPA policy has been renamed the group personal injury (GPI) policy to reflect a broader coverage of workplace injuries specific to the Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team work environments, such as long-term, noise-induced hearing damage or decompression sickness.
These changes will benefit about 500,000 personnel who are covered under the Mindef and MHA Group Insurance Scheme every year, said Mindef on Monday.
“Insured individuals who wish to increase their coverage or insure their dependants can opt to purchase additional coverage at competitive premiums,” it added.
The higher coverage was announced by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How during Mindef’s budget debate in March 2022.
Mindef added that both it and MHA will work with the appointed insurer, Singlife, to ensure a smooth transition in policy arrangements for all policyholders.
The maximum coverage for the GPI policy is $1 million, up from $600,000 under the GPA policy, while the maximum coverage under the group term life policy remains at $1 million.
Premiums for additional coverage beyond $300,000 are self-borne, and coverage will continue even after policyholders leave the service, so long as the premiums are paid, said Mindef.
The terms and conditions of the voluntary scheme for extra coverage are administered by the insurer and the personnel will need to liaise directly with it on the application for and any claims under the voluntary scheme.
