CTA-endorsed Plans

Plans Overview
Disability Insurance 101
NEW! Summer Benefit
Student Loan & Cancer Benefits

Disability and Life Insurance are important for securing your and your members' hard-earned financial future. Disability Insurance replaces a portion of your income when an illness or injury keeps you out of work for an extended period of time. Life Insurance helps ensure that your loved ones are taken care of financially in the event of your passing.

CTA-endorsed Disability Insurance Highlights

CTA-endorsed Disability Insurance from The Standard is designed especially for California education professionals. Here’s how it works:

Replaces up to 80%¹ of your daily income² if you’re unable to work due to sickness, injury, pregnancy or childbirth
Starts paying benefits after you are out of work for 7 consecutive workdays³— including a $25 per workday benefit on top of your fully-paid sick leave
Additional Student Loan and Cancer Benefits for qualifying claims
Benefits are paid directly to you and can be used to pay for things health insurance doesn’t cover — your rent or mortgage, car payments, student loans, utilities, groceries, child care, etc.

CTA-endorsed Life Insurance Highlights

Life Insurance is a key part of any financial plan. And making sure you have enough life insurance during your working years is a critical part of protecting your loved ones. Term Life Insurance coverage with options from $25,000 to $400,000
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance included at no additional cost
Optional Life and AD&D coverage for your spouse/domestic partner and children available with your Life Insurance
Life Services Toolkit: Access to additional resources and services for insured participants and beneficiaries.⁴Learn More
Travel Assistance: Access to a comprehensive range of professional 24-hour medical, legal and trip assistance information, as well as referral and coordination services when traveling 100 miles or more from home or when traveling in a foreign country for trips up to 180 days.⁴

1 For disabilities occurring prior to September 1, 2022, you will receive up to 75% of your regular daily salary, less any sources of deductible income, while you continue to be disabled. For disabilities occurring on or after September 1, 2022, you will receive up to 80% of your regular daily salary, less any sources of deductible income, while you continue to be disabled.

2 Daily income is based on your regular daily contract salary. Benefits will be reduced by deductible income. Examples of deductible income include: personal leave pay, severance pay, substitute differential pay, catastrophic/extraordinary leave bank, salary continuation, workers’ compensation, work earnings, social security, state disability, CalPERS/CalSTRS benefits.

3 Workdays means any Regular Day(s) of Required Attendance you are required to be actively at work based on the calendar dates of the school calendar and your employment contract in effect on the date you become disabled.

4 Travel Assistance and Life Services Toolkit are provided through an arrangement with service partners that are not affiliated with The Standard. These services are not insurance products.

Is Disability insurance really needed?
Disability insurance can help you and your members protect a paycheck if you're unable to work due to an injury, illness (including mental health conditions and substance abuse), injury, pregnancy or childbirth. Where health insurance pays your doctor - disability benefits are paid directly to members enrolled in the CTA-endorsed Disability insurance. Benefits can be used for any expenses including rent/mortgage, groceries, child care, utilities, etc.

Disability insurance is a great way for you, as a Chapter Leader, to show value to your members. Most California educators are not eligible for state disability insurance programs. CTA members, however, are eligible for Disability insurance through The Standard – the only CTA-endorsed carrier.

Want to learn more? Watch this short video.

1 Based on the claims decisions data developed by The Standard for a period of 9/1/18 -8/30/21.

2 Council for Disability Awareness, https://disabilitycanhappen.org/disability-statistic as of 10/21/21.

For costs and further details of the coverage, including exclusions, benefit waiting periods, any reductions or limitations and the terms under which the policy may be continued in force, please contact Standard Insurance Company at 800.522.0406.

Hello, Sunshine! Introducing the New Summer Benefit for CTA Members

Summer brings us some great things - barbecues, popsicles and summer fruit cobblers. And now, you can add the new Summer Benefit¹ from CTA to the list!

This exclusive benefit gives members extra protection in the months of June and July for Disabilities that occur on or after September 1, 2022 - even if they’re not scheduled to work. With no benefit waiting period, eligible members will receive an extra $500 a week (up to a maximum of $4,500 per Benefit Year) on top of any other Voluntary Disability benefits if they become or continue to be Disabled. Effective September 1, 2022, Summer Benefit is included at no additional cost for eligible members enrolled in CTA-endorsed Voluntary Disability insurance.

Summer Benefit Highlights

It's effective September 1, 2022.
Included at no additional cost for members enrolled in CTA-endorsed Voluntary Disability insurance.
Member must meet the definition of Disability any time between June 1 and July 31 of any benefit year for Disabilities occurring on or after September 1, 2022.
No benefit waiting period.
That's it! It's summer and things should be easy!

Share this exciting new benefit with your members - Download Summer Benefit flyer

1 Summer Benefit is offered by CTA to eligible members who meet the Definition of Disability with a Disability date on or after 9/1/2022 who meet additional specific criteria. Summer Benefit is only payable during the calendar months of June and July, for up to two Benefit Years for each instance of qualifying Disability. Summer Benefit is not provided under the Voluntary Disability insurance policy. CTA provides this benefit at no extra cost, and The Standard acts only as the claims administrator of this benefit.

For costs and further details of the coverage, including exclusions, benefit waiting periods, any reductions or limitations and the terms under which the policy may be continued in force, please contact Standard Insurance Company at 800.522.0406.

Exclusive Benefits for CTA Members

CTA understands the emotional and financial burden members may experience due to outstanding student loans or being out of work on a disability claim due to a Cancer diagnosis. That’s why CTA worked with The Standard to offer a Student Loan Benefit and a Cancer Benefit for CTA members enrolled in CTA-endorsed Voluntary Disability insurance.

Student Loan Benefit¹
Active CTA members approved for a disability claim with an active student loan may be eligible for an additional benefit of up to $400 a month (for a maximum of $2,400, not to exceed the balance of the student loan).

Cancer Benefit¹
Active CTA members approved for a disability claim due to cancer may be eligible for an additional benefit of up to $200 a month (for a maxium of $1,000). The benefit will increase to up to $400 a month (for a maximum of $2,400) effective 9/1/2022.

Both benefits are paid in addition to the disability benefits from The Standard and are paid directly to CTA members to help pay for everyday expenses like student loans, rent/mortgage, or child care.

1 Student Loan Benefit and Cancer Benefit are offered to eligible members on approved Disability claims under the CTA-endorsed Voluntary Disability insurance plan who meet additional specific criteria.

For costs and further details of the coverage, including exclusions, benefit waiting periods, any reductions or limitations and the terms under which the policy may be continued in force, please contact Standard Insurance Company at 800.522.0406.