Everyday occurrences often require legal assistance, whether it's selling a home, establishing a will, defending a traffic ticket, or addressing a variety of other legal matters. Attorney fees can be costly, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
A recent study has shown that, in any given year, workers are 3 times more likely to be involved in a legal dispute than to be admitted to a hospital and 88% of workers surveyed experienced at least one legal event in a year.
The State of Georgia Flexible Benefits Program has offered the benefits of group legal services insurance for over 15 years. During that time, thousands of employees from the State of Georgia have taken advantage of this valuable resource and have been better able to afford qualified legal advice.
Legal advice is a need felt by all segments of the population and it is growing every year. It is for this very reason the value of a group legal services insurance plan is increasingly being recognized as one of the most helpful and responsible benefits of the decade.
Signature LegalCare® is proud to be a part of the GE Consumer Finance portfolio of products. With Signature LegalCare®, you have the freedom and flexibility to deal with debt collection defense, adoptions, divorce, wills, estate administration, and more. Experienced Participating Attorneys can answer many of your questions over the phone
Signature LegalCare® is an insurance program that pays claims. In many instances, the Plan will cover the entire cost of your attorney fees when you use a Participating Attorney.
Elswick, Jill. 2000. "Legal Problems Impair Employee Effectiveness." Employee Benefit News. www.benefitnews.com
Signature LegalCare® Benefits:
Additional Services:
Telephone Advice. This benefit provides the opportunity for a Covered Person to discuss with an Attorney personal legal problems that are not specifically excluded under the Plan. The Attorney will explain the Covered Person's rights, point out his or her options, and, if needed, recommend a course of action. This service is available from Participating Attorneys located in any state. In addition, a Participating Attorney located in Georgia will make follow-up calls and send correspondence to third parties and will review simple legal documents. This service is available through an independent law firm referred to as the Preventive LegalCare Office (PLCO). The Covered Person will not be billed for this service, there is no limit to how often the service is used, and there are no claim forms to be completed.
Reduced Fee Benefit. For legal fees that are not otherwise covered by the Plan (e.g., the Covered Person's "Attorney Office Work" benefit is exhausted or the matter is not a paid-in-full benefit and the attorney fees have exceeded the Plan's maximum benefit amount), a Participating Attorney who elects to provide this benefit will charge his/her fees at a rate at least twenty five percent (25%) less than his/her usual and customary rate ("UCR"). Plan exclusions apply.
Maximum Contingent Fee Benefit. For any matter that is not otherwise covered by the Plan and for which a Participating Attorney who elects to provide this benefit normally charges a contingent fee (common for personal injury claims and other matters for which a Covered Person as a plaintiff anticipates being paid or awarded a large sum of money), the Participating Attorney will charge no more than the following maximum percentages:
twenty five percent (25%) for all activities up to and including initial trial or settlement (including consultation and review)
thirty percent (30%) for all activities relating to the appeal of an initial judgment, including appellate hearing and settlement
These limits apply to the attorney's fees, only, not to other costs not normally included as part of the Participating Attorney's professional fees. Plan exclusions apply.
Personal Law Center. The Personal Law Center is an online resource that is accessible through the Signature LegalCare Web site. It provides Covered Persons with unrestricted online access to a library of plain-English and easy-to-use legal and financial information, self-help forms, and interactive documents and tools.
In-Office Legal Services
The Signature LegalCare® plan makes in-office attorney visits easy! A Participating Attorney will provide you with advice on most covered legal matters with attorney fees paid -in -full. If there isn't a Participating Attorney in your area, Signature LegalCare will cover the services of a Non-Participating Attorney on the same basis as for services provided by a Participating Attorney.
You may also choose to see a Non-Participating Attorney of your choice. For services provided by a Non- Participating Attorney, the Plan will reimburse you at a rate of $17.50 per quarter hour up to a maximum benefit amount. You are responsible for the balance of the attorney's fees. When covered services have been completed, file a claim form, including your attorney's billing statement, with Signature LegalCare. You'll receive direct reimbursement for the attorney's services, up to the maximum allowed by the Plan.
The Plan includes benefits for the following services:
Administrative Hearings
Adoptions
Attorney Office Work (see "Note", below)
Child Custody/Child Support
Consumer Protection
Debt Collection Defense
Document Review and Preparation
Estate Administration and Estate Closing
Eviction Defense
Guardianship/Conservatorship
Immigration/Naturalization
Internal Revenue Service Audit
Juvenile Court Proceeding
Matrimonial Matters
Name Change
Real Estate Matters
Traffic Charges
Wills and Trusts
NOTES:
You will have eight hours each year available to you under the "Attorney Office Work" benefit to use towards legal advice for non-covered services (except those legal matters which are specifically excluded).
For additional information on Signature LegalCare® benefits or if you have questions concerning how the legal services insurance plan works, you may call Signature LegalCare® at 1-800-848-2012 or visit their web site at www.SignatureLegalCare.com. Scroll down to State of Georgia and enter your 5-digit password (43215).
Signature LegalCare® is underwritten by Heritage Casualty Insurance Company, 200 N. Martingale Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173, and is offered to State of Georgia employees through a group legal services insurance policy issued to Georgia Merit System, Policy No. 43215. This enrollment booklet is intended to provide a general description of the main features and benefits of this Plan. The exact terms and conditions are set forth in the policy.
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