August 2017
The Knights of Columbus isn’t just an insurance company. It’s a brotherhood, and so we do things differently.
If we were just another insurance company, you’d be nothing more than customers – or potential customers – who only add value based on the products you purchase. But you’re not. You’re brothers, and so are we. After all, Father McGivney founded the Knights 134 years ago so that we could help each other. So we offer you products and services unique to our industry because we care deeply about you and your families, and your wellbeing.
For starters, we extend to each of our members an Accidental Death benefit for free, just by virtue of their membership in the Knights of Columbus.
The program – which is only available in insurance jurisdictions – provides a benefit of $1,000 – $2,500 upon the accidental death of any member or his spouse (subject to certain age restrictions).
The program was launched at the 113th Supreme Council Meeting in 1994, and has continued to the present day, providing more than $12.5 million in benefits.
In addition to the Accidental Death benefit, the Knights of Columbus offer a number of free services to our members and their families.
First and foremost, we agents are committed to providing survivor assistance to widows and families left behind after the loss of a loved one.
Most commercial agents would fill out the necessary paperwork and move on, but not Knights of Columbus agents. We will stand by you and help you contact your attorney to sort out the will, help you make funeral arrangements, help you notify and coordinate with the council, help resolve any financial matters, help you file any claims (including claims with companies other than the Knights of Columbus), and will help file for survivor benefits or Veteran’s benefits, if necessary.
Secondarily, we offer two additional services to help Knights’ families plan. The first is Profiles & Forecaster, a comprehensive and complimentary industry tool that helps you evaluate your family’s financial situation, and to determine what insurance protection – if any – may be needed. The second, the Knights of Columbus Personal Planning Workbook, will help you record your final wishes and important information (including accounts, passwords, funeral arrangements, etc.) for your survivors. Both of these services are free.
To our insurance members,* we offer two additional programs: the Family Fraternal Benefit Program, and the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program.
The Family Fraternal Benefit Program offers two distinct benefits. The first offers insurance eligibility to uninsurable children. Through the Program, a member can purchase a $5,000 life insurance policy for an otherwise uninsurable child at standard rates before the child is 61 days old, or at a rated premium if before the child’s 18th birthday. A member can also purchase a $5,000 policy for a mentally impaired child at standard rates, between the ages of 3 and 18 years old.
The Program also offers death benefit coverage to members who have lost an infant child less than 61 days after birth, or who have lost an unborn child in a stillbirth, after the 20th week. (The Order affirms that life begins at conception. In this instance, the benefit requires a certified death certificate for the stillborn child, hence the 20-week rule.)
The second fraternal benefit program available to insured members is the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program. This extensive program also provides two benefits. The first is an $80 monthly benefit for each eligible orphan, until their 19th birthday. The second is a scholarship program, which grants eligible orphans up to $1,750 per year for a four-year period.
In a letter addressing the programs, our Supreme Knight Carl Anderson noted that “These benefits augment the tradition of fraternity established by Father McGivney, namely, that the Order cares for its own; it expands upon a basic reason for which he founded the Order: ‘of rendering pecuniary aid to its members, their families, and beneficiaries of members and their families.’”
They are part of what makes us unique.
So get to know all of our fraternal benefits, and the ways in which you may benefit from them.
Contact me today to learn more.
*To be eligible for both the Family Fraternal Benefit Program, and the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program, the member must be in good standing, and either he or his wife must be insured under a Knights of Columbus certificate requiring an annual premium of at least $150, or providing at least $5,000 in permanent life insurance coverage. Eligibility for the Orphan Fraternal Benefit Program is also contingent on the child being covered by an individual Knights of Columbus certificate.
Vivat Jesus,
Todd Workman
Field Agent – Knights of Columbus
813-684-4083