Death Benefit

This policy was posted for public comment from April 15 – 30, 2026

Comments have been condensed and reformatted.

Responses

1. Policy

Concern that the word “death” is too harsh. Consider rephrasing “who dies/passes away while actively employed” to use less blunt and more compassionate language.

Thank you for this suggestion, the policy language has been updated to state, ...“in the event of the death of an eligible full-time employee of the college, who passes away....”

4. Procedures

4.A. – Consider clarifying whether the phrase “current, full-time employees.” If all full-time benefits eligible employees are covered regardless of funding source, consider stating that explicitly. If any categories of full-time employees are excluded, identifying those exclusions directly would help avoid uncertainty for employees and their families.

Thank you for this suggestion; language has been added to explicitly state that current, full-time employees are eligible for this benefit, regardless of funding source.

4.B. – Consider clarifying how payment is made following an employee’s death. As drafted, the procedure states that the benefit will be paid through the college’s Payroll Office in the typical manner, but it does not specify whether payment is issued to the employee’s existing payroll account, a designated beneficiary, the employee’s estate, or the next of kin. Providing this clarification would help ensure transparency and reduce uncertainty for families during a difficult time.

Thank you for this feedback. The payment is processed through the payroll system to the employee’s existing payroll account.

Comments

Some committee members find the word “death” to be too harsh. Consider rephrasing “who dies while actively employed” to use less blunt and more compassionate language. For example, replacing it with “who passes away while actively employed” would soften the tone while preserving the meaning of the provision. 4.A. Consider clarifying whether the phrase “current, full time employees” includes all full time, benefits eligible employees regardless of funding source, including grant funded or soft funded positions. 4.A. If all full time, benefits eligible employees are covered regardless of funding source, consider stating that explicitly. Conversely, if any categories of full time employees are excluded, identifying those exclusions directly would help avoid uncertainty for employees and their families and prevent the need to infer eligibility following an employee’s death. 4.B. Consider clarifying who receives the death benefit and how payment is made following an employee’s death. As drafted, the procedure states that the benefit will be paid through the college’s Payroll Office in the typical manner, but it does not specify whether payment is issued to the employee’s existing payroll account, a designated beneficiary, the employee’s estate, or the next of kin. Providing this clarification would help ensure transparency and reduce uncertainty for families during a difficult time.