Policy 627 - Legal Assistance

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Section: Benefits
Policy Number: 627
Effective Date: 1/1/06
Revised: 1/1/12

Responsible Office: HR/Benefits

 

Scope

 

Full-time staff, administrators and full-time faculty are eligible.

Overview

Ultimate Advisor, administered by ARAG Legal Plan, is a legal services plan that provides legal representation for employees, spouses and dependents for important, everyday legal services and/or unexpected legal matters. ARAG participants may receive legal advice and fully covered legal services for a wide range of legal matters, including:

  • Unlimited telephone advice and office consultations on virtually any personal legal matter with a plan attorney of your choice
  • Document review and preparation
  • Debt collection defense
  • Preparation of wills, codicils and living trusts
  • Preparation of living wills, powers of attorney, affidavits, deeds, demand letters, notes and mortgages
  • Immigration assistance
  • Family and real estate matters
  • Representation for a host of legal matters and transactions.

The Ultimate Advisor –ARAG program includes a nationwide network of more than 9,000 participating Plan Attorneys from which to choose. If you stay within the network, qualifying legal services are fully covered, with no additional attorney fees. (Third party costs such as filing fees or court costs are not covered by the plan.) ARAG plan attorneys must meet stringent criteria before joining ARAG’s network and are regularly reviewed. Plan attorneys have an average of 22 years of legal experience. Participants also have the option to select an out-of-network attorney, in which services are reimbursed according to a set fee schedule.

How to Enroll

Employees may enroll at the beginning of the year and must re-enroll each year they participate in the plan. Employees must remain in the plan for one benefit year (January- December). New employees may enroll within 31 days of the first of the month following their hire date, unless the date of hire is on the first day of the month, in which case they must enroll within 31 days of that date of hire. The elections made at that time will be effective for the remainder of the calendar year in which employment begins.

Additional information on ARAG is available by logging onto the ARAG Legal Plans homepage at ARAGLegalCenter.com (Access Code: 17846stu), or by calling the ARAG Costumer Care Counselor Center at (800) 247-4184.

St. John's University, New York
Human Resources Policy Manual