-- Life Insurance - Common Questions
MetLife Logo

Common Questions

TermLife - Common Questions

Statement Of Health

A Statement of Health (SOH) is a document that includes a series of questions about your health and is sometimes referred to as Medical Evidence of Insurability (MEOI). Depending on your employer/group’s plan and the coverage you request, you may be asked to provide an SOH form to complete your enrollment.

You may need to complete a Statement of Health based on the underwriting rules of your group life or disability plan. You may need to complete a Statement of Health if:

You request amounts of insurance that exceed the MEOI levels
You enroll for coverage after the open enrollment period ends or after you were initially eligible for coverage, but not due to a qualifying event
You previously waived all or part of your employer-paid insurance and now wish to be insured for all or part of the amounts previously waived

The Medical Evidence of Insurability (MEOI) level is the maximum amount of insurance coverage you may obtain without providing any additional medical information (via a Statement of Health). MEOI levels vary according to the coverage requested and your group’s plan. The amount requested above the MEOI level will become effective on the first of the month following approval of the SOH.

Yes. We apply the same strict standards for privacy and confidentiality as we do with all of our MetLife processes and data. Please refer to the Consumer Privacy Notice you received with your Statement of Health for additional information.

Yes. The amount of time depends on your group’s plan. Generally you have 60 days to complete the form online. If you exceed this time limit, you will need to contact your employer or benefits administrator.

Submitting your SOH online could provide you with a quicker response. Please check with your employer or benefits administrator to learn which submission methods are available under your plan.

If you answer “Yes” to a medical question on the SOH, you may be required to provide details explaining your response. Some answers may require additional medical information in the form of an Attending Physician’s Statement (APS) or a paramedical exam.

Yes. Even individuals with relatively serious medical conditions may be eligible for insurance coverage.

MetLife will generate a response within 10 business days after receiving the information. This letter will either notify you of the final determination on your requested insurance coverage, or will request additional information. If MetLife requests additional medical information, such as a paramedical exam or an APS, the process allows you 60 days to submit the requested information. After 60 days with no action, your file will be closed and you will not be issued an amount that requires an SOH.

A paramedical exam is a simple physical exam performed by a medical professional. The exam takes approximately 30 minutes. As part of the paramedical exam, you need to provide urine and blood samples. The medical professional will also record your blood pressure, pulse, height and weight, and will ask you some health-related questions. There is no need to undress; the exam may be conducted in your home, and there is no cost to you. You will be contacted by a MetLife-approved vendor to schedule an appointment by telephone, email or U.S. mail. You may also schedule your paramedical exam online if you complete your SOH online.

The need for a paramedical exam is determined by your age, the amount of insurance coverage you are requesting and your answers on the SOH form. An exam and other medical testing may be required to provide us with the information we need to determine your insurability under the plan.

All changes must be submitted in writing to our Statement of Health Unit by either mail or fax:

MetLife Statement of Health Unit
PO Box 14069
Lexington, KY 40512-4069

Fax: (859) 225-7909

Please include the name of the employee/ member and the applicant, if they are not the same, and be sure to include the employee/member’s Social Security number.

Yes. MetLife will contact you if additional information is required to complete your Statement of Health submission. We will also contact you with a final determination after we have reviewed all information.

If your Statement of Health is declined, it will not affect any coverage already in existence or any amount of pending coverage below your plan’s Medical Evidence of Insurability (MEOI) level. However, you will not be issued the coverage amount that was subject to the Statement of Health review.

A letter including detailed reasons for declining your coverage will be mailed to the home address provided on the Statement of Health form. If we decline coverage for a spouse or over-age dependent, a letter including details will be sent to your spouse/dependent, and to your employee or member will receive only the decline status.

Yes. You may dispute a declination, subject to the terms defined in the declination letter. Your dispute must include medical documentation to support the reason for the dispute.

MIB, Inc. is a not-for-profit association that provides MetLife and other member insurance carriers with information, such as prior declinations and conditions noted on previous insurance applications. MIB, Inc. maintains a database supported by these member insurance companies. In return for using information from the database, these companies must report information to the database.

Underwriting is the process by which MetLife evaluates an applicant’s eligibility for the insurance requested, based on age, answers on the Statement of Health form and additional medical information.

Your SOH is most likely not printing correctly due to your margin settings. On most internet browsers, this can be fixed in the File menu. Select Page Setup, and set the left and right margins to no more than 0.75 inches.

For any questions relating to your Statement of Health form, please call 1-800-638-6420, prompt 1. If you are completing your SOH online and have technical questions related to accessing or completing your online form, please call 1-877-9METWEB.


© 2022 MetLife Services and Solutions, LLC
L1123036714[exp1125][All States][DC,GU,MP,PR,VI]