LEGAL PLANS
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Family Protection Plan Planmember GuidebookIndex | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 Section
2 Legal CareYou and your family will have access to a nationwide network of plan attorneys that have contracted with Legal Club to provide free and discounted legal services. Upon contacting our MSD, you will be referred to a plan attorney based on language, area of law, and location. Benefit Features Free Legal Services*
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Legal Services |
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Non-Member |
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| Traffic Ticket Defense |
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| Name Change | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Simple Will with Minors Trust | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chapter 7 Bankruptcy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-Support (Spouse/Child) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Simple Divorce | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Incorporation | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal Real Estate Closing | |||||||||||||||||||||
**Court costs, filing fees and time charged for travel to and from any courts are additional.
Detailed Legal Services definitions can be found in Section three (3) of the Plan Guidebook.
Guaranteed Low Hourly Rate:
Plan attorneys have contracted to charge no more than $125.00 per hour, or 40% off their usual and customary hourly rate, whichever is greater, for legal care that goes beyond the free and discounted services described above.
Retainers:
In the case of extended legal care, plan attorneys may ask you for a retainer. Any retainer sought will be computed by multiplying the number of hours a plan attorney believes a case will take, by the plan’s discounted hourly rate. For instance; 10 hours x $125.00 = a retainer of $1,250.00. Any unused portion of the retainer will be returned to you. Any unused portion of the retainer will be returned
to you.
Contingency Fee Discounts:
The contingency fee discount will be a 10% reduction of the state maximum rate or the attorney's usual rate, whichever is lower.
Tax Preparation & Advice
The Family Protection Plan provides comprehensive personal tax benefits including free tax return preparation and unlimited, toll-free, tax related advice during normal business hours. Additionally, you will have access to most commonly used tax related schedules free of charge or at a significantly discounted rate.
Tax Related Benefits:
- Unlimited advice for personal and business matters on federal taxation via toll-free phone call/fax/e-mail (no time or frequency limitations)
- Free mail-in tax return preparation (includes 1040EZ, 1040A, and 1040)*
- $20.00 off of tax returns prepared by H & R Block®
- Deep discounts on numerous tax schedules that accompany the form 1040*
- IRS audit assistance
- Tax professionals will review any notice or letter issued by the IRS and provide advice on how to understand and solve the matter.
- Access to a web-based IRS audit tutorial, as well as an IRS notification tutorial.
- IRS notification assistance
- Tax planning
- Review of prior year's tax return*
- Member portal with tax tips, tax law changes, tax organization area, IRS audit area, IRS notification area and member advice on-line
* Limit one (1) per household.
All tax and financial assistance is provided by tax attorneys, financial analysts, CPA's, former auditors and/or Enrolled Agents certified by the IRS. Additionally, all tax and financial advice is backed by a $1 million liability policy.
Financial Education & Credit Counseling
This component of the Family Protection Plan provides you and your family with personalized financial and credit counseling services 24/7, 365 days per year. We provide access to counseling and financial education through a variety of delivery methods including telephone, online tools and live chat sessions.
Whether you are renting or buying a home, having problems with debt, or setting up a trust, this financial education program is designed to provide you and your family with the tools necessary to make better financial decisions. Personal financial guidance and education is provided by over 1,000 experienced financial counselors.
The following is an outline of the free services included with this program:
Free Financial Education & Credit Counseling Services:
- Free Consultations
A complete financial assessment will include a review and analysis of your household income, expenses, assets and liabilities. - Credit & Debt Counseling by Certified Credit Counselors
A credit counselor takes the time to thoroughly understand and assess current credit and debt issues. They will:- Assist in creating a livable budget to balance income and expenses
- Provide specific advice on how to deal with creditors
- Offer money management and budgeting techniques to help gain control of finances
- Develop a comprehensive spending plan
- Create an action plan to become debt free
- “Ask Susan” Online Counseling Sessions
A unique opportunity to receive a personalized response to questions on subjects such as loans, budgeting, credit reporting, collections, dealing with debt, and much more. Email your questions to receive a personal response on these and other financial subjects. - Housing Advisory Services
- Advice covering first time home ownership, affordable mortgages and refinancing
- Post purchase counseling
- Reverse mortgages – what are they and how do they work
- Online Tools & Articles
Access online articles designed to inform, assist, educate and alert you in all areas of credit, money management and how to get help.- Online tools for budgeting
- Articles designed to help make smart financial decisions
- Articles designed to help with family financial and purchasing decisions
- Hotlinks to a wide variety of consumer resources on topics such as lending, credit reports, credit cards and vehicle purchasing and financing
- Easy-to-use online calculators to help get finances back on track. Calculators are available to help with budgeting, and vehicle and home financing
- Tests and quizzes to gain a better understanding of how to improve money management skills
- Money Choices
Five private self-paced courses, presented by Visa, that teach the skills needed for smart money management.
Financial Services Requiring a Small Fee:
In the event you make the decision to file for bankruptcy,
our counselors are trained to take you through mandated education courses,
at a minimal fee, so that you can obtain your required certificate of
completion prior to the courts granting the bankruptcy.
- Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Counseling Sessions:
- Cover budgeting, wise money management and the advantages and consequences of filing bankruptcy
- Familiarize you with the bankruptcy process and discuss financial options
- Issue certificate of completion allowing you to proceed with
the bankruptcy filing process
This is a formal course that you would be “required” to take if you were going to file bankruptcy. The service provider is approved to issue certificates of compliance with the new bankruptcy codes, which certify that you have completed the pre-bankruptcy education course. It is available in person, over the phone or online. The cost for this course is $50.
- Pre-Discharge Bankruptcy Education:
- Education courses discuss budgeting, credit, predatory lending, available community resources and the Credit & Debt Education Package workbooks.
- The cost for this is $50-individual, $75-joint.
Identity Theft Solutions
You will have 24/7, 365 days per year access to Identity Theft Restoration Advocates who will provide you with comprehensive, personalized recovery services.
Our unique identity theft solution provides you with all the components necessary to restore your identity, and prevent future incidences of identity theft. All work done on your behalf is performed by qualified paralegals. Our program takes a completely hands on approach to identity theft restoration.
Identity Theft Insurance*:
You will also receive up to $25,000 worth of identity theft insurance
coverage underwritten by a nationally recognized Insurance Carrier with
an “A” or better AM Best Rating. This coverage will help
offset some of the cost of restoring your identity to its original status
including:
- Lost wages: $500.00 per week, for 4 weeks maximum
- Re-filing of loans
- Defense cost for certain civil & criminal law suits
- Reimbursement of fees: Reasonable and necessary costs incurred
in the United States by the insured for:
- (a) Re-filing applications for loans, grants or other credit instruments that are rejected solely as a result of a stolen identity incident
- (b) Notarizing affidavits or other similar documents, long distance
telephone calls and postage solely as a result of the insured's efforts
to report a stolen identity incident and/or amend or rectify records
as to the insured's true name or identity as a result of a stolen
identity event
- (c) Up to six credit reports from established credit bureaus (with no more than two reports from any one credit bureau) dated within 12 months after the insured's discovery of a stolen identity incident.
* The description herein is a summary only. It does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy described. Please refer to the actual policy for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Coverage not available to residents of New York and may not be available in other jurisdictions. Insurance coverage is limited only to the member.
Identity Theft Restoration:
Upon notification of an identity theft incident, Privacy Advocates will act on your behalf as a dedicated case manager to:
- Investigate and confirm the fraudulent activity, including known, unknown and potentially complicated additional sources of identity theft.
- Complete and mail customized, pre-populated, state specific “Fraud Packet“ via certified mail with pre-paid return instructions.
- Place phone calls, send electronic notifications, and prepare appropriate documentation on the member’s behalf, including dispute letters for defensible complaints to any and all appropriate state agencies and financial institutions.
- Issue fraud alerts and victim statements when necessary, with the three consumer credit reporting agencies, the FTC, SSA, and U.S. Postal Service.
- Submit Special Limited Power of Attorney and ID Theft Affidavit to involved creditors for card cancellation and new card issuance.
- Contact, follow up and escalate issues with affected agencies, creditors, financial institutions, to reinforce member’s rights.
- Assist the member in notifying local law enforcement authorities to file the appropriate official reports.
- Utilize real time access to public records reports including DMV, criminal, address changes, liens, and judgments for further investigation where applicable.
- Provide peace of mind and resolution of key issues from start to finish as swiftly as possible.
- Provide members with a “Case Completion Kit“ including copies of documentation, correspondence, forms and letters for their personal records.
Lost or Stolen Credit Card Assistance / Document Recovery Services:
Privacy Advocates will assist members in the event their credit cards are misplaced or stolen.
Privacy Advocates will:
- Consult with member to determine the severity of the event
- Obtain credit reports from each of the three major credit
- Contact each credit card company or other financial institution with the member via teleconference.
- Cancel members affected credit cards
- Request new replacement cards
- Place fraud alerts with all three major credit bureaus
- Assist members with interpreting their credit reports
- Provide daily ID monitoring for six months to help proactively prevent any additional identity fraud
- Provide credit dispute assistance
- Assist with additional lost items including driver’s license, library, and other membership cards.
Identity Monitoring**:
Identity Monitoring searches and monitors for past history as well as real time identity frauds or threats. This service includes:
- Secure, hassle-free identity monitoring
- Actionable identity alerts
Our Identity Monitoring does much more than monitor credit, offering a solution as robust as the ones used by the nation’s leading financial institutions to prevent theft. Identity Monitoring uses innovative technology to detect misuse or even an elevated likelihood for misuse of an individual’s Social Security number, name, address, phone, and date of birth. By creating a SNAPD identity blueprint, this program monitors billions of data on a daily basis from sources such as:
- New Credit Cards
- Wireless Carrier Applications
- Retail Credit Card Accounts
- Automobile Loans
- Mortgage Loans
- Payday Loans
- Checking Accounts and Check Reorders
- Utility Accounts
- DMV Records
- Government Data Bases
- Real Estate Records
- Court Records
- Criminal Records
- Social Security Records
As identity fraud usually precedes identity theft, this type of proactive system is critical to mitigating the extensive and expensive damage perpetrated after an identity is stolen and manipulated.
** Identity Monitoring coverage is limited only to the member.
Keylogging Defense System™:
Our unique program is the only one in the country that provides you with a software tool that helps prevent identity theft.
Keyloggers are self propagating viruses that steal your keystrokes, and the information contained, as you navigate the Internet. Our Keylogging Defense System™ helps eliminate online identity theft by encrypting every keystroke at the keyboard level and then reroutes those encrypted keystrokes directly to your Internet browser. Our Keylogging Defense System™ bypasses the multiple communication areas that are normally vulnerable to keylogging attacks that could compromise your vital information.
With our defense system, members can now browse, access critical business applications, shop and bank online with confidence knowing that each and every keystroke is encrypted and not being transmitted to an awaiting Identity Thief.
You may use our program to prosecute identity theft thieves. This identity theft program provides unlimited discounted legal care, at capped hourly rates, enabling you to both defend yourself and prosecute thieves.
LifeEvents™ Telephonic Counseling
You and your family will have toll free access to behavioral health experts 24/7, 365 days a year. All calls are answered directly by licensed, degreed clinical staff, and all services are handled with complete confidentiality.
LifeEvents™ provides you and your family with telephonic counseling for marital, parent-child, alcohol and other drug abuse, emotional, legal/financial, childcare, and eldercare problems, as well as many other personal challenges or stresses. You and your family are entitled to unlimited telephonic counseling per episode.
The Process from Start to Finish
Employee/Family Member Initiates Contact:
To ensure that you get the assistance you need, licensed counselors
are readily accessible 24/7, 365 days a year via a dedicated toll free
number. Non-English speaking members also have 24/7, 365 days per year
assistance via bi-lingual staff and affiliates, as well as through an
online translation service with capabilities in over 140 languages.
The LifeEvents™ counselor will:
- Explain the role of an EAP
- Ensure confidentiality
- Conduct an initial assessment
- Determine your needs and related resources
EAP Counselor Aligns Appropriate Resource:
Counselors work with you every step of the way, from assessment, through
recommendation and follow-up.
The EAP Counselor will:
- Directly refer you to a community agency or local hospital if an emergent situation is evident
Counselor Assesses Progress & Takes Next Steps:
After the initial assessment, the counselor follows-up with the local
provider to coordinate recommendations.
- Recommendations may include referrals to local mental health providers, detoxification facilities, hospitals, physicians, or short-term counseling
- For work/life issues, the Counselor oversees the resource search and ensures that the consultation and resources provided have addressed the issues presented
- Coordinates with your benefit plan to ensure a seamless service progress
Satisfaction & Closure:
Counselors will follow-up with you in a timely fashion to ensure quality
and satisfaction of services. Counselors close the case only after determining,
with you and the provider, that you have successfully resolved your
issue and have completed all treatment recommended.