(a) Except as provided by Sections 10203.5 and 10203.8, the policy shall contain a provision that the insurer will issue to the employer for delivery to the insured employee an individual certificate setting forth:

(1) A statement as to the insurance protection to which the employee is entitled and to whom payable.

(2) A provision that if the employment terminates for any reason whatsoever and the employee applies to the insurer within 31 days after the termination, paying the premium applicable to the class of risk to which he or she belongs and to the form and amount of the policy at his or her then attained age, he or she is entitled, without producing evidence of insurability, to the issue by the insurer of any individual life policy in any one of the forms, other than term insurance, customarily issued by the insurer.

(3) A statement that the policy in lieu of group insurance will be in an amount equal to the amount of his or her protection under the group insurance at the time of the termination.

(4) A provision that if the employee dies during the 31-day period within which he or she is entitled to have an individual policy issued to him or her in accordance with this section and before the policy shall have become effective, the amount of life insurance that the employee is entitled to have issued to him or her under the individual policy shall be payable as a claim under the group policy, whether or not application for the individual policy or the payment of the first premium therefor has been made.

(b) If any employee insured under a group life insurance policy delivered in this state becomes entitled under the terms of the policy to have an individual policy of life insurance issued to him or her without evidence of insurability, subject to making of application and payment of the first premium within the period specified in the policy, and if the employee is not given notice of the existence of the right at least 15 days prior to the expiration date of the period, the employee shall have an additional period within which to exercise the right, but nothing in this section shall be construed to continue any insurance beyond the period provided in the policy. This additional period shall expire 25 days next after the employee is given the notice but in no event shall the additional period extend beyond 60 days next after the expiration date of the period provided in the policy. Written notice presented to the employee or mailed by the policyholder to the last-known address of the employee or mailed by the insurer to the last-known address of the employee as furnished by the policyholder shall constitute notice for the purpose of this section.

(c) Paragraphs (2) and (4) of subdivision (a), and subdivision (b), shall apply to any insurance issued pursuant to Section 10203.4 on the life of a spouse of an employee.

(d) The contract of insurance and individual certificate may contain provisions defining the extent to which the employer acts as the agent of the employee or may act as the agent of the insurer.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 538, Sec. 469. Effective January 1, 2007.)