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Former NWA pilots and DPMA

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cargoflyr69

V-Dub for Life
Joined
May 20, 2003
Posts
627
Curious what all you junior NWA pilots are doing with respect to joining up with DPMA. I keep getting phone reminders telling me I only have days to join up and that all but 400 some of my FNWAP brothers have already joined. Seems like a lot unless its a marketing ploy...

I am still struggling to see the advantage to joining up unless you have gobs of prior sick time on the books as this seems the only way to use it.

It just seems that its an awful large premium over a career for not that much coverage. Especially for a young '07 hire like me.

Just looking for your opinions and not any flame, Thanks
 
You can always opt out at a later date but you can never opt in again. I recommend signing up and decide later.
 
I joined. sure will be nice if , God forbid , i ever get sick. if not then at least i'll be helping out someone who is less fortunate.

Talking to my (former/original) delta buddies, most sign up.
 
Sign up. You never know when you'll need it, and if you do, you will be VERY thankful.

When my husband had a medically imposed 3 month "vacation" 4 years ago, DPMA was the only way we could pay our mortgage.

It is worth it.
 
I guess what I'm looking at is that the DPMA payout, if ever needed, is only a small portion of your total pay. Sounds like it is really just a supplemental coverage to get you back close to 100% pay while out on disability. Am I seeing this correct?

At the New Delta we will still be able to draw our sick time, normal disability, as well as ALPA loss of license coverage/ lump sum. So, I would think for a late 20's healthy '07 hire NWA guy (me) taking the premiums otherwise paid to DMPA and putting them into saving, investment, whatever, would get you further financially than DMPA.

I understand the one shot to join and opt out later concept. How many folks are doing just that and taking more time to crunch the longterm numbers?
 
So, I would think for a late 20's healthy '07 hire NWA guy (me) taking the premiums otherwise paid to DMPA and putting them into saving, investment, whatever, would get you further financially than DMPA.

I'm in your same boat...what are you guestimating are the monthly costs. I'm asking with all honesty, I never ran the numbers.
 
I guess what I'm looking at is that the DPMA payout, if ever needed, is only a small portion of your total pay. Sounds like it is really just a supplemental coverage to get you back close to 100% pay while out on disability. Am I seeing this correct?

At the New Delta we will still be able to draw our sick time, normal disability, as well as ALPA loss of license coverage/ lump sum. So, I would think for a late 20's healthy '07 hire NWA guy (me) taking the premiums otherwise paid to DMPA and putting them into saving, investment, whatever, would get you further financially than DMPA.

I understand the one shot to join and opt out later concept. How many folks are doing just that and taking more time to crunch the longterm numbers?

You only get 240 hrs at year at 100% and then down to 50% pay, as well as going to 75% pay in a rolling 36 month period. The DPMA payout makes up the difference to keep you at 100% pay. It's a no brainer, and 99% of DAL pilots sign up for it because it makes financial sense. All you have to do is break a leg skiing or some other unforeseeable accident and it's paid for itself many times over.
 
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I'm a second year FO on the 88 and my DPMA dues are about $25/mo. I haven't crunched the numbers, but if you become disabled, I doubt that saving $25/mo for even 10 years would cover what DPMA would cover. I thought we were required to join when we were hired or we could never join. Otherwise, most young guys would not join then 15 years down the road when we're old we would just sign up. I think they set it up to keep you from doing that. Not sure what they are doing with all the new NWA guys.

It's a good cause run by pilots for pilots. I'd rather give $25/mo to them than to some insurance company that will just deny you after paying premiums for a couple of decades.
 
I agree. Sign up. I'm a FNWA who had an almost year long medical vacation for something that came right out of the blue. No big deal with my accrued NWA sick leave, but now, 240 hours/year? No way. It would be a HUGE deal now. If you read the fine print on your ALPA loss of license insurance you will see how restrictive it is and how low the overall payout is compared to the premiums you have paid. I wish the DPMA had fewer limits/restrictions, but for the premium it seems like a much better deal. Like was said, sign up and you can always drop out later.

Most importantly, DO NOT think that you are bulletproof or that since you are "healthy" you will never need it. I was VERY healthy.....right up to the minute that I wasn't. Thankfully, I am again and I am glad to have the coverage.
 

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