To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Imperial County affected by the August Monsoon Storm, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Aug. 24, 2025, and ending April 27, 2026. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
For Network Dental and Vision Members:
This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims; relaxation of prior authorization, precertification, and referral requirements; access to appropriate out-of-network providers due to unavailability on in-network providers or the members’ displacement; and leniency for any other action required under the certificate. A replacement copy of the certificate will be provided upon request by the certificate holder. Affected members should contact Aflac Benefit Solutions (formerly Argus Dental and Vision) at 855-819-1873, Option 1, for assistance.
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz Counties affected by the November storm, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Nov. 13, 2025, and ending June 16, 2026. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
For Network Dental and Vision Members:
This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims; relaxation of prior authorization, precertification, and referral requirements; access to appropriate out-of-network providers due to unavailability on in-network providers or the members’ displacement; and leniency for any other action required under the certificate. A replacement copy of the certificate will be provided upon request by the certificate holder. Affected members should contact Aflac Benefit Solutions (formerly Argus Dental and Vision) at 855-819-1873, Option 1, for assistance.
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Mendocino, Sonoma and Ventura Counties affected by the December storms, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Dec. 16, 2025, and ending June 16, 2026. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
For Network Dental and Vision Members:
This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims; relaxation of prior authorization, precertification, and referral requirements; access to appropriate out-of-network providers due to unavailability on in-network providers or the members’ displacement; and leniency for any other action required under the certificate. A replacement copy of the certificate will be provided upon request by the certificate holder. Affected members should contact Aflac Benefit Solutions (formerly Argus Dental and Vision) at 855-819-1873, Option 1, for assistance.
To help provide relief for California policyholders residing in Humboldt County affected by the Arcata Fire, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting Jan. 2, 2026, and ending June 16, 2026. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
For Network Dental and Vision Members:
This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims; relaxation of prior authorization, precertification, and referral requirements; access to appropriate out-of-network providers due to unavailability on in-network providers or the members’ displacement; and leniency for any other action required under the certificate. A replacement copy of the certificate will be provided upon request by the certificate holder. Affected members should contact Aflac Benefit Solutions (formerly Argus Dental and Vision) at 855-819-1873, Option 1, for assistance.
To help provide relief for Georgia policyholders impacted by recent winter storms in the counties* listed below, Aflac will provide a premium grace period starting April 18, 2026, and ending June 17, 2026. This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims and leniency for any other action required under the policy. Aflac will provide a replacement copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder.
For Network Dental and Vision Members:
This grace period also provides an extension of filing deadlines for claims; relaxation of prior authorization, precertification, and referral requirements; access to appropriate out-of-network providers due to unavailability on in-network providers or the members’ displacement; and leniency for any other action required under the certificate. A replacement copy of the certificate will be provided upon request by the certificate holder. Affected members should contact Aflac Benefit Solutions (formerly Argus Dental and Vision) at 855-819-1873, Option 1, for assistance.
*Impacted Georgia counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Chattahoochee, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Grady, Harris, Houston, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, McDuffie, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Muscogee, Peach, Pierce, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Screven, Schley, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, and Worth Counties
Update regarding June 2025 security incident. View notification
When it comes to cancer, progress is often measured not only by new treatments, but by how early the disease can be found. For Ryan Schoenfeld, Ph.D., CEO of The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, that distinction has become a defining focus — one that is reshaping how scientists, funders and institutions work together to confront some of cancer’s most urgent challenges.
At the helm of the New York-based philanthropic organization, Dr. Schoenfeld is championing an approach grounded in collective action. While advances in treatment have improved survival rates for many cancers, some of the most deadly — such as pancreatic, ovarian and liver cancers — remain notoriously difficult to identify early. Symptoms often appear late, and reliable screening tools are limited or nonexistent. The result is a sobering reality: Too many patients are diagnosed only after the disease has progressed.
For Dr. Schoenfeld, addressing this gap is among the most pressing trials in modern oncology. Tackling this truth is why Dr. Schoenfeld has been recognized as an Aflac Check for Cancer Champion.
Building a new model of collaboration and turning breakthroughs into reality
This philosophy recently took shape through a new coalition, led by The Mark Foundation and launched to advance early detection tools for the world’s most difficult-to-diagnose cancers.
The coalition, which also includes the American Association for Cancer Research, Lustgarten Foundation, Break Through Cancer, and The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation (Tina’s Wish), has so far invested $12 million in six collaborative research projects focused on pancreatic, ovarian and esophageal cancers, as well as cancer predisposition syndromes.
The grant program represents a notable shift in approach. Historically, research efforts have often unfolded in parallel, with funders and institutions pursuing similar goals independently. The coalition upends that paradigm by bringing together philanthropic organizations, scientists and research institutions to align resources, share knowledge and accelerate progress.
By fostering collaboration at this scale, the coalition aims to overcome one of the field’s greatest obstacles, which is not a lack of scientific ingenuity, but the fragmentation that can slow its application.
Dr. Schoenfeld sees this unified strategy as essential.
“I’m proud to lead a foundation that prioritizes the ‘big swings’ in science, and to work alongside a coalition of partners and scientists who are working tirelessly to make early detection a clinical reality,” Dr. Schoenfeld said. “We can’t cure what we can’t detect, and initiatives like Aflac’s Check for Cancer highlights the urgent need to work together to ensure that every patient benefits from an early, lifesaving diagnosis.”
The coalition’s focus on early detection comes at a pivotal moment. Advances in fields such as genomics, biomarker discovery and artificial intelligence are opening new pathways for identifying cancer long before symptoms emerge. Yet significant challenges remain in translating these discoveries into practical, widely accessible screening tools.
By aligning funding and expertise, Dr. Schoenfeld and his partners hope to bridge that divide, moving promising science out of the lab and into clinical use more quickly.
A shared commitment to patients
Despite the complexity of the scientific challenges, Dr. Schoenfeld remains focused on the human stakes. Every initiative, every partnership and every grant ultimately ties back to a single goal: improving outcomes for patients and their families, because for them, the potential impact is profound. Early detection not only increases survival rates but can also expand treatment options and improve quality of life. It shifts cancer care from reactive to proactive, offering a chance to intervene before the disease takes hold.
Looking ahead, Dr. Schoenfeld is both realistic and hopeful. Progress will require sustained effort, continued collaboration and an openness to rethinking long-standing approaches. In that sense, his work is less about singular breakthroughs and more about building a system capable of delivering them faster, more effectively and for the benefit of all. And for Dr. Schoenfeld, that vision — of catching cancer earlier, when it can be treated and even cured — is one worth pursuing with unwavering determination. It is the vision of a champion.
The Check for Cancer Champions program is part of Aflac’s Check for Cancer initiative, a bold, national movement to increase cancer screenings by 10% over 10 years. Learn more about the Check for Cancer movement by visiting Aflac.com/CheckForCancer.
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