Going on a leave?
March 21, 2023
If you are going on a leave, and covered under the OSSTF ELHT benefits plan, your school board will inform OTIP of your leave status up to two weeks after you begin your leave. You will then receive an email and letter via Canada Post from OTIP instructing you to review and update your benefits. It is important that you take action regarding this time-sensitive communication to avoid any disruptions in your coverage.
Here are a few things you need to know and do to update your benefits:
Types of leave:
- Statutory leaves (e.g. pregnancy/parental leave, critical illness – adult/child, etc.)
Your benefits coverage will be funded in the same way it was when you were working, in the time immediately before you started your statutory leave.
- Paid Sick Leave
Your benefits coverage will be funded in the same way it was when you were working, in the time immediately before you started your paid sick leave.
- Long term disability (LTD)
If you are in the first 24 months of an approved LTD claim, your current benefits coverage and funding available to you during your leave will be the same as when you were working, in the time immediately before you started your leave. If you continue an approved LTD leave for longer than 24 months, benefits can be continued on a 100% plan member paid basis until you return to work or retire.
You may be eligible for a waiver of life insurance premium. If you are eligible, apply for, and are approved for life insurance waiver of premium benefits, your life insurance benefits will continue without further payment of premium until your recovery, your retirement, or your attainment of age 65.
- Other leaves (e.g. unpaid medical leave, unpaid full/part-time personal leave, deferred or x/y leave, etc.)
For unpaid leaves, you are eligible to elect to continue all or some of your benefits on a 100% member paid basis.
For a part-time leave, you are eligible to continue all of some of your benefits paying the pro-rated premium costs. For example, if you take a part-time .33 leave, and elect to continue your benefits, you are responsible for paying 33% plus 6% of the full premium rates for health and/or dental benefits.
If you are responsible for some or all your benefit costs, you will receive a communication from OTIP to complete your benefit selections. Benefit selections must be made within 31 days of the date that the communication is initially sent. If benefits selections are not made within 31 days coverage will be suspended and you will not be eligible for the reinstatement of the coverage until your return to active duties.
Your benefit costs while on a LTD benefit leave longer than 24 months or a non-statutory leave
| If you elect to continue benefits while on a full-time leave | If you elect to continue benefits while on a part-time leave |
| You pay 100% of your benefit costs during your leave. Benefit costs include your health, dental, basic life*, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)* and optional life coverage (if applicable). *Benefit premiums will be based on your pre-leave salary/coverage but are subject to change if the board reports a change in salary. For example: Your salary = $100,000 Coverage = 2X salary Therefore, premiums are based on $200,000. |
You pay for the pro-rated benefits related to your leave/non-working FTE.
Health and dental – Examples:
Basic Life and AD&D
Optional life (Member, Spousal, Child)
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Once OTIP is notified of the change in your employment status, from active to leave status, by your school board, the following will occur:
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Important notes:
- Depending on when your leave information is submitted to OTIP, it may take up to three weeks to process the changes.
- You have the option to continue all or some of your benefits. (i.e. You can continue basic life and AD&D only, or just health or dental benefits.) (Exception: If basic life and AD&D are mandatory benefits and funded by your benefits plan, then these benefits cannot be suspended during your leave.)
- If you choose to stop your benefits coverage during your leave, you will be able to reinstate it when you actively return to work.
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- When you return to work, you will get an email from OTIP to complete your Leave Return – FTE Increase-Coverage Update Option event. You will have 31 days to confirm your coverage without medical evidence. (NOTE: Your first deduction may include retroactive premiums, depending on when your work status information was received and processed.)
- Contact OTIP Benefits Services at 1-866-783-6847 for more information.
Staying connected while on a leave.
- Update your preferred email address: Your school board email address may be your default email address for OTIP notifications. Consider updating your preferred email address to your personal email. This way you won’t miss any benefits information during your leave.
- Update your home address: To update your home address after you move, please advise your board and the board will then provide this update to OTIP.
Questions? If you have questions about what happens to your benefits coverage on a leave, contact OTIP Benefits Services.
The information in this document is provided by OSSTF Benefits for general information only. OSSTF Benefits endeavours to have all information current and accurate. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, or suitability of the information included. All information is subject to change without notice.
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