The summaries contained in this booklet provide a brief synopsis of current benefit plans in effect at the University or Government sponsored programmes. These plans are subject to change in accordance with government legislation and/or University policy. Where there is any discrepancy between the synopsis and the full plan document for any benefit, the wording of the full plan document will prevail.Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)
This is a government-sponsored programme which provides a wide scope of benefits for medical and hospital services for all eligible persons who will maintain a minimum residency of at least three months in Ontario. Coverage begins after three months of residency and does not depend on employment. Application for coverage should be made within 30 days of your arrival in Ontario.For all individuals entering Ontario from another province, their basic health care coverage from that province remains in force for three months.
For all individuals entering Ontario for the first time and for those who are returning and whose OHIP coverage has lapsed, a University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) has been set up to provide for basic health care coverage during the first three months. It is a mandatory programme.
For those on work permits, their family members may not be covered under OHIP unless their appointments are for longer than three years. Those travelling to McMaster with dependants are required to enrol them in UHIP until/unless they are covered by OHIP.
OHIP is funded through a payroll tax and is not considered a taxable benefit. UHIP is funded by monthly premiums deducted through the payroll process. You may also pay by cheque if you would prefer.
Benefits are available for medically necessary services received in approved hospitals such as standard ward accommodation, necessary nursing services when provided by the hospital, and x-ray diagnostic procedures as well as occupational therapy and physiotherapy when prescribed by a physician as a medically necessary course of treatment, and provided by the hospitals. Certain emergency services provided outside of the province are also covered under this programme but coverage is limited. Individuals should review the coverage provided before travelling.
The Plan pays for physicians' services that are medically required for you such as office, home, or hospital visits, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injury, surgery and other services when ordered by the physician. Services for Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Chiropodists are also provided on a per visit basis to certain annual maximums. Part payment of the fees by the patient may be required.
The Assistive Devices Programme provides limited assistance towards the purchase of prosthetic (e.g. artificial leg) and orthotic devices (e.g. leg braces) as well as wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc.
The programme also pays for certain prescription drugs for those over the age of 65.
Individuals who will be outside the province for periods in excess of six months must contact OHIP in advance of their departure and apply for continued coverage under this programme. For those whose coverage has lapsed, OHIP coverage is not reinstated until after three months of residency.
If your application for coverage outside the province under OHIP is denied, please contact the HR Office to arrange for alternative coverages.
This is intended only as a concise summary of the OHIP programme. For more information, please contact your local Ministry of Health office. The Hamilton office is located at 119 King Street West (phone 905-521-7100).
Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
This is a mandatory government-sponsored pension plan. Faculty and staff members are required to contribute based on a percentage [currently 4.95%] of salaries between the Year Basic Exemption (YBE) [fixed at $3,500] and the Years Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE) [$50,100 in 2012].Retirement Benefits are payable at age 65 and are designed to replace approximately 25% of the earnings on which a person's contributions were based. Retirement benefits are reduced if taken before age 65 and increased if starting after age 65. Pensions are subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments.
Death benefits, both lump sum and survivor benefits, as well as Disability benefits, are also payable under the Canada Pension Plan.
For more information, please contact Human Resources Development Canada at 1-800-277-9914 or go to their web site.
Old Age Security Pension (OAS)
This is a monthly benefit available, if applied for, to most Canadians 65 years of age or over. The applicant must be a Canadian citizen or a legal resident of Canada on the day preceding the application’s approval. If the applicant no longer lives in Canada, he/she must have been a Canadian citizen or a legal resident of Canada on the day preceding the day he/she stopped living in Canada. A minimum of 10 years of residence in Canada after reaching age 18 is required to receive a pension in Canada. The amount of a person’s pension is determined by how long he/she has lived in Canada. An applicant’s employment history is not a factor in determining eligibility, nor does the applicant need to be retired. OAS pensioners pay federal and provincial income tax. Higher income pensioners also repay part or all of their benefit through the tax system.Spouse's Allowance and Guaranteed Income Supplement are benefits under OAS, but are subject to income tests and residency requirements.
For more information, please contact Human Resources Development Canada (1-800-277-9914 or www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca).
Salary Continuance in Case of Illness or Accident
Subject to satisfactory medical evidence and effective from the date of employment, teaching staff and librarians are entitled to a maximum of six months' full salary continuance.Eligibility for the full period of salary continuance may be reinstated in cases of successive periods of disability where the return to work is accompanied by a doctor's certificate stating the individual's fitness to return to work, and the return to work on a regular basis is followed by a period of continuing attendance at least equal to the period of absence.
If, during disability, the member qualifies for payments under the Workers' Compensation Act or the Canada Pension Plan or similar government legislation, the salary continuance payments will be reduced by the amount of such payment(s).
If, during disability, the member qualifies for income replacement benefits under any other programme as a result of injuries sustained in an accident, the University has a right of subrogations with regard to benefits paid under such a programme.
This statement does not fully describe the McMaster Salary Continuance Plan. Details of the Plan are found in the documents on which the Plan is based. The information shown herein is subject to these documents which will govern in case of difference or error.
Workers' Compensation (WSIB)
This is a government-sponsored programme which is fully funded by the University. It provides benefits in the event of a work-related injury, disability or death due to occupational accidents.The disability benefit amounts to 85% of net eligible income [maximum income $64,600 in 2002]. Benefits payable from the Salary Continuance or Long Term Disability plans of the University are reduced by any payments from this programme.
WSIB ACCIDENT PROCEDURES
Should you be involved in a work-related incident, obtain prompt treatment and report full details immediately to your department head. Complete an incident report and fax it to Risk Management [905-540-9085]. Risk Management will advise the Workers' Safety and Insurance Board and will initiate a claim on your behalf.Failure to report to WSIB within three days of an incident will lead to a WSIB imposed fine ($250 or more) on the University.
NOTE: Any fines levied as a result of late reporting are the responsibility of individual departments.
For further information regarding WSIB, please contact the Accident Prevention Manager in Risk Management Services at ext. 23564.
Long Term Disability Plans (LTD)
LTD is a mandatory programme for all eligible teaching staff and librarians. The full premium for these Plans is paid by the members with their after-tax dollars. As such, all benefits payable under the Plans are non-taxable.Subject to satisfactory medical evidence, benefits become payable once the period of ‘Salary Continuance' ends.
During the period a member is receiving LTD benefits, normal coverage under other benefit programmes such as the Major Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance programmes are continued. In addition, members continue to accrue pension benefits during such a period.
Benefits under the LTD Plans will be reduced by the amount(s) of disability payments that an individual receives from the Canada Pension Plan, Workers' Safety and Insurance Board, other group LTD plans, other employer plans (due to the same or subsequent disability), any retirement plan, or as a result of government legislation pertaining to a contract of motor vehicle insurance or to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act.
For non-clinical faculty and librarians, the benefit is provided through Sun Life and is calculated as 75% of net income to a maximum benefit of $7,000 per month. Benefits are payable for up to 24 months if the individual is incapable of performing his/her own occupation or up to the Normal Retirement Date if she/he is unable to perform the duties of any occupation.
For clinical faculty members the benefit is provided through UNUM Provident and is calculated as 85% of net income to a maximum of $13,000 per month. Benefits are payable to the Normal Retirement Date if the individual is totally disabled from performing his/her own occupation. Partial disability benefits are provided in situations where the individual is unable to perform all of the duties of the position up to the income level in effect at the date of disability. It should be noted that benefits payable under any medical association plan will not reduce the benefits payable under the clinical faculty Plan. Benefits under both plans are indexed in accordance with the formula set out in each plan.
Net income for Plan purposes is total income from McMaster less premiums to EIC, CPP and income tax payments based on the assumption that all members have dependent spouses.
Long Term Disability coverage will end on the June 30th following attainment of age 65.
This statement does not fully describe the McMaster Long Term Disability Plans. Details of the Plans are found in the laws and legal documents on which the Plans are based. The information herein is subject to these legal documents which will govern in case of difference or error.
Employment Insurance
This is a government-sponsored programme which provides benefits to individuals who are unemployed, sick or on maternity and/or parental leaves.The programme is funded by employee contributions of $2.20 per $100 of weekly insurable earnings [maximum in 2002 — $39,000 per year; maximum contribution amount for 2002 is $858] and University contributions of 124% of employee contributions. Benefits are payable at 55% of insurable earnings [maximum in 2002 — $413 per week].
The University contribution rate is reduced since it provides a registered ‘salary continuance' plan that provides benefits which are more generous than those payable under the Employment Insurance sickness and accident benefit programme.
Voluntary Personal Accident Insurance
All teaching staff and librarians are eligible for insurance under this Plan, effective from the date of appointment. This Plan covers the members twenty-four hours a day, each day of the year, against death or dismemberment as a result of an accident anywhere in the world, whether on or off the job. In addition, the Plan also pays for rehabilitation, occupational training, repatriation, special education and common disaster. (There is no coverage for self-inflicted injuries, suicide or injuries due to war.) The member pays the full premium for the coverage selected. An 8% Provincial Sales Tax applies to all premiums paid to employee benefit plans. For further information please consult the leaflet entitled ‘Voluntary Personal Accident Insurance'.Tuition Assistance
It is the University's policy to encourage teaching staff and librarians to take courses of instruction, particularly those for credit and those which are directly related to their work.The Tuition Assistance programme is a benefit paid for by the University. Fees paid for courses are generally considered as taxable benefits to the employee. Fees paid for courses which would be considered under Income Tax rules as work-related, training programmes would not be considered as taxable benefits. All eligible teaching staff and librarians may participate in this programme immediately upon their employment.
The programme will pay the course fee — excluding books, instructional materials, supplies, late registration and supplemental fees — for degree credit or other courses offered by McMaster for which the University receives formula funding. The academic year is from September 1 to August 31 of the following year and the maximum coverage, as approved by the Board of Governors each year, will be three six-unit courses. Fees for approved workshops offered through the Centre for Continuing Education cannot exceed the budgeted amount set by the administration each year (check with the Centre for Continuing Education for funding availability). Fees for courses offered by other approved institutions or professional bodies are covered provided they contain eighteen hours of instruction or more and the assistance may not exceed the cost of tuition for an equivalent three- or six-unit degree credit course. Individuals who are taking courses in more than one group will be permitted to receive benefits up to the maximum of three six-unit degree courses in one academic year. Other limitations apply to certain programmes offered outside the University and for repeat courses.
Individuals normally would apply for coverage in advance of registration for the courses offered at McMaster. For courses offered by other institutions, a copy of the receipt for fees paid must be submitted with the form.
Applications, available at any Area Office, should be completed by the individual, approved by the immediate supervisor, and forwarded to Human Resources, Gilmour Hall Room 304. If the application is not approved, individuals will be promptly informed of the reason(s). For further information, please call Human Resources (ext. 24554).
This statement does not fully describe the Tuition Assistance Programme. Details of the programme are found in the laws and legal documents on which the programme is based. The information herein is subject to these legal documents which will govern in case of difference or error.
Bursaries for Dependents of Teaching Staff and Librarians
The University offers bursaries to dependents of teaching staff and librarians who have completed three years' continuous service or, in the case of clinical faculty, have held a teaching load equivalent to nine units of undergraduate teaching per year for at least a three-year period.Applicants must meet the academic requirements listed in the policy. The bursary programme applies to those degree courses and programmes for which the McMaster Board of Governors sets fees. The bursary is currently valued at $125 per credit up to a limit of $3,750 per academic year for full- or part-time study at McMaster. For those students enrolled in spring/summer session courses the program will cover $125 per unit in addition to the $3,750. It is not a taxable benefit to the employee and therefore the amount will not be included on the employee's T4 slip issued to the student. In the case of full-time graduate students, the bursary is $1,875 per term for a maximum of three terms in the academic session. For applications and additional information, contact HR at ext. 24554.
This statement does not fully describe the Bursary Programme. Details of the programme are found in the laws and legal documents on which the programme is based. The information herein is subject to these legal documents which will govern in case of difference or error.
Vacations for Faculty
It is the University's policy that faculty members have one month in every twelve-month period of employment for vacation. This vacation is to be taken at a time mutually convenient to the faculty member and the University. In the case of contractually limited appointments, such vacation is to be taken during the term of the appointment and at a time mutually convenient to the faculty member and the University.
| Canada Day | When this holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, it will be observed on the following Monday |
| Civic Holiday | First Monday in August |
| Labour Day | First Monday in September |
| Thanksgiving Day | Second Monday in October |
| At least 5 days at Christmas | These include Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and the floating holidays |
| Family Day | Third Monday in February |
| Good Friday | |
| Victoria Day | Monday coincident with or immediately prior to May 24 |
The University recognizes the aforementioned specified holidays which include all the statutory holidays listed in the Employment Standards Act.As the number of specified holidays may vary from year to year, Human Resources publishes annually a list of specified holidays.
MUFA - pdk
June 2013
