Active Members: HEALTH & DENTAL PLAN
Each year the Health and Welfare Trust board of trustees will decide on the benefits and cost of those benefits.
Your Hour Bank for your health and dental benefits
Local 873 historically had an annual employer contribution eligibility system which had been in place since 1993 when health and dental coverage was first added to our benefits. While this system worked when the Local was small and our work was seasonal, the annual eligibility system has many downsides. Things like work slowdowns that happened 2007-09 and the complete shutdown caused by the Covid19 pandemic may potentially force many members out of health plan coverage. Getting into coverage was expensive and difficult due to the yearly structure. Many members with families were working full-time on TV shows and being forced to pay additional amounts to stay in coverage. Most union health plans in multi-employer industries use hour banks for their health plan eligibility because of the strong advantages of an hour bank system. It was time for us to change.
The hours you work get you the full dependent coverage you need.
As of September 1, 2020 if you are a member and works regularly, you will be covered by the hour bank system. Members need 280 hours to get into the hour bank and if you work at least 140 paid hours a month you will be in benefits without having to pay a top up. Your health plan coverage will include your spouse and any dependents. The hour bank helps you to get into coverage faster and any hours over the 140 per month allow you to build a surplus in your hour bank for up to a year’s coverage (1680 in hours).
We will still maintain a retiree health plan for eligible members over 65.
How an hour bank works
Your paid work hours will be logged in your personal hour bank account at AGA Benefit Solutions that you can check online 24/7. Hours reported by employers will be deposited monthly in your hour bank and a monthly withdrawal of 140 hours will keep you in health plan coverage. You can accumulate up to a year’s full coverage in your hour bank. You will remain in benefits if you continue working and adding the required 140 hours per month to your bank or until your hour bank has run out.
To allow for administration time, there is approximately a 2 month lag in the reported hours to appear in your account, for instance, in September you will be viewing your July hours.
Hour bank features
For members on short-term disability or taking maternity and paternity leave periods, the member’s hour bank will be credited the 140 hours for the duration of the claim. For members with WSIB claims, their hour bank will be credited for the first three months of the claim. After three months, they may apply for distressed status and receive a subsidized rate.
Members in the hour bank going on distressed dues status will receive a subsidized rate on hour bank coverage.
The age limit of 75 has been removed for members who are in the active hour bank – if you can work the hours, you get the coverage.
Members who had 1,680 paid hours in the period July 1st to June 30th the following year are eligible to receive a health spending account.
Eligibility for the retiree health plan starting September 2021 will be based on working at least 1,680 paid hours during the previous period.
Short term disability will require the member to be in the hour bank and must have a minimum of 140 hours in their bank to be eligible to claim.
Vision benefits are $650 each (member and/or dependents) over a 24-month period. Claims can be submitted every 24 months for anyone covered under your plan. Use the Canada Life Health Expenses Claim form to mail in your claim or submit it through your online profile with Canada Life.
Members with hour bank coverage, who are short of the monthly minimum withdrawal, can buy up hours to stay in coverage. Buying up short hours is limited to 12 months if the member has stopped working.
Once you meet the qualifying number of hours (280) in your bank, you will receive an email from AGA Benefit Solutions telling you how to set up your online profile. Through the online profile at AGA members can review their benefits as well as hour bank coverage and purchase optional coverage for life and critical illness insurance. Canada Life provides coverage for health and dental benefits. Please make sure your beneficiary information is current and correct when you log into your profile.