Benefit Plan Details:
Eligible members have access to the following benefits under the Health & Welfare Plan.
- Long-term disability coverage equal to $2,000 per month
- Accidental death & dismemberment up to $100,000
- Life insurance of up to $100,000
- Access to an Employee and Family Assistance Plan
- Extended health and dental coverage, including
- 80% of eligible prescription drugs (with mandatory generic substitution)
- 80-85% of paramedical services (including massage, physiotherapy and chiropractic care)
- Out of province emergency medical travel insurance
- Vision care covering up to $480 per 12-month period
- 85% dental care coverage of the first $6,000 of eligible Basic and Major and orthodontic expenses per family per calendar year
- Coverage for a dependent spouse and child(ren)
Your Employee and Family Assistance Plan (EFAP):
Your EFAP is a voluntary, confidential, short-term counseling and advisory service that connects you and your eligible family members to a network of dedicated professionals who are available to give you assistance 24 hours a day. This benefit provides professional assistance for a wide range of issues such as:
- Personal and work-related stress;
- Couple and marital relationships;
- Childcare and parenting issues;
- Family matters;
- Eldercare concerns;
- Depression and anxiety;
- Alcohol and drug abuse;
- Legal matters and financial concerns.
Your EFAP is available online via GreenShield+.
GreenShield+ integrates all service offerings including counselling and support, a digital pharmacy, and claims history, so you can access everything in one place. You can search for healthcare providers, check benefits coverage, access healthcare services, connect with thousands of healthcare professionals, and seamlessly submit your benefits claims anytime, anywhere.
To get started, go to app.greenshieldplus.ca/sign-up, or download the GreenShield+ app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
How your lifetime Pension Plan works:
- Your plan is a jointly trusteed pension plan covering eligible CMAW members in Canada.
- Your plan is a Target Benefit Plan. This means that your pension benefit is defined using a formula, and the negotiated contributions are invested to provide this “targeted” level of benefit. If the plan’s financial health does not meet certain levels, additional contributions must be negotiated, or benefits must be reduced. If the plan’s financial strength is very good, it is possible to increase benefits.
- Employers pay contributions into the plan on behalf of all members. These contributions are pooled together into a fund and are carefully invested. The fund grows with investment income (interest) and contributions. This money is used to finance all benefit payments.
- Your normal pension start date is age 65, but you may apply to start your pension as early as age 55. If you start your pension before age 65, your pension is reduced to be equivalent in value to the pension which would otherwise begin at age 65. Income tax legislation requires that you elect to begin your pension by December of the year in which you reach age 71.
- Your pension does not start automatically, and benefit payments will not be made retroactively. You should apply 3 months before the date you want your pension to start.
- The standard form of pension is a monthly payment for as long as you live, with a 5-year guarantee; if you die within 5 years, payment continues to your beneficiary until 60 payments have been made. The Plan also offers guaranteed periods of 10 or 15 years. If, however, you have a spouse when your pension starts, you must choose a “joint and last survivor” form of pension which pays your spouse at least 60% of the original amount if you die before your spouse. If your spouse signs a waiver, you can choose a form of payment which provides for less than a 60% continuation upon your death.
- You may designate or change a beneficiary under the plan at any time by completing a form provided by the Plan Administrator. If you have a spouse upon death, your spouse will be the beneficiary regardless of your beneficiary designation.
- If you are an actively employed member and die before collecting your pension, the plan provides a pre-retirement death benefit payable to your spouse. If you do not have a spouse or if your spouse has waived his/her right to a pre-retirement death benefit, the benefit is paid to your designated beneficiary or estate. As per the BC Pension Benefits Standards Act, the pre-retirement death benefit is calculated as 100% of the monthly pension you have earned up to your death and payable at age 65, plus a refund of any employee contributions with interest.
For a more detailed description of how your plan works, please refer to your Pension Plan booklet (coming soon).
To the extent that there is any conflict between the content of this website and a provision of the Trust Agreement, an applicable insurance policy or benefit contract, or applicable legislation, the provision of the Trust Agreement, insurance policy, benefit contract or applicable legislation (as the case may be) will prevail.
