STATE DISABILITY INSURANCE (SDI) The Agency agrees to integrate SDI benefits with sick leave. The employee shall pay required premium costs which will be deducted from their paycheck and transmitted to the state by the Agency.
Disability Retirement If, as a result of your incapacity due to physical or mental illness, You shall have been absent from the full-time performance of your duties with the Company for 6 consecutive months, and within 30 days after written notice of termination is given You shall not have returned to the full-time performance of your duties, your employment may be terminated for "Disability." Termination of your employment by the Company or You due to your "Retirement" shall mean termination in accordance with the Company's retirement policy, including early retirement, generally applicable to its salaried employees or in accordance with any retirement arrangement established with your consent with respect to You.
Short Term Disability Benefits The Board shall provide short-term disability benefits as set forth in the short term disability summary plan description.
1. Rate of Benefits and Waiting Period Short term disability benefits for disabilities resulting from non-occupational illness or injury, shall be paid at the rate of 70% of the employee’s regular rate subject to all applicable deductions. Following the exhaustion of temporary leave, there is a five (5) day waiting period before short term disability benefits begin. The five (5) day waiting period will be waived for absences greater than thirty (30) consecutive calendar days and short term disability payments shall be paid retroactively. (See also Temporary Leave.)
State Disability Insurance a. The County shall maintain State Disability Insurance (SDI), at the employee cost, for employees in classes covered by the Agreement. This section shall not be valid if the membership elects to withdraw from SDI during the term of this Agreement and the State has approved withdrawal from SDI.
b. Employees who are absent from duty because of illness or injury and have been authorized to use County-paid leave benefits, sick leave, vacation, compensating time off, holidays and holiday-in-lieu time, shall be eligible to integrate the payment of State Disability Insurance benefits with such County-paid leave benefits. No integration of County-paid leave benefits and State Disability Insurance shall occur unless the appointing authority has approved the use of the County-paid leave benefits by the employee requesting integration.
c. Integration of County-paid leave benefits with State Disability Insurance will require detailed procedures which the County shall, in its sole discretion, implement to ensure the equitable application of the program consistent with this Agreement provision. In accordance with current County policy, integration of County-paid leave balances and State Disability Insurance shall not be paid in a retroactive manner.
d. Integration of County-paid leave balances and State Disability Insurance shall take place subject to the following conditions:
(1) The intent of this program and contract provision is to insure that those employees who participate in the program comply with all applicable laws, policies, and procedures established to provide integration of County-paid leave balances and State Disability Insurance so as to provide a combined biweekly adjusted net income equivalent to 100% of regular net income - gross income less required deductions, such as taxes, retirement, State Disability Insurance premiums, and other mandatory deductions - as long as such eligible disability qualifies and available leave balances are authorized by the appointing authority. Other employee authorized deductions shall be deducted from the resultant net pay.
(2) Upon approval of the use of County-paid leave benefits by the appointing authority and the employee's established eligibility for State Disability Insurance, the County shall make leave accrual payments to the employee in the usual manner except that the net pay, including State Disability Insurance benefits and net County pay, shall not exceed 100% of the regular net pay. If State Disability Insurance benefits equal or exceed 100% of the regular net pay, no County payment shall be made. County-paid leave benefits shall be used in the following order: sick leave, vacation, compensating time off, and holiday-in-lieu time.
(3) Special pay allowances not of a permanent nature, such as overtime compensation, standby, night shift differential, call back or out-of- class pay, shall not be counted in determining the employee's gross or net pay.
(4) Sick leave, vacation, and holiday-in-lieu shall not accrue during any pay period in which the employee receives County-paid leave benefits integrated with State Disability Insurance payments, except that the employee shall accrue sick leave, vacation, and holiday-in- lieu for any actual hours worked during a pay period in which integration occurs. Service credits toward seniority and step increase eligibility shall not be affected by any pay period during which an employee is on the integrated leave and State Disability Insurance program.
(5) When an employee exhausts all available County-paid leave balances, the employee shall either return to work or request an unpaid leave of absence from his/her appointing authority. Regardless of whether the employee continues to receive State Disability Insurance payments, once all County-paid leave balances are exhausted, County compensation shall cease unless the employee returns to work.
(6) The County shall continue its contributions towards the employee's health, dental, life and retirement contributions in accordance with established laws and practices during the pay periods which include County payment for integrated leave balances. The employee shall be responsible for payment of premiums required to maintain insurance coverage when County contributions cease.
(7) Eligible part-time employees shall be included in this program on a prorated basis.
e. In the event the County determines that legislative or judicial determinations cause changes which in any way restrict, reduce or prohibit this program operation, it shall immediately and automatically terminate without any further action by either party to this Agreement.
Long Term Disability Benefit In the event an employee, while covered under this Plan, becomes totally disabled as a result of an accident or a sickness, then, after the employee has been totally disabled for seven (7) months, including periods approved in Sections 1.3(a) and (c), he/she shall be eligible to receive a monthly benefit as follows:
(a) while the employee has a time bank balance to be used on a day-for-day basis, full monthly earnings will continue until the time bank is exhausted, and Section 2.6 will not apply;
(b) effective March 1, 2001, when an employee has no time bank, or after it is exhausted, the employee shall receive a monthly benefit equal to the sum of:
(1) seventy-five percent (75%) of monthly earnings;
(2) annual cost-of-living adjustment of the benefit equal to the consumer price index to a maximum of two percent (2%);
(3) for the purpose of the above, earnings shall mean basic monthly earnings of the employee's classification. The date of disability for determining the commencement of the first two (2) years of disability shall be the day following the last month of the Short Term Plan period, or an equivalent seven (7) month period.
(c) The Long Term Disability benefit payment will be made as long as an employee remains totally disabled in accordance with Section 2.3, and will cease on the date the employee recovers, or at the end of the month in which the employee reaches age sixty-five (65), or resigns or dies, whichever occurs first.
(d) An employee in receipt of long term disability benefits will be considered an employee for purposes of pension and will continue to be covered by group life, extended health, dental and medical plans. Employees will not be covered by any other portion of a collective agreement but will retain the right of access to rehabilitative employment as per Article 12.1 and will retain seniority rights should they return to employment within six (6) months following cessation of benefits.
(e) When an employee is in receipt of the benefit described in (b) above, contributions required for benefit plans in (d) above and contributions for pension plan will be waived by the Employer.
(f) An employee engaged in rehabilitative employment with the Employer and who is receiving partial Long Term Disability benefit payments will have contributions required for benefit plans in (d) above and contributions for pension waived by the Employer, except that pension contributions shall be deducted from any salary received from the Employer to cover the period of rehabilitative employment.
Short-term Disability Coverage Days Payable at 90% Wages Permanent Employees
Vacation Leave on Retirement An employee scheduled to retire and to receive pension benefits under the Public Service Pension Plan Rules or who has reached the mandatory retiring age, shall be granted full vacation entitlement for the final calendar year of service.
Integration With Other Disability Income In the event a totally disabled employee is entitled to any other income as a result of the same accident, sickness, mental or nervous disorder that caused him/her to be eligible to receive benefits from this plan, the benefits from this plan will be reduced by one hundred percent (100%) of such other disability income. Other disability income shall include, but not necessarily be limited to:
(a) Any amount payable under any Workers Compensation Act or Law or any other legislation of similar purpose; and
(b) Any amount the disabled employee receives from any group insurance, wage continuation or pension plan of the Employer that provides disability or retirement income; and
(c) Any amount of disability income provided by any compulsory Act or law; and
(d) Any periodic primary benefit payment from the Canada or Quebec Pension Plans or other similar social security plan of any country to which the disabled employee is entitled or to which he would be entitled if their application for such a benefit were approved; and
(e) Any amount of disability income provided by any group or association disability plan to which the disabled employee might belong or subscribe. The amount by which the disability benefit from this plan is reduced by other disability income will normally be the amount to which the disabled employee is entitled upon becoming first eligible for such other disability income. Future increase in such other disability income resulting from increases in the Canadian Consumer Price Index or similar indexing arrangements will not further reduce the benefits from this plan. Notwithstanding the above, in the case of ICBC weekly indemnity payments or in the case of personal insurance coverage, integration will apply to the extent that the combination of Plan benefits and ICBC weekly indemnity payments or personal insurance disability income benefits exceed either:
(1) one hundred percent (100%) of basic pay; or
(2) the applicable benefit percentage of the individual average total monthly income in the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding commencement of the disability, whichever is the greater. Where this provision is to apply, the employee will be required to provide satisfactory evidence of their total monthly income. This section does not apply to a war disability pension paid under any Act of the governments of Canada or other commonwealth countries.
Death, Retirement or Disability Executive’s employment shall terminate automatically upon Executive’s death or Retirement during the Employment Period. For purposes of this Agreement, “Retirement” shall mean normal retirement as defined in the Company’s then-current retirement plan, or if there is no such retirement plan, “Retirement” shall mean voluntary termination after age 65 with ten years of service. If the Company determines in good faith that the Disability of Executive has occurred during the Employment Period (pursuant to the definition of Disability set forth below), it may give to Executive written notice of its intention to terminate Executive’s employment. In such event, Executive’s employment with the Company shall terminate effective on the 30th day after receipt of such written notice by Executive (the “Disability Effective Date”), provided that, within the 30 days after such receipt, Executive shall not have returned to full-time performance of Executive’s duties. For purposes of this Agreement, “Disability” shall mean a mental or physical disability as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with standards and procedures similar to those under the Company’s employee long-term disability plan, if any. At any time that the Company does not maintain such a long-term disability plan, “Disability” shall mean the inability of Executive, as determined by the Board, to perform the essential functions of his regular duties and responsibilities, with or without reasonable accommodation, due to a medically determinable physical or mental condition which has lasted (or can reasonably be expected to last) for twelve workweeks in any twelve-month period. At the request of Executive or his personal representative, the Board’s determination that the Disability of Executive has occurred shall be certified by two physicians mutually agreed upon by Executive, or his personal representative, and the Company. Failing such independent certification (if so requested by Executive), Executive’s termination shall be deemed a termination by the Company without Cause and not a termination by reason of his Disability.
– DISABILITY INCOME PROTECTION PLAN i) The Disability Income Protection Plan of the designated employer will be in accordance with the collective agreement.
ii) There will be no break in coverage and/or waiting period prior to being able to receive the Disability Income Protection Plan so long as the waiting period has already been served.
