Long Term Disability Plan (i) The Employer and the Union shall participate in the Long Term Disability Plan provided under the joint GVLRA/CUPE LTD Trust, or its successor trust when applicable, pursuant to the Trust Agreement executed by Trustees representing the Union and the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association on behalf of the Employer effective January 1, 1987, which Trust Agreement may be amended from time to time by the Trustees.
(ii) All regular employees shall participate in this LTD Plan as a condition of continued employment. The required contributions for this coverage shall be as determined and amended from time to time by the Trustees and shall be shared equally by each employee through payroll deduction and the Employer (50% each), provided that in no event shall the total cost of such coverage exceed three percent (3%) of the total payroll for basic CUPE wages. Should the current benefits prove impossible to maintain for this three percent (3%) maximum in accordance with accepted actuarial accounting methods, the benefits shall be amended by the Trustees so that the three percent (3%) total cost is maintained.
(iii) The terms and conditions of this LTD Plan shall be as determined and amended from time to time by the Trustees, but in no event shall these benefits provide for other than the following, provided such benefits can be maintained for the total cost of three percent (3%) of payroll.
(a) A benefit level of seventy percent (70%) of the disabled employee's regular monthly earnings in effect on the date of disability, reduced by certain amounts received by and payable to the employee from other sources during the period of disability.
(b) A definition of disability which permits an employee to become eligible for benefits when completely unable to engage in his/her normal occupation for the first twenty-four (24) months of disability; and thereafter, when he/she is unable to engage in any occupation or employment for which he/she is reasonably qualified or may reasonably become qualified.
(c) A seventeen (17) week qualification period from the date of disability during which no benefit is payable under the Plan.
(iv) All claims for LTD coverage shall be adjudicated and administered by a carrier selected for such purposes by the Trustees. The terms of the Trust Agreement and Plan Documents as applicable shall apply to all matters not specifically addressed in this Article. Should a conflict arise between this Article and any of the above documents, this Article shall always apply.
(v) Notwithstanding anything in this Article, the Employer and the Union recognize that eligibility for and entitlement to long term disability benefits shall be as set out in the Plan document.
(vi) An employee must make application for long term disability benefits while on an extended sick leave and prior to the completion of the qualification period and that if the employee is accepted for long term disability benefits that the employee shall commence long term disability upon completion of the qualification period.
Long Term Disability (income replacement during a qualifying disability equal to sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of basic monthly earnings to the established maximum following a one hundred and twenty (120) working day elimination period);
Short Term Disability Plan The administration of the Short Term Disability Plan and the payment of benefits under this Plan shall be handled by the Company.
Long Term Disability Insurance Plan The Employer shall provide a mutually acceptable long-term disability insurance plan, a copy of which shall appear in Appendix “A” – Long-Term Disability Insurance Plan. The plan shall provide post-probationary regular employees with salary continuation as per Appendix “A” until age sixty-five (65) in the event of a disability. The cost of the plan shall be borne by the Employer.
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 six (6) months, including periods approved in Section 1.3(a) and (c), he shall be eligible to receive a monthly benefit as follows:
(a) While the employee has a sick bank balance to be used on a day-for-day basis, full monthly earnings will continue until the sick bank is exhausted, and Section 2.6 will not apply.
(b) When an employee has no sick bank, or after it is exhausted, the employee shall receive a monthly benefit equal to the sum of:
(1) Effective upon ratification sixty-eight and three-tenths (68.3) percent of the first twenty-two hundred (2200) dollars of monthly earnings and
(2) Fifty (50) percent of the monthly earnings above twenty-two hundred (2200) dollars. For the purposes of the above, earnings shall mean basic monthly earnings as at the date of disability as determined by the Employer. The basic monthly earnings as at the date of disability shall be the salary in effect for the last month of the Short Term Plan period, or equivalent six (6) month period, taking into consideration any retroactive adjustments. The date of disability for determining the commencement of the first two years of disability shall be the day following the last month of the Short Term Plan period, or an equivalent six (6) month period.
(c) The Long Term Disability benefit payment will be made so 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 65, or dies or otherwise loses his employment status, whichever occurs first.
(d) An employee in receipt of Long Term Disability Benefits will be considered an employee and will continue to be covered by group life (at the amount in effect when the disability commenced), extended health, dental and medical plans. Employees will not be covered by any other portion of the Collective Agreement, but will retain the right of access to the Joint Committee pursuant to Article 7 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 to the 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 waived by the Employer, except that Pension Plan contributions shall be deducted from any salary received from the Employer to cover the period of rehabilitative employment.
