Long-Term Disability Plan for full-time, permanent employees

When benefits begin	After four months of benefits from the Paid Sick Leave Plan, provided: Canada Life has approved the payment of benefits, but, in no event, prior to the date you were scheduled to return to work if you were on an authorized leave of absence when your disability began; and premiums have been paid for the entire duration of your leave.
Benefits	66.67% of your regular monthly earnings rounded to the next higher integral multiple of $1 less income payable in respect of your disability from: Québec Pension Plan Canada Pension Plan Workers’ Compensation If your income from all sources while disabled exceeds 80% of your pre-disability gross income, your benefits under the Long–Term Disability Plan will be reduced by the excess.
Duration of benefits	When you cease to be disabled or the first of the month coinciding with or immediately following your 65th birthday, whichever occurs first.
Definition of disability	For the first 36 months under the Long–Term Disability Plan Inability to perform the essential duties of your regular occupation. Afterward: Inability to work at any occupation for which you are or may be reasonably qualified by training, education or experience.

Who is eligible

You are eligible to participate in the Concordia Long–Term Disability Plan if you are:

• a full-time, permanent employee; and
• a member of an eligible employee group.

When and how to enrol

You enrol once you become eligible to join the plan. You will be contacted by Benefits Services.

When coverage begins

Coverage begins as soon as you become eligible.

However, you cannot be covered in the four month period preceding the first of the month coinciding with or immediately following your 65th birthday.

If you are totally disabled after the initial four months covered by the Paid Sick Leave Plan, the Long–Term Disability Plan will provide you with an income equal to:

Your monthly benefit from this plan is subject to a maximum of $10,000.

If you are eligible for long–term disability benefits, payments from the Long–Term Disability Plan will begin once the maximum benefits from the Paid Sick Leave Plan have been paid.

Long–term disability benefits will continue for as long as you remain totally disabled, up to the first of the month following your 65th birthday or your retirement date, whichever is earlier.

Please note that certain exclusions apply.

This plan is insured by Great-West Life.

Benefit offsets

Your long–term disability income will be directly reduced by any income to which you are entitled from the following sources as a result of your disability:

• Québec Pension Plan (excluding amounts payable in respect of dependent children)
• Canada Pension Plan (excluding amounts payable in respect of dependent children)
• Workers’ Compensation

These benefits do not affect benefits payable from the Concordia Long–Term Disability Plan.

Benefits from all sources

In addition to the University’s benefits program, you may be entitled to the following benefits from other sources of income as a result of your disability:

• an indemnity for loss of time payable to you under an insured or uninsured plan that covers you on a group basis, including a professional or other association–type plan;
• an indemnity payable under a provincial no–fault automobile insurance plan
• damages for loss of income recovered from a third party and resulting from the same circumstances that caused your disability.
• disability benefits under the Canada or Québec Pension Plan, payable on behalf of your dependent children, if any;
• pension benefits received under the Concordia Pension Plan and which began after your disability started; and
• pension benefits under the Canada or Québec Pension Plan and which began after your disability started.

If your long–term disability income from all sources listed above exceeds 80% of your regular monthly earnings (including pension benefits that start being paid after your disability began as well as any other income payable by Concordia or another employer, except as a result of approved rehabilitative employment), benefits payable from the Concordia Long–Term Disability Plan will be reduced accordingly.

If you are entitled to disability benefits under other plans, you must apply to receive them. Please see Benefits Services if you require any assistance.

Cost of living adjustments

After you have received benefits from the Long–Term Disability Plan for 12 consecutive months, your payments will be increased by up to 3% after each consecutive 12–month period of payments in accordance with increases in the cost of living, as published by Statistics Canada for the previous calendar year.

This adjustment will apply to the long-term disability benefits payable under this plan after they have been integrated with the benefits payable from the Canada or Québec Pension Plan and any other sources of income.

Rehabilitation benefits

Normally, your benefits will stop if you return to work. However, if you recover to the extent that you are able to engage in rehabilitative employment approved by Great-West Life, the Long–Term Disability Plan will continue to provide benefits for up to two years from the date on which such employment begins.

If this occurs, your benefits from the plan will be reduced by only 50% of any earnings you receive from your rehabilitative employment.

However, if your total income from all sources exceeds 100% of your income with Concordia before your disability, increased according to the Consumer Price Index since that time, your benefits will be reduced by such excess.

The Long–Term Disability Plan may also cover expenses that you incur for services and equipment relating to the rehabilitation program. All such expenses must be approved in writing, in advance, by Great-West Life.

Third party liability

If...

• you are eligible to receive benefits from the Long–Term Disability Plan; and
• you have a right to recover damages from any person or organization in respect of your disability;

the insurance company will be subrogated in the amount of any benefits paid under the plan to the rights of your recovery against any person or organization.

Reimbursement

You will have to reimburse the insurance company in the amount of any benefits paid, out of the damages recovered (such as any lump–sum or periodic payments received on account of past, present or future loss of income, otherwise payable under the Long–Term Disability Plan).

In that case, you will be required to

• notify the insurance company immediately if you begin an action against a third party that includes a claim for wage loss otherwise payable under the Long–Term Disability Plan;
  
  

  Your solicitor shall represent our subrogated rights unless the insurance company gives notice that we wish to appoint another solicitor to act on our behalf.

  The insurance company reserves its right to begin an action to pursue its subrogated rights against the third party, in which event, the individual agrees to fully co–operate with the insurance company in pursuing its claim against the third party.

• tell the insurance company about any judgments or settlements of claims against a third party in the circumstances indicated above; and
• give all records, transcripts, reports and information to the insurance company that it may reasonably demand for the calculation or allocation of damages.

Lump sum payment

If a lump-sum payment is made under judgment or settlement for:

• loss of future income; or
• for future periodic or lump–sum benefits that would otherwise be payable under this plan;

no further benefits will be paid under this policy until such time as the monthly or periodic benefits that would otherwise be payable under this policy equal the amount received in a lump sum.

Claim for damages

If a claim for damages against a third party is settled before trial, the insurance company shall be reimbursed the amount that reasonably reflects the loss of past, present and future income that would otherwise be payable under this plan, notwithstanding the actual terms of the settlement.

While you receive benefits from the Long–Term Disability Plan, your coverage under the following plans will continue at no cost to you, provided you were enrolled in those plans before you became disabled:

• Health Plan (including vision care depending on your eligible employee group)
• Dental Plan
• Basic Life Insurance Plan
• Optional Life Insurance Plan (or Survivor Income Insurance if you elected to retain this coverage as of May I, 1988)
• Optional Dependent Life Insurance Plan
• Optional Accident Insurance Plan (also known as the Optional Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Plan)

In addition, you will continue to earn a pension under the Concordia Pension Plan at no cost to you. The pension earned during your disability will be based on the contributory formula (even if you were a non-contributory member before your disability) and your regular monthly earnings when you became disabled, increased in accordance with the rate used to increase the YMPE.

If you cease to be disabled while receiving long–term disability benefits and you become disabled again within three months due to the same or a related condition, the new period of disability will be considered part of the same continuous period of disability.

You must re-apply for disability benefits by filling out a new claim form.

Otherwise, you will be entitled to a new period of disability benefits, including benefits from the Paid Sick Leave Plan.

Concordia currently pays the entire cost of coverage under the Long–Term Disability Plan.

What is taxable

The long–term disability benefits received when you are disabled are taxable as income.

If you become disabled while you are pregnant, whether or not this disability is related to the pregnancy, you may be entitled to long–term disability benefits until the earlier of:

• the elected date of the leave; and
• the date of delivery of the child.

While on maternity leave, you will be entitled to Supplementary Unemployment Benefits from the University, in addition to the maternity benefits payable by The Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) .

On the other hand, if you become pregnant while disabled, your long–term disability benefits will continue uninterrupted until the earlier of:

• the elected date of the leave; and
• the date of delivery of the child.

No benefits will be paid for a disability occurring during an unpaid leave of absence or during any period while you are outside Canada or the United States. If you become disabled while you are on an unpaid leave or while outside these countries, your disability will be recognized on your scheduled date of return, provided you have prepaid the premiums required to maintain the coverage in force during your period of leave.

In addition, benefits will not be payable for claims that result directly or indirectly from:

• intentionally self–inflicted injury, while sane or insane;
• war, insurrection or hostilities of any kind, regardless of whether you were a participant or not;
• participation in a riot or civil commotion; or
• participation in an attempted or actual criminal offence.

• You must complete the disability claim forms to receive benefits from the Long–Term Disability Plan.
• Once you have completed and signed the forms, you should return them to Benefits Services one month before your benefits from the Paid Sick Leave Plan run out, but in no event later than 90 days following the date your long-term disability benefit entitlement begins.
• Carefully follow all instructions on the forms and include any required documents, such as medical proof, to ensure prompt payment.
• We recommend that you keep a copy of your claim forms for future reference.

Certain events in life can affect your benefits. Choose an event below to learn more.

What if...

• I have a new spouse or child before I retire
• My dependent child reaches age 21
• I leave the University
• My marriage breaks down
• I take an authorized leave of absence
• I become disabled
• I retire
• I die

Your coverage under the Long–Term Disability Plan automatically ends on the earliest of:

• the first of the month coinciding with or immediately following your 65th birthday;
• your retirement date; and
• the date your employment ceases.

Great-West Life insures the Long-Term Disability Plan under policy number 330070.