Human Resources

Please find attached memo 2006-D-4 (PDF), which provides details regarding the continuation of group insurance benefits for employees who work beyond age 65 in accordance with the province's Bill 211. This change in benefit policy will become effective December 1, 2006.

The Group Insurance Benefits that will be continued are:

The premium sharing arrangements identified in the Academic and Support Staff Collective Agreements as well as the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Administrative Staff will apply to the above benefits.

For all employee groups, the following benefits will NOT be continued beyond age 65:

• Supplemental Life
• Employee Pay-All Optional Life
• Spousal Supplemental Life (where available)
• Dependent Life
• Critical Illness Insurance (where available)
• Long Term Disability (ceases at age 64 and 6 months for all employees)

Academic Exception

The group insurance contract allows an exception to be made for Academic employees who may continue all of their elected benefits, excluding LTD, if actively employed until the August 31 following their 65th birthday. After that time, the Academic employee will have coverage on the same basis as Administrative and Support Staff.

Conversion Option

It should be noted that when the various forms of life insurance (Supplemental Life, Employee Pay-All Optional Life, Spousal Supplemental, Dependent Life) are terminated due to age, the employee will have the conversion option, whereby the employee may elect to convert the coverage to an individual plan offered by Sun Life without proof of good health. This option is available for 31 days after the coverage ends.

At this time you will have to decide whether you will start receiving CPP. If you are in receipt of CPP please notify the college’s payroll department to ensure you no longer make CPP contributions on your bi-weekly pay.

To apply for Canada Pension Plan, visit Service Canada.

Bill 211 the Ending Mandatory Retirement Statute Law Amendment Act 2005 will remove mandatory retirement age for workers in Ontario as of December 12, 2006. The Council has received a number of inquiries relating to WSIB coverage for individuals working beyond age 65. Workers aged 63 or older at the time of their injury are entitled to a two-year benefit payment but some of the ancillary benefits such as retirement income are not provided.

The Plan has recently received a number of questions regarding working past age 65 and starting a pension. At this time, when the number of Plan Members working past age 65 may increase, we would like to clarify the Plans policies in this area.

CAAT Plan Members who reach age 65 have two choices regarding their pension.

1. They can stop working which means retire, become a Pensioner, and collect pension payments.

2. They can continue to work, remain a Plan Member, and continue to make contributions.

Note that Members who reach age 69 are required by law to stop making contributions and begin receiving pension payments, even if they continue to work.

For choice number 1 stopping work and retiring on pension - Members must submit a termination form, called a TRD Pension Claim form. The Colleges Human Resources office helps individuals prepare this form. The Plan will subsequently prepare an option document, which the Member can use to choose from among the available benefit options. It is not possible for the Plan to process and start a pension without receiving a completed TRD Pension Claim.

This treatment accords with the Plan text and our understanding of the provincial law (the Pension Benefits Act) on the issue.

You may also contact CAAT Pension directly at 1-866-350-2228.

Update (Posted 2/2/09)

The Sponsors' Committee of the CAAT Plan has decided to amend the Plan text to change to age 71 the maximum age at which someone can be an active contributor to the Plan.

This change, which is effective January 1, 2009, is being made so that the CAAT Plan's rules will agree with the rules as laid out in the Income Tax Act, which was recently amended for the same reason.

The change means that once people have become Members of the Plan, they will remain Members, if they have not retired, up until the end of the year in which they reach age 71. During membership, contributions continue to be made from each pay, and Pensionable Service continues to accrue.

At the end of the year in which Members reach age 71, they must stop contributing to the Plan and begin receiving pension payments, even if they are still working. The CAAT Plan amendment also specifies that if the age is again changed in the Income Tax Act, the age in the Plan will also automatically change.

View Sunlife’s Change in Life Provision