It is always difficult to think of losing a loved one, and impossible to attach a dollar value to that personal loss. But such losses do have financial ramifications and there is a certain comfort in knowing that you and your Dependents can count on a degree of protection in the event of a death.
Coverage provided by Manulife Insurance (effective March 1, 2021)
If a person dies while insured for the Benefit, Manulife Financial will pay the amount for which that person was insured at the time of the member’s death.
3 times your Annual Salary (to a maximum benefit of $600,000)
The life insurance amount is updated for Salary changes based on the Salary Calculation Forms received by ELCIC Group Services Inc. Retroactive Salary increases will only be applied to the insurance amount if the Employee was Actively Working at the time of the retroactive change and if the new Salary Calculation Form is received by ELCIC Group Services Inc. within 30 days of the effective date.
If an Employee becomes Totally Disabled while insured for this Benefit and prior to age 65, Manulife Financial will waive the premiums required to continue that Employee’s and his Dependents’ Life Insurance, provided the Employee meets Manulife Financial’s Entitlement Criteria.
If the Employee is not insured under this Policy for Employee Optional Life, this Waiver of Premiums provision will not apply to his Spouse’s Dependent Optional Life Insurance in effect under this Policy, unless:
a) at the time the Dependent Optional Life Insurance was applied for on his Spouse, the Employee provided Manulife Financial with evidence of insurability on himself, and
b) Manulife Financial approved the Employee’s evidence of insurability.
Manulife Financial will apply the following criteria in determining an Employee’s entitlement to Waiver of Premiums:
a) the Employee has been continuously Totally Disabled throughout the Qualifying Period. If the Employee ceases to be Totally Disabled during this period and then becomes Totally Disabled again within 3 weeks due to the same or related cause, the Qualifying Period will be extended by the number of days during which the Total Disability ceased;
b) Manulife Financial receives medical evidence documenting how the Employee’s illness or injury causes restriction or lack of ability, such that the Employee is prevented from performing the essential duties of:
i) his own occupation, during the Qualifying Period and the 2 years immediately following the Qualifying Period; and
ii) any occupation for which the Employee is qualified, or may reasonably become qualified by training, education or experience, after the 2 years specified in part i) or this provision.
c) the Employee is receiving from a Physician, regular, ongoing care and treatment appropriate for the disabling condition, as determined by Manulife Financial.
At any time, Manulife Financial may require the Employee to submit to a medical, psychiatric, psychological, functional, educational and/or vocational examination or evaluation by an examiner selected by Manulife Financial.
Waiver of Premium will cease on the earliest of:
a) the date the Employee ceases to meet this Benefit’s definition of Totally Disabled.
b) the date the Employee does not supply Manulife Financial with appropriate medical evidence documenting how the Employee’s illness or injury causes restrictions or lack of ability, such that the Employee is prevented from performing the essential duties of:
i) his own occupation, during the Qualifying Period and the 2 years immediately following the Qualifying Period; and
ii) any occupation for which the Employee is qualified, or may reasonably become qualified by training, education or experience, after the 2 years specified in part i) of this provision.
c) the date the Employee is no longer receiving from a Physician, regular, ongoing care and treatment appropriate for the disabling condition, as determined by Manulife Financial.
d) the date the Employee does not attend a medical, psychiatric, psychological, functional, educational and/or vocational examination or evaluation by an examiner selected by Manulife Financial.
e) the date the Employee attains the age 65.
f) the date the Employee dies.
Where an Employee becomes Totally Disabled again from the same or related causes as those for which premiums were waived under this Benefit and such Disability recurs within 6 months of cessation of the Waiver of Premiums, Manulife Financial will waive the Qualifying Period.
All such recurrences will be considered a continuation of the same Disability. The Employee’s amount of insurance on which premiums were previously waived will be reinstated.
If the same Disability recurs more than 6 months after cessation of the Waiver of Premiums such Disability will be considered a separate Disability.
Two Disabilities which are due to unrelated causes are considered separate Disabilities if they are separated by a return to work of at least one day.
If the Waiver of Premiums is approved, premiums will be waived from the premium due date coincident with or next following the end of the Qualifying Period.
While premiums are being waived, Life Insurance in force under this Policy on the Employee and on his Dependents will continue to be in force. The amount of such Life Insurance will be the amount of insurance that was in effect on the date of commencement of the Disability, subject to any age reduction or termination shown in the Policy at that time. This continuation of coverage is not affected by a subsequent termination of this Policy or of employment.
In an Employee is not eligible for Life Insurance under this Policy when the Waiver of Premiums ceases, that Employee and his Spouse may exercise the Conversion Privilege under this Benefit.
If an Employee’s or Spouse’s Life Insurance under this Policy terminates or reduces and the conditions outlined below are satisfied, that person will be eligible to continue all or part of the insurance by converting to an Individual Policy.
Conditions for Conversion
The insured person must satisfy the following conditions to be eligible for an Individual Policy:
a) application for the Individual Policy must be received by Manulife Financial, within 31 days after the insurance under the Group Policy terminates or reduces; and
b) the first premium must be enclosed with the application.
Maximum Amount
The maximum amount that may be converted is the lesser of:
The Maximum Amount refers to all amounts of group life insurance for which the Employee is insured with Manulife Financial.
Plan of Insurance
The Individual Policy may be:
Issue of Individual Policy
Manulife Financial will apply the following rules in issuing an Individual Policy:
Death during Conversion Period
If a person dies within 31 days of the date his Group Insurance terminates, on receipt of due proof, Manulife Financial will pay the maximum amount the person was eligible to convert. This will be done even if the person did not apply for an Individual Policy. If the person had applied for the Individual Policy, any premium paid will be refunded.
Conversion for residents for Quebec
In accordance with the Quebec Regulation under the Act respecting Insurance (S.62,63,66), the Dependent, Minimum, Maximum and Death during Conversion Period provisions of the Life Insurance conversion privilege for Insured persons who reside in Quebec will be administered as outlined.
If a provision of the Policy is, in full or in part, contrary to the Regulation or any other law or regulation replacing it, that provision, or the part that is deemed to be contrary will be presumed to be amended to comply with the minimum requirements of the applicable laws and regulations.
Minimum/Maximum Amount
For a Group Policy of a person residing in Quebec, the minimum amount of the life insurance that may be converted is:
a) for Employees, $10,000
b) for Employee’s Spouse and/or Dependents $5,000
For a Group Policy of a person residing in Quebec, the maximum amount that may be converted is the lesser of:
a) $400,000;
b) the amount of insurance that terminated less the amount of insurance under any replacing Group Policy within 31 days of the termination if any.
Death during Conversion Period
If a person dies within 31 days of the date his Group Insurance terminates, on receipt of due proof, Manulife Financial will pay the amount of coverage under their terminated insurance. This will be done even if the person did not apply for an Individual Policy. If the person had applied for the Individual Policy, any premium paid will be refunded.
If Manulife Financial is furnished with proof that an Employee, prior to the age of 63, and while insured under this Policy, is diagnosed as terminally ill with a life expectancy, predicted and documented by two Physicians to be 24 months or less, Manulife Financial will advance a percentage of the Employee’s Basic Group Life Insurance Benefit.
Compassionate Assistance Benefit: 50% of the Employee’s Basic Group Life Insurance Amount to a maximum of $50,000.
Contact ELCIC Group Services for the application form for this Benefit.
The benefit will not be paid until the later of:
Manulife Financial will contact the Employee’s Physician(s), requesting medical evidence of the Employee’s condition.
Upon receipt by Manulife Financial of written notice and due proof that the death of the Employee occurred during the continuance of the Basic Group Life Insurance coverage under the Policy, Manulife Financial Life will pay:
Canada Revenue Agency may regard the Compassionate Assistance Benefit as a taxable benefit. Any tax payable will be the responsibility of the Employee or the Employee’s estate.
The amount of insurance for which a Dependent is covered under this Policy shall be in accordance with the following schedule:
Spouse: $10,000
Each Child: $5,000
Please review the glossary to confirm definitions and eligibility of a spouse and/or child and note that they must be living in Canada for coverage to be in force.
In addition to the amounts of Life Insurance provided under the Amount of Basic Insurance provision and the Dependent’s Insurance provision, an Employee and/or Spouse may apply to be insured for an additional amount of insurance in accordance with the following schedule:
Each Employee and/or each eligible Spouse: Units of $10,000 to a maximum of $200,000
Written application should be made to Manulife Financial on the forms provided by Manulife Financial and coverage shall not be effective until the date that Manulife Financial approved the application. Manulife Financial will be responsible for the cost of medical fees incurred in obtaining any medical information that Manulife Financial may require in order to proceed with the application. Premiums are payable the first day of the month following the date that the application is approved by Manulife Financial.
This Optional Coverage shall terminate on the occurrence of any of the following events:
If death occurs as a result of suicide, the amount of Optional Life Insurance payable will be limited to the amount of Optional Life Insurance which has been in effect for one or more years.
The Employee may name a beneficiary, subject to governing law, when completing the Enrollment Form or by submitting a Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation Form. Once either Form has been submitted, it takes effect as of the date it was signed with respect to any payment made after the time it was submitted. The Employee may change this designation at any time. If an Employee has designated no beneficiary, the insurance on the life of the Employee shall be paid to the estate of that Employee.
Beneficiary designations are only applicable for Employee Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment.
Any amount of insurance payable under this Policy on the life of a Dependent shall be payable to the Employee.
