Life Events - Employer Role

Eligibility for enrollment in the ELCIC Pension Plan and the ELCIC Group Benefits Plan is monthly earnings of 25% of YMPE. Note that there is no hours-of-work requirement.

Once an employee meets eligibility, enrollment is required. There is no option to waive even if the employee has access to other pension or benefits plans. If the employee has additional plans (e.g., through their spouse), benefits will be coordinated.

The following schedule will be used to calculate eligibility:

The enrollment date is the first day eligibility is met. There is no waiting period.

Specifically, an employee must join the Plan on their date of hire if their monthly Salary is equal to or greater than 25% of one-twelfth (1/12^th) of the YMPE.

Futhermore, an employee who is not eligible to join the Plan on their date of hire must join the Plan on the first day of the month following the month that their monthly salary becomes equal to or greater than 25% of one-twelfth (1/12^th) of the YMPE.

The Health Module insurer requires that employees enroll in their ‘true’ family status. If the employee has a spouse or children, they must be enrolled in a Family plan.

Spouse: The person to whom you are legally married, OR a person continuously living with you in a role like that of a marriage partner for at least one year.

Dependent Child: your natural or legally adopted child, (dependent on you or your spouse for financial support), or step child, who is:

• unmarried
• under age 21, or under age 25 and a full-time student
• not employed on a full-time basis
• and not eligible for insurance as an employee under this or any other group benefit program.

ELCIC Pension Plan

There is no minimum salary or other criteria to maintain membership in the pension plan once an employee has an ELCIC pension plan account. Pension contributions should be made from any and all participating employers.

ELCIC Group Benefits Plan

Eligibility must be met and maintained to continue benefits coverage in any ongoing position and for each new employer or second employer if members are employed by two or more employers.

Note that when moving between ELCIC employers, the health and dental module that a member is enrolled in will continue with the new employer, as long as eligibility is maintained.

All forms required for enrollment can be found on the Forms and Worksheets page of this website.

Please complete and return to the GSI office. We accept scanned form by email or copies can be mailed by post.

If your employee is new to Canada, everything in this ‘new employee’ section applies with a couple of twists as follows:

• The Health Care benefits provided in the group plan are a second payer to the government health program, therefore make sure your employee applies for provincial health coverage first and the group plan will begin when the provincial coverage becomes effective (typically 3 months after arrival). All other benefits will start immediately.
• If your employee has a spouse and/or child(ren), coverage for them will begin once the employee is enrolled and they are living in Canada as well.
• Contributions to the pension plan can begin as soon as the employee has a social insurance number.

Employees must join the pension and group benefits plans from the date of eligibility. It is important to enroll and submit all the documentation of enrollment on a timely basis, as soon as eligible.

If for some reason an employee is missed, pension contributions are required back to date of eligibility and must be made until the employee is ‘caught up’ to where they would have been had they enrolled at date of eligibility.

These contributions are subject to the annual maximum of 18%.  Premiums for benefits also must be submitted back to date of eligibility for all late enrollments.

If your employee gets married (or has a common-law partner) please ask them to complete and submit a change in marital status form (found on forms and worksheets page). The insurance carriers require that employees enroll in their ‘true’ family status.  Therefore members having Health Care benefits will have to change from single to family coverage.  If their spouse is also working and has a health plan, then benefits will be coordinated.

As a change in marital status is a life event, the member may chose to change the module they are enrolled in.

Please meet with your employee to discuss the changes and determine the funding for any changes. Then notify GSI so that that premiums can be adjusted and any claims are processed correctly.

Note that employee is also entitled to dependent life insurance and this will affect your taxable benefit calculation. If the spouse’s benefits subsequently change, the above choices will have to be revisited and enrollment information may have to be updated.

If your employee continues to work past age 65 you should be aware of the following:

• Health Care benefits will continue as long as the member continues to be actively employed and meets the minimum eligibility
• Life Plus benefits will end; premium is pro-rated in the final month to the 65th birthday date.
• Pension Plan contributions continue as long as the member is actively employed until age 71.

Employee

Please notify GSI and we will communicate with their executor or beneficiaries.

Family member of employee

Please advise your employee to contact GSI in order to update and process any requirements, such as:  claims to make, a change in premiums and/or benefit coverage and/or a change to dependent or beneficiary information. Please refer to the compensation guidelines for information on bereavement leaves.

Supplemental income will be provided to plan members who are receiving employment insurance for maternity and/or parental benefits as per the Parental Leave Policy approved by National Church Council (latest revision Sept 2018)

The process is as follows:

• employer will provide GSI with documents confirming employee approved for employment insurance
• employer will pay employee the supplemental pay benefit as per policy
• employer will submit a reimbursement request each month to GSI for the supplemental pay

i.e. the employee will remain on the payroll of the congregation and will receive a T4 from the congregation/employer. Please note that EI is not required on these earnings, but CPP and income tax with holding are required.

Here is a table that indicates the salary, pension and benefits responsibilities.

Timeline	Salary	Pension Contributions	Life Plus Premiums	Health Care Premiums
waiting for employment insurance (EI)	employer pays 85% of pre-leave salary and will be reimbursed by GSI when payroll information is supplied	7% member 8% employer of new salary	employer pays on pre-leave salary	continues as previous
maternity leave	EI pays 55%	at member option
	employer pays 30% over 12 months or 20% over 18 months coinciding with EI option selected*	7% member 8% employer of new salary	employer pays on pre-leave salary	continues as previous
parental leave	EI pays 55%	at member option
	employer pays 30% over 12 months or 20% over 18 months coinciding with EI option selected*	7% member 8% employer of new salary	employer pays on pre-leave salary	continues as previous

ELCIC Sick Leave Policy

This policy is provided for employees to better manage their health and wellness. Please see Appendix One of the Compensation Guidelines.

The disability program aims to create an environment of wellness and engagement through awareness and acceptance of any health challenges. The program also aims to support health and wellness promotion and to have excellent attendance and engagement. 

The ELCIC Group Benefits Plan provides both short-term disability and long-term disability benefits to plan members with supported claims.   

We invite you to refer to the Short-term Disability Policy plan document for detailed information on the terms and conditions of the plan.  

As well, you may download the Short-term Disability Employer Guide for an overview of your role and tools for managing the absence. 

Waiting period – two weeks 

When your employee becomes ill, disabled or requires time off for surgery, the first two weeks are managed in accordance with the ELCIC Sick Leave Policy. (see the previous tab or Compensation Guidelines) 

When it becomes apparent that your employee will be unable to return to work after two weeks from the initial absence, please notify GSI immediately. 

Short Term Disability – next 15 weeks 

Process and Forms 

Once you (the congregation/employer) have advised GSI of your employee’s prolonged absence, both you and your employee will be contacted by Windley Ely, an independent disability management firm.  Windley Ely will explain the STD program and answer your questions. They will also get preliminary information about the claim and provide you with any forms that will need to be completed. Your completed forms should be submitted directly to Windley Ely. 

Payment and Funding of STD Benefit Amount 

At the end of the two week waiting period, the congregation/employer should suspend payroll until the claim is approved.  

Upon notice of approval, the congregation/employer will be responsible to pay the employee the disability benefit amount, which is calculated as 70% of their Salary Basis (salary & housing allowance). Please continue your regular payroll process to make the required statutory withholdings and remittances on the new amount. GSI will reimburse the congregation/employer for the STD benefit amount. GSI will require a copy of the payroll register or pay stub with the pay period clearly indicated to process the reimbursement. 

If the claim is not approved and the employee returns to work, resume normal payroll. 

Note that the employee may appeal the claim or it may take more time to obtain all the supporting documentation. Please contact GSI to discuss payroll requirements during this time. 

Pension and Benefits 

The employee 7% pension contribution (on the disability benefit amount) must be withheld and remitted to GSI together with the congregation/employer 8% pension contribution. GSI will adjust your invoice accordingly. 

You (the congregation/employer) will continue to be responsible for the ELCIC Group Benefit Plan premiums during the short-term disability period based on the pre-disability Salary Basis, which will appear on your monthly invoice. 

Note that pension contributions and benefit premiums are not insured and will not be reimbursed during the STD period. 

Additional Income to Employees while in receipt of Short-Term Disability payments  

The congregation/employer is permitted to pay their employee up to 100% of their pre-disability salary, however only 70% of the pre-disability salary will be reimbursed by GSI.  

Pension contributions are required on the amount of actual salary paid and GSI should be advised of the actual amount in order to invoice correctly. The congregation/employer is already remitting all benefits premiums based on the pre-disability Salary Basis during the short-term period, so any additional amount does not change that. 

Please note: Any pay above 70% while an employee is approved for STD is completely at the discretion of the congregation/employer.  

Additional income during the Long-Term Disability period is not permitted. 

Long-Term Disability – 17 weeks and beyond 

If the employee continues to be sick or disabled after 17 weeks, Windley Ely will assist in transitioning the case to long-term disability with Manulife Financial. Transition steps will begin several weeks ahead of STD ending. 

Salary amounts, pension contributions and benefit premiums are not required from the congregation/employer during the long-term disability period. Manulife Financial and GSI will continue to communicate with you should your employee be able to return to work or participate in a rehabilitation program. 

When an employee is on a leave of absence, there are certain requirements for maintaining benefits that are dictated by federal or provincial legislation or specified in the ELCIC pension Plan Text or benefits contracts.  For easy reference, the following chart summarizes those requirements.  Please advise GSI of any leaves.

Paid Leaves

This includes sabbatical or education leaves or other statutory leaves (not including Maternity or Parental Leave – see above for information on these leaves)

GSI must be provided with a copy the the letter documenting the leave including the return to work date.

Compensation	Requirement
Salary	Employer continues as previous; if reduced then benefits eligibility must be reviewed
ELCIC Pension Plan	contributions continue in usual manner based on salary paid
ELCIC Group Benefits Plan	benefits continue; premiums are required in usual manner

Unpaid Leaves

This includes any unpaid leave of absence for any reason and also a temporary lay-off.

There must be a return to work date within 4 months.

GSI must be provided with a copy the the letter documenting the leave including the return to work date.

Compensation	Requirement
Salary	none
ELCIC Pension Plan	contributions cease when no salary; partial months are pro-rated.
ELCIC Group Benefits Plan	benefits may continue if premiums are paid

Employee should provide the employer with post-dated cheques for the duration, if the premium is shared above the Blue Module or for optional life.

On Leave from Call or Temporarily Without Call

These leaves are considered a termination of employment. Please see the termination section for requirements.

Notification

We would greatly appreciate being advised in advance of the employee’s termination date.  If we are notified of a salary change prior to creating invoices we can make adjustments to send out a correct final invoice.

The sooner final contributions are received the quicker the termination process can proceed.

Termination Date

The first step is to determine the employee’s termination date.

• If no vacation owing, termination date is the last day worked.
• If vacation is owing, the termination date is the date that the vacation pay is paid to (ie. last day worked is May 15 vacation paid to May 31 therefore termination date is May 31).

Group benefits cannot be extended into a notice or severance period when the employee is not actively at work.

Final Premiums

A full month’s premiums for  the Health Module is due in the final month regardless of the termination date.  However, please note that benefits for the employee end at midnight on the termination date. The Life Plus premium is based on the actual salary in the final month; please notify GSI as soon as this is known so we can produce an accurate invoice.

Health Module

The employee will have 90 days to submit any claims incurred on or prior to the last day.  GSI will provide information regarding conversion options.

The calculation for pension contributions on the final pay includes:

• Actual regular salary paid (if terminated mid month the pro-rated amount applies)
• plus housing (FMV) and housing equity or housing allowance is applicable,
• and vacation pay.

NOTE:  Pension contributions are paid on any notice period but not paid on any severance.

All contributions to the termination date must be received before we are able to settle the pension account for the member; therefore please ensure contributions are remitted on a timely basis.