Correction! With the new switch to pre-payment of benefits at the beginning of the month, Partial Load (PL) benefits actually don’t end until Dec. 31st (or the end of the month in which your contract ends). A PL member (who very gently corrected us) spoke with HR about this and they verified it – “your benefits will always end on the last day of the month which your partial-load contract ends, so your last day of coverage is December 31, 2020.
If you are a Partial Load Faculty member, your benefits with Sun Life, which can include life insurance, extended health care insurance, and critical care insurance, expire at the end of your current contract–this year, December 18, 2020 –and they do not come into effect until your next Partial Load contract begins–January 18, 2021. Moreover, there could be a two-week delay for access to your benefits to take effect.
If you want to continue to have access to your benefits, called bridging your benefits, you need to communicate with your Human Resources representative as soon as possible.
You will need to provide evidence, such as a contract or an offer of employment, to qualify. Sometimes, a letter from your Associate Dean, Dean, or Campus Dean, indicating that you will be offered a Partial Load contract, is accepted. However, bridging benefits is at the discretion of the insurance provider, in our case Sun Life.
If bridging is approved, you are responsible for paying 100% of the premium in between Partial Load contracts.
It is recommended that if you want to bridge your benefits, you begin the process as early as possible.
Names and contact information for your Human Resources representative can be found on the college’s intranet, under HR & OD (Human Resources and Organizational Development).
Your Sun Life Benefits booklet can be found here. See page 11 for information about bridging benefits.
Learn more about accessing your health and wellness benefits here: slcfaculty.ca/health-and-wellness