Benefits

USW Local 5795 Member/ IOC Hourly Benefits 2023-2028

Here is a simple breakdown of your medical, dental, and other healthcare benefits:

Who is Covered?

Once you complete your probation period, you and your eligible dependents are covered.

• Eligible Dependents include:

  • Your legal or common-law spouse (if you've lived together for at least 12 months).

  • Your children under 19, or under 26 if they are full-time students.

Medical, Hospital, and Vision Benefits

Your plan covers a wide range of non-work-related medical expenses, but the amount reimbursed varies.

Hospital & Medical Care:

• Hospital Stays: 100% coverage for a semi-private room for up to 730 days. After that, coverage is 85%.

• Nursing Home: 100% coverage up to $20 per day.

• Ambulance: Licensed ground or air ambulance is covered at 100% up to $150 per trip. The rest is covered at 85%.

• Prescription Drugs: 85% coverage for drugs that legally require a prescription. The plan is limited to the cost of the generic or lower-cost alternative drug.

• Private Nursing: 85% coverage, subject to the treatment plan.

• Orthopedic Shoes: Up to $500 per person per calendar year.

• Virtual Healthcare: You have access to "Healthcare Online" via an app for 24/7 access to Canadian healthcare professionals for diagnoses, advice, prescriptions, and referrals.

Paramedical Specialists (like Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, etc.):

• Coverage: 100% per visit up to reasonable and customary fees.

• Combined Yearly Maximum: There's a single maximum amount per person, per year, for all specialist services combined.

  • $900 as of July 1, 2023.

  • $950 as of January 1, 2025.

• Covered Specialists Include: Acupuncturist, chiropractor, physiotherapist, psychologist, massage therapist, speech therapist, and as of January 2024, several others including occupational therapists, osteopaths, and social workers.

Vision Care:

• Glasses & Contacts: You are covered for prescribed frames, lenses, and contact lenses up to:

  • $375 as of July 1, 2023.

  • $400 as of January 1, 2024.

  • This is per person for any 24-consecutive-month period.

• Eye Exams: Dependents can get a maximum of $50 per visit in any 24-month period for eye exams, paid through the Wellness Account. For employees, the company will reimburse the full cost of one eye exam per year related to prescription safety glasses.

Lifetime Maximum:

• The lifetime maximum for these benefits is $45,000 for each active employee and their covered dependents.

• If you hit this limit, $1,000 is reinstated annually.

• For employees retiring after March 1, 2023, the lifetime maximum is the greater of their unused balance or $15,000.

Other Health-Related Benefits

• Wellness Account: You get $400 per year to spend on a wide variety of wellbeing services, including fitness, daycare, counseling, and personal development.

• Medical Travel (Company Plan): For medical referrals to the nearest facility, the plan covers 100% of air travel up to $800 per person (as of July 1, 2023).

• Medical Travel (Government Program - MTAP): You may also be eligible for the provincial Medical Transportation Assistance Program (MTAP) for specialized medical services not available where you live.

  • MTAP is the "payer of last resort," meaning you must use other insurance first.

  • It can help cover costs for airfare, private vehicle use (25¢/km for trips over 500 kms), accommodations, and meals.

  • For example, it offers a daily per diem for meals ($29/day in-province) and accommodations ($150/night for paid accommodations, $25/night for private) for trips over 200 km one way.

• Prescription Safety Glasses: The company will pay up to the cost of providing safety glasses twice a year and will replace glasses broken on the job.

• Annual Medical Exams: You are allowed a complete annual industrial examination, which can be done by a company doctor or your own doctor (up to a certain cost). You will be paid for one hour at your regular rate for attending this exam outside of work hours.

How to Make a Claim

• Deadlines:

  • Disability claims must be submitted within 90 days of the start of your disability.

  • Medical, vision, and dental claims must be submitted by the end of the calendar year following the year the expense was incurred (e.g., submit a claim from April 2023 before December 31, 2024).

  • Important: If you retire or leave IOC, this period shortens to 90 days.

• Contact Info: For claims or questions, contact Manulife at 1-800-268-6195 or visit their website. Your policy number is 38052.