Prairie Emergency Medical Services Inc. Collective Agreement 2020-2025

Article 33 - Employee Benefit Plans

1. The Employer shall continue the following group plans for all eligible Employees where such plans are currently in effect or shall implement the following group plans where enrollments and other requirements of the insurer has been met.

   Group Insurance Benefits
   
   The Employer shall provide the following group plan to eligible employees, the Group Insurance Benefits Plan will be paid fifty percent (50%) by the Employer and fifty percent (50%) by the Employee. Such plan shall include, but is not limited to:

   1. Extended Health Benefit Plans (no deductible on prescription medications, and the minimum existing medication formulary includes Convalescent and In-province Hospitals one hundred percent (100%) covered, out-of-province emergency services one hundred percent (100%); out-of-province referral services eighty percent (80%); medical services and equipment one hundred percent (100%); paramedical services one hundred percent (100%) (up to five hundred dollars ($500) annually); vision care one hundred percent (100%) to a maximum of two hundred and fifty dollars ($250) in any twelve (12) month period for a person under age eighteen (18) or in any twenty-four (24) month period for another person;
   2. Dental Care; 100% of preventative/basic dental and 50% of major dental with a combined limit of $2,000 per calendar year.
   3. Accidental Death and Dismemberment equal to Employee Life Coverage (twenty-five thousand dollars [$25,000]), and Dependent Life equal to spouse five thousand dollars [$5,000], and child twenty-five hundred dollars [$2,500];
   4. Short-Term Disability - income replacement for a period of up to seventeen (17) weeks in the event that a prolonged illness or injury prevents an Employee from working, provided at sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of weekly pre-disability earnings;
   5. Long Term Disability (income replacement during a qualifying disability equal to sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of basic monthly earnings to the established maximum following a four (4) month working day elimination period).
   6. Ongoing access to an Employee and Family Assistance Program.
2. Where the benefits specified in Article 33.01 are provided through insurance obtained by the Employer, the administration of such plans shall be subject to and governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable benefits policies or contracts. The Employers responsibility under this Article is limited to the payment of necessary premiums to purchase the required insurance. It has no liability for the failure or refusal of the insurance carrier to honour an Employee’s claim or to pay benefits and no such action on the part of the insurance carrier shall be attributable to the Employer or constitute a breach of this Agreement by the Employer.
3. When an Employee is in receipt of Short-Term Disability, the Employer agrees to pay one hundred per cent (100%) of Group Insurance premiums.
4. An Employee shall cease to earn sick leave and vacation credits while on LTD.
5. The Employer shall distribute to all Employees brochures and other relevant information concerning the above plans upon hiring, and when there are changes to the plan.
6. 1. Subject to an initial; six (6) month waiting period Group Insurance Benefits shall be provided to:
      1. A Regular full-time Employee;
      2. Regular Employees scheduled to work a minimum zero point five (0.5) F.T.E. averaged over one (1) complete cycle of the shift schedule;
      3. A Temporary Employee who is hired to work for a zero point five (0.5) F.T.E. or greater for a position of six (6) months’ duration or longer.
7. 1. The Employer shall provide one copy of each of the plans to the Union.
   2. The Employer shall advise, as applicable, the Union of all premium rate changes pursuant to Article 33.
   3. Matters of general concern regarding the Employee benefits under Article 33 may be referred by either party to the Employee – Management Advisory Committee (EMAC).
8. Flexible Spending Account
   1. A Flexible Spending Account shall be implemented for all benefit eligible Employees. The pro-rated amount based on the date of hire shall be available upon completion of the Employee’s probationary period, as per Article 20.01 (a) & (b).
   2. Annually on April 1st, the sum of two thousand eight hundred and sixty dollars ($2,860.00) per each Regular full-time Employee shall be allocated by the Employer to a Flexible Spending Account.
   3. This Flexible Spending Account shall be provided to Regular part-time Employees on a pro-rated basis, based on their annualized regularly scheduled hours of work as at April 1 of each calendar year.
   4. Any unused allocation in an Employee's Flexible Spending Account as of March 31 of each year shall not be carried forward to the next calendar year.
   5. The Flexible Spending Account may be utilized by Employees for their spouses and dependants for the purposes of receiving reimbursement for health and dental expenses that are eligible medical expenses in accordance with the Income Tax Act and are not covered by the benefit plans specified in Article 33.   
      
      It may also be utilized for Alberta College of Paramedics dues/professional certification fees, reimbursement for expenses associated with professional development (tuition costs or course registration fees, travel costs associated with course attendance, professional journals, books, publications or software), and wellness expenses (which may include, but are not limited to, such expenditures as fitness centre memberships and fitness equipment).
   6. Where the Employer chooses to contract with an insurer for the administration of the Flexible Spending Account, the administration of the Account shall be subject to and governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable contract.
   7. The Flexible Spending Account shall be implemented and administered in accordance with the Income Tax Act and applicable Regulations in effect at the time of implementation and during the course of operation of the Flexible Spending Account.
   8. Any allocation amounts not utilized by March 31 of each calendar year, shall be deposited to the employees Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan. Should an Employee not appropriately register for the RRSP as per the requirements outlined in the plan they will not be eligible for such carry over.
   9. In special situations the Employer will expedite reimbursement of expenses incurred, in order to assist an Employee to pay for eligible items or service. This would require the production of satisfactory proof of the purchase and costs incurred for verification of the expense, on an individual basis.
   10. An Employee whose Regular Full-time or Part-time employment ends will be eligible to use the pro-rated amount of flexible spending accrued that year up to the date of their last regular shift worked, as per Article 20.01 (a) & (b).
9. The Parties agree that the changes from “Prepaid Health Benefits” to “Group Insurance Benefits”, the change from “Weekly Indemnity” to “Short Term Disability” and the deletion of the reference to Sun Life Contract 58467 during the 2022 round of bargaining will not change, amend or alter the current or future benefit plan or entitlements. Such changes are for consistency in vocabulary used only and reflection that Sun Life is no longer the benefit provider.