Applying for SEB Benefits

This information is for Administrative Executives, CUPE 116, CUPE 2278, CUPE 2950, Farm Workers, M&P and Non-Union Techs only.

Please note: BCGEU Childcare and IUOE 882 members are not eligible for the SEB program. For information on SEB for Faculty and Academic Executive, please click here.

If you are eligible, Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) will ensure that you receive 95% of your pre-leave salary while you are on maternity leave, up to a maximum of 17 weeks.

To apply for SEB, contact Financial Services at (604) 822-2026. Please note that you must sign a Letter of Agreement with the University, in the presence of a Financial Services Representative. If you are in a union, a union shop steward must sign the letter as a witness. If you are non-union, a Financial Services Payroll Manager must sign the letter as a witness.

The Letter of Agreement states that you agree:

• To have the 95% salary differential paid out to you during the leave of absence,
• To have the additional 5% salary differential paid out to you upon your return to work, rather than completing six months of service following the leave,
• To return to work and remain at work for a minimum of six months following the leave, and
• To repay the University the 95% salary differential if you:
  • don’t return to work,
  • don’t complete the six-month requirement, or
  • resign or are dismissed with just cause within six months of your return to work. (If you return to a part-time position after your maternity leave, you may also forfeit some or all of your supplemental benefits.)

After signing the Letter of Agreement, submit copies of your EI application and first EI stubs to Financial Services. SEB will pay you 95% of your salary for the first two weeks of your maternity leave (the waiting period during which EI does not pay), and will top up your EI payments to 95% of your salary for the remaining 15 weeks (EI + UBC payments = 95%).

Budget alert: Because of the time HRSDC takes in processing your claim, and you have to wait for your first EI stubs, there is a delay in Financial Services issuing you payments – Be sure you budget for this gap period. HRSDC normally takes about for weeks to process an EI claim.

Term employees: If you are a term employee, and your appointment won’t allow you to fulfill your six-month obligation, we recommend you not sign up for this plan until your appointment is extended. If you are not sure whether you will be extended, you can sign up for the supplemental plan at any future date or you can choose a lump sum payment after returning to work for six months.

5% top-up: Once you are back at work, you are eligible to have the additional 5% of your salary paid to you. Apply for this benefit in writing to Financial Services and include all copies of your EI cheque stubs (the EI cheque stubs are reviewed for any variances in EI payments). The 5% top-up is then calculated and added to your next available paycheque.