Retirement & Survivor Benefits Overview

In general, the Extended Health Care plan covers you for physician-recommended medically necessary services and supplies, and will pay reasonable and customary charges for these services.

There are three plans listed in the Extended Health Care plan listings. New members must enroll in Plan 3, which came into effect Nov. 1, 2003. Plan 1 and 2 are open to members who enrolled before that date, and is grandfathered for these members.

Note to new members: The pay-direct drug card is not an option with the Retirement and Survivor Benefits Program. All eligible Extended Health claims have to be paid for by the member and then submitted to Sun Life on Extended Health Care claim forms.

Important information regarding your extended health care plan lifetime maximum

Due to privacy guidelines, Sun Life will only advise the RSB member when they have reached their lifetime maximum. Therefore, when you reach your lifetime maximum, Sun Life will state this on the explanation of benefits that is sent to you upon your final claim. If you have your extended health reimbursements directly deposited into your bank account you can either request to receive an explanation of benefits by mail or an electronic copy via your email.

When you receive notification that you have reached your lifetime maximum, please notify UBC (Amy Kao) as soon as possible to ensure that your payment of premiums end if you have single coverage. If you have family or couple coverage, but are notified that the lifetime maximum has been reached for a dependent, please notify UBC (Amy Kao) to ensure that you are paying the appropriate premiums for your dependent status. Coverage ends or change in coverage occurs at the end of the month that UBC is notified by the member. Once UBC is notified by the member, we will advise Sun Life to cancel the extended health coverage for the member/dependent who has reached their maximum. UBC will continue to take premiums unless advised by the member and there will be no retroactive reimbursements.

Also, a spouse or dependent is unable to continue coverage on the extended health plan without having the RSB member (retired UBC employee) enrolled in the plan. What this means is that if the RSB member has reached their lifetime maximum, but would like to continue coverage for their spouse/dependents, they would have to continue to pay the couple/family rate. The reason for this is that the coverage for spouse/dependents is enabled by the retiree being eligible for the UBC RSB plan because they were a former employee.

Currently the remaining lifetime maximum balance cannot be stated on the Explanation of Benefits but we are exploring this possibility and will keep you advised.

If you are making regular claims on your extended health plan, then you may need to confirm with Sun Life what your extended health lifetime maximum balance is on a regular basis.

The RSB Dental Care plan provides coverage for a wide range of dental services, from your regular check-ups to major procedures. These procedures may be provided by a licensed Dentist, Denturist, Dental Hygienist and Anaesthetist. Dental claims can be submitted electronically to Sun Life.

Important note: This is only a brief overview of the plan. For complete details, refer to the Sun Life Benefits Booklet (pdf).

The Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provides confidential, self-referred counselling or other assistance to you or your family members.