The Short-Term Disability Program

Note: the following information has been copied from the employer’s “Short Term Disability Program” brochure. The brochure is available in pdf format HERE.

The Short-Term Disability Program (STDP) provides coverage to all eligible employees regardless of their medical history or how long they have been with Canada Post.

The program provides eligible employees with:

• Up to seven Personal Days
• STDP benefits for up to 30 weeks

Personal Days

At the beginning of every calendar year, eligible full-time employees receive up to seven Personal Days. Eligible part-time and term employees receive a pro-rated equivalent. Temporary employees, with the exception of Group 3 temporary employees and those with acquired rights, are not eligible for Personal Days.

Personal Days must be taken in two-hour increments and can be used in a variety of ways, including:

• Short-term illnesses of seven calendar days or less,
• The waiting period for any absences due to illness that last longer than seven calendar days and are eligible for STDP benefits,
• Personal or family appointments,
• Family-related issues or emergencies.

How to use Personal Days

To request a planned Personal Day, complete the required form and submit it, just as you do for the regular leave process. Leave forms for planned Personal Days should be submitted at least three days, but not more than three months, before the date requested. Planned Personal Days will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis, providing the time requested is convenient for the employee and Canada Post. If you are unable to work because of an illness, a non-work-related injury or a hospitalization, please call your team leader immediately and complete the leave form on
your return to work.

How to carry over or be paid out for unused Personal Days

Employees who have unused Personal Days at the end of the year can choose to carry over up to five (or pro-rated equivalent) into the next year, be paid out for all unused Personal Days, or a combination of both.

Between December 1 and 31 each year, you will be able to use the Personal Days Carry-Over Tool on Employee Self Service (ESS) to carry over all of your unused Personal Days (up to the maximum of five days or pro-rated equivalent) into the next year.

Between January 1 and 7, you can use the Personal Days Carry-Over Tool on ESS to carry over a specific number of your unused Personal Days (up to a maximum of five or pro-rated equivalent). Any Personal Days you don’t carry over will be paid out.

From December 1 to January 7 each year, a carry-over form will also be available on the Short-Term Disability Central website on Intrapost or from your team leader. If you are unable to access the Carry-Over Tool, use the form to indicate the specific number of hours you want to carry over and submit it to AccessHR before January 7. Any remaining Personal Days will automatically be paid out to you with the third pay of the New Year.

If you do nothing, any Personal Days that remain unused at the end of the year will automatically be paid out to you with the third pay of the New Year. Please note this payment is taxable and will include all usual source deductions, including tax, Employment Insurance and the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan.

Short-Term Disability Program benefits

STDP benefits are available only to those employees who are eligible for the Short-Term Disability Program. If you’re not sure whether you are eligible for STDP benefits, ask your team leader or refer to the information at Short-Term Disability Central on Intrapost.

If you are absent from work with an illness that lasts more than seven calendar days or a non-work-related accident, or you are hospitalized, the Short-Term Disability Program will provide income replacement for up to 30 weeks, provided your claim is supported by your disability- management provider. At the end of 30 weeks, you could be eligible to apply for Disability Insurance (DI) benefits, which would start in week 31. If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible for DI, please ask your team leader.

There is a waiting period of seven calendar days for illness claims before you are eligible to receive income-replacement benefits under the STDP. Your Personal Days can be used to cover this waiting period. If you don’t have enough Personal Days left and your claim is supported by your disability- management provider, you can use Top-Up Credits (if you have them), compensatory time (if applicable) or vacation leave. Top-Up Credits are explained later in this brochure.

If you have a recurrence of your illness within 30 days of returning to work and your STDP claim is supported by your disability-management provider, there is no waiting period. Your previous claim will be reopened and you will receive STDP benefits from the first day of your absence for the remaining 30 weeks of STDP benefits.

Accident
• A non-work-related accident.
• An unexpected or unforeseen event involving an external force, which causes loss or injury for which medical attention is sought within 7 calendar days of the event.
• Benefits will be payable from the day of the non-work- related accident, when medical attention was sought within 24 hours of the accident, or
• Benefits will be payable from the day medical attention was sought for a non-work-related accident, if more than 24 hours have passed since the time of the accident.

Hospitalization
• The admittance to either a hospital or private health-care clinic as an in-patient or out-patient for medically necessary procedures or treatment. • Benefits will be payable from the day of hospitalization.

STDP benefits

You will be paid 70 per cent of your base salary* for the first 15 weeks of your supported STDP claim. You can use Top-Up Credits, if you have them, to top this up to 100 per cent.

During week 13 of your absence, you will receive a letter from Canada Post reminding you that you must apply for Employment Insurance (EI) Sickness Benefits. You will also receive instructions about how to submit your application for Employment Insurance and complete the bi-weekly
declarations. Canada Post will send an electronic copy of your Record of Employment (ROE) directly to Service Canada; you will not receive a copy of your ROE. If you do not apply for EI benefits, your STDP payments will be interrupted.

For the remaining weeks until week 30, you may be eligible for EI benefits that could provide you with up to 55 per cent of your base salary. Canada Post will top up your EI benefits to 70 per cent of your base salary*. You can use your Top-Up Credits, if you have them, to top this amount up to 95 per cent of your base salary*. If, for any reason, Service Canada rejects your EI claim, Canada Post will continue to pay 70 per cent of your base salary*, which you can top up to 95 per cent using Top-Up Credits, if you have them.

While you are receiving STDP benefits, you will also continue to accrue vacation leave and pensionable service, and be entitled to the same benefits package you enjoyed before your absence. All employee pension and benefit contributions remain the same.

* For specific information about what allowances are included in your base salary, please refer to the Short-Term Disability Central website on Intrapost. (You must be logged in)

How to apply for STDP benefits

Contact your team leader as soon as you think your absence due to illness will last more than seven calendar days, or immediately if you have suffered a non-work-related accident or been hospitalized. If you are unable to contact your team leader yourself, please have someone do it on your behalf. Your team leader will initiate the process by which you can apply for STDP benefits. You must complete the two forms (an Employee Statement and an Attending Physician Statement) that AccessHR will send to you by Xpresspost™, and return them as soon as possible to your disability-management provider. Both forms must be completed and submitted to your disability-management provider within 14 calendar days of the first day of your absence. If you cannot meet this deadline for any reason, contact your disability- management provider immediately to discuss your situation.

If the forms are not received within 14 days, your claim may be delayed and your pay may be interrupted.

The Employee Statement asks you to provide general information about yourself, your job and the reason for your absence. The answer to each question is important; please remember to complete them all. The last part of the form is your authorization and consent for your disability- management provider to collect information related to your claim. If this section of the form is not fully completed, your disability-management provider may not be able to assess your claim for benefits.

Your physician or heath-care professional will need to complete the majority of the Attending Physician’s Statement. However, you must also complete a portion of it. Please note that some physicians or health-care professionals charge a fee for filling out forms. This fee is not reimbursed by Canada Post.

Canada Post is committed to supporting employees’ rehabilitation and recovery by offering modified work. As part of this process and to ensure a healthy and safe return to work, your physician or health-care professional must provide information about your functional abilities.

To be eligible for Short-Term Disability Program benefits for income replacement, you must be
• incapable of working,
• under the care of a physician or other health-care professional as deemed appropriate by your disability- management provider, and
• under treatment prescribed by that physician or other health-care professional.

Throughout the duration of your claim, you must provide required information in a timely manner and actively participate in return-to-work plans.

Under the Short-Term Disability Program, your entitlement to benefits is adjusted by any compensation you receive from other sources such as earnings from other employment that started after the illness or injury, or automobile insurance. For the duration of your claim, you are responsible for telling the disability-management provider about all other sources of income and any changes that may occur.

Disability Insurance benefits

You could be eligible to apply for Disability Insurance (DI) benefits, which would start in week 31. During the 22nd week of your absence, employees who are eligible for DI will receive a kit containing the information they need to apply for benefits. To minimize the risk of an interruption in benefits, you must apply as soon as possible as per the instructions included in the kit. If your claim is approved, you will be eligible to start receiving benefits in week 31.

Where can I find out more?

Please visit the Short-Term Disability Central website. You can access the website from home by visiting canadapost.ca and selecting “I’m an employee” from the bottom of the screen. You can also contact AccessHR at 1-877-807-9090, send an email to [email protected], or talk to the person you report to if you have any questions or concerns.

How to contact your disability-management provider

Your short-term disability-management provider is Great- West/Morneau Shepell (GW/MS). You can contact GW/MS by
• telephone at 1-855-554-3148
• fax at 1-877-562-9126

Your privacy is guaranteed Canada Post is subject to the Privacy Act, and is committed to protecting employees’ personal information and managing it with the utmost responsibility and care. This responsibility extends to our disability-management providers. Our disability-management providers must ensure that any information you provide will be kept strictly confidential, and protected from improper and unauthorized use and disclosure.