There are two really good resources for understanding your benefits as a professor. The first is the Sun Life Group Benefits page of the employee intranet. There you will find enrollment forms, benefit booklets, coverage and claim details, as well as information on how to register online and sign up for beneficiary information.

The second is the Benefits and Appeals course put on by the OPSEU that really gets into the finer details of understanding your benefit rights.

Each year HR sends out a communication outlining the Sun Life benefit rates for faculty. Watch your emails in case the rates change.

Partial Load Enrollment

For partial load faculty, some benefits like health, vision, and dental you are automatically enrolled for consecutive semesters. However, with critical illness insurance, you need to apply each semester.

Benefit Coverage for Overage Student Dependents

The following information was sent out by HR regarding this particular benefit:

Please see the communique regarding eligibility for benefit coverage for overage student dependents. Dependents over the age of 21 (but under the age of 25) may still be eligible for benefit coverage if they are full-time post-secondary students.

Please note proof of enrolment is an annual requirement. If the educational institution provides proof by semester, then proof is required each semester to ensure coverage continues for your overage dependent.

The documentation required to continue coverage must be a letter or a form from the institution on letterhead indicating the student, full time enrolment dates and the program of study.  We cannot accept invoices or receipts as proof of enrolment.

Each summer an email gets sent out reminding employees that they must send proof of full-time enrolment and it is the employee’s responsibility to ensure it gets sent on time.