Man carrying child while on a walk

Summer is now just around the corner!

Here are some important reminders to help you with your ETFO Employee Life and Health Trust (ETFO ELHT) benefits coverage during the summer months:

Updating coverage for you and your family

Add your spouse or child:* You have 31 days from the date of a life event (e.g. marriage, divorce, birth/adoption of your child, spouse loses coverage) to add your spouse or child to your plan. Adding your family member before the deadline will ensure they have the coverage they need and avoid being a late entrant/applicant. Missing the 31 day deadline can result in limited or denied coverage.

Add Child Optional Life:* You must do this within 31 days of your child(ren) being eligible (i.e. when you become eligible for coverage upon hiring or the birth/adoption of your child). This benefit cannot be added after the 31 days, even with proof of good health (evidence of insurability).

Confirm coverage for your over-age student: Your child is eligible for coverage under the ETFO ELHT plan if under age 21 OR as an over-age student under age 25/26* if they are a full-time student at an accredited school, college, university or educational institution. If you have an over-age student covered under your plan, you must let us know every year that they need coverage and will be attending school in the fall. You will receive reminders starting in June to complete this confirmation. If you do not complete the confirmation, benefits for your over-age student will be terminated on the earliest of August 31st or the date that your dependant turns 25.

NOTE: In some instances, your over-age dependant may be eligible to maintain their coverage as a disabled dependant. You will have 31 days after they are no longer eligible for coverage to contact OTIP Benefits Services for next steps.

Update your beneficiary designation: We strongly encourage that you review your beneficiary designation at least once a year or whenever you experience a life event (see above) to ensure your beneficiaries are protected.

*Check your benefits booklet to confirm if your natural child, adopted child, stepchild or foster child is eligible for coverage as well as the maximum age for coverage for your child. You can also check your benefits booklet to confirm coverage eligibility and review what products and/or services are covered by your benefits plan.  

Employment ending or retiring

If your employment status is changing soon, here are some important reminders about the impact on your benefits coverage.

Long Term Occasional (LTO) 

If your eligible LTO teacher contract/position is ending AND you have coverage under the ETFO ELHT:

• Coverage ends at 11:59 p.m. on the last day of your eligible assignment.
• You will receive a communication from OTIP to confirm the date your coverage ended or will end on the last day of your assignment. Claims incurred after that date will not be eligible for reimbursement.
• You will have 90 calendar days from the date your coverage ends to access OTIP’s secure member site and submit any claims incurred up to and including your last day of coverage. Any claims received after this 90-day period will be declined.

Retirement

Congratulations on your retirement!

• Coverage ends at 11:59 p.m. on the date of your retirement (e.g. If you are retiring effective March 31st, coverage ends at 11:59 p.m. March 31st; if you are retiring effective June 30th, coverage ends at 11:59 p.m. on June 30th).
• You will receive a communication from OTIP to confirm the date your coverage ended or will end. Claims incurred after that date will not be eligible for reimbursement.
• You will have 90 calendar days from the date your coverage ends to access OTIP’s secure member site and submit any claims incurred up to and including your last day of coverage. Any eligible claims received after this 90-day period will be declined.
• Looking for retiree health insurance options? Check out OTIP’s health, dental and travel insurance options for retirees at otip.com/for-retirees, or call OTIP at 1‑800‑267‑6847.

If you are retiring or your eligible LTO teacher contract/position is ending: You may be eligible to convert your group life insurance (if applicable) to an individual policy without having to provide evidence of good health or undergo a medical exam, provided you do so within 31 calendar days of your coverage ending. 

To learn more about converting any group life insurance to an individual policy, you can review the description for the Group Benefits Life Conversion Option form (found under Life Insurance forms).

Going on a leave?

If you are beginning a leave in the 2023-2024 school year, make sure to review important information concerning benefits during your leave here.

Getting an estimate

Minimize surprises with estimates: It’s disappointing to pay for a product or service only to discover it wasn’t covered by your plan. Just like any other big-ticket item you purchase, you should ‘shop around’ for the best available option and get submit a predetermination to OTIP on any potentially expensive claims. This way, you can determine how much your plan covers and how much you still need to pay. 

Ready to submit an estimate? Learn how.

Staying connected

Update your preferred email address: Your board email address may be your default email address for OTIP notifications. Consider updating your preferred email address to your personal email. This way, you won’t miss any important information concerning your benefits over the summer.

Update your contact information:  If your mailing address, phone number, or name changes, it is important that you update this information with your employer as soon as possible. This ensures that your employer reports the most up-to-date information to OTIP. It will take a few weeks for the update to be reflected in OTIP’s system.

We wish you a safe and happy summer vacation!