If you are on short-term sick leave or unpaid medical leave and unable to work for six months or more due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability, which will provide you with a monthly income at a percentage of your regular salary.

Your long-term disability plan is called the Disability Benefit Plan (DBP). Sun Life is UBC’s insurer for the DBP.

When you should apply

If you are in your third month of absence from work due to illness or injury and it does not seem that you will be able to make a full return to work, you should apply for long-term disability. To get started, email disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca to learn how to apply for benefits and to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

If you are on an unpaid medical leave

If you have used up your paid short-term sick leave days and have not yet completed the elimination or waiting period for the DBP, you will be placed on an unpaid medical leave. During your unpaid leave, you have the option to continue receiving coverage for your DBP and your other benefits if you pay the full cost of these premiums.

If you are on an unpaid leave of absence during the elimination period, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans.  Once you submit your benefit elections, a Benefits Partner from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost.

If you decide not to continue your DBP coverage or fail to pay your premiums, you are no longer eligible to receive DBP benefit payments after the qualification period. Your coverage will be reinstated when you return to active work.

Your responsibilities

If you are receiving DBP benefit payments, you are expected to make reasonable efforts to:

• recover from your disability, including participating in any reasonable treatment or rehabilitation program and accepting any offer of reasonable modified duties from UBC, and
• obtain benefits that may be available from other sources.

Your DBP benefit payments may be withheld or discontinued if you do not fulfill these responsibilities.

For more information

The outline above is a descriptive summary of the plan and is not a contract. All terms and conditions are governed by Contract Number 100328 with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. In the event of a discrepancy, benefits will be paid according to the official document and applicable legislation. For complete details about your Disability Benefit Plan, refer to the Sun Life benefits booklet.

If you were disabled prior to April 1, 2013, please refer to the Sun Life benefits booklet for Contract Number 023218.

Introduction

This guide for staff describes the process of applying for long-term disability benefits. If you are on medical leave and unable to work for more than a four- or six-month period (depending on your employee group) due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability, which will provide you with a monthly income based on a percentage of your pre-disability gross monthly salary.

For staff employees, the long-term disability plan is called the Disability Benefit Plan (DBP). Sun Life is the University’s insurer of the Disability Benefit Plan.

The claims process includes the following steps, each of which is described in detail later in this guide:

• Inform your employer
• Decide if you want to maintain your group benefits, if applicable
• Apply for Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits, if applicable
• Complete the long-term disability application forms
• Submit your long-term disability claim
• Sun Life reviews your claim
• Sun Life notifies you of their decision on your claim
  • Claim Approval
  • Pending Decision
  • Claim Decline
  • Submitting an Appeal

We’ve also included a list of Useful Links and Frequently Asked Questions. For more information on disability benefits, please visit our Income Replacement Plan & Disability Benefit Plan page and select your employee group.

Disability Benefit Plan claims process

Getting to know the key players and their roles

• You will need to notify your UBC Department that you require a leave of absence and provide medical documentation to support your request. If you are medically cleared to work, your department may need to provide you with modified working hours and duties depending on your illness or injury.
• The UBC Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will verify your DBP coverage, help you with the DBP claim application process and act as the primary contact/liaison for any questions regarding your claim.
  • To ensure privacy and confidentiality, neither a UBC or a Sun Life representative can answer specific questions about the information you include on your claim form until you have been assigned a Sun Life Disability Case Manager. Once assigned a Sun Life Disability Case Manager, you can ask further questions about your claim. 
• The UBC Leave of Absence Desk will invoice you for the cost of your continued benefits coverage if you take an unpaid leave of absence before the start date of your long-term disability benefits.
• Your Union or Employee Group (if applicable) is an important resource for general support and informative advice.
• A Sun Life Disability Case Manager will assess your DBP claim and be involved in the ongoing management of your claim.
• A UBC Workplace Health Services (WHS) Return to Work Advisor and Accommodations (if applicable) can help guide the process before the claim, and/or once there is a predicted return to work, help facilitate your safe and sustainable return to work.

Your responsibilities

You must complete the elimination period before you can begin receiving benefits under the DBP. This elimination period begins the first day you miss work due to your illness or injury, and ends after 6 months (or 4 months for CUPE 2950 employees). 

During the elimination period, you are responsible for:

• Submiting your application to Sun Life at least eight weeks before the end of the elimination period. This will give Sun Life the time they need to conduct their assessment and let you know their decision on your claim before the end of your elimination period, if possible.
• Checking your Workday Inbox to complete the Go On Leave benefits task once your paid sick time is exhausted and you are placed on unpaid leave.
• Participating in discussions regarding your return to work when the opportunity is identified and return to your own occupation as soon as it is safe and healthy for you to do so.

Stage 1: Inform your employer

Contact the UBC Benefits Claims & Administration Associate if you want to discuss eligibility criteria and learn more about how to submit a claim.

It is important to let your Department know that you will need to be off work due to illness or injury. You will be required to provide medical documentation to support your request for a medical leave. Alternatively, if you are currently involved in the Workplace Health Services Remain at Work/Return to Work Program, you will have a Return to Work Advisor managing your case with your department.

You may also want to talk with your department about your eligibility for paid sick leave during the elimination period, or the options available to you if you use up your paid sick leave. Disability benefits are not payable until the end of a four or six-month elimination period (depending on your employee group) has been satisfied, so it is important to learn about your options.

For information on the length of your elimination period, please contact the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate (disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca) or visit our Income Replacement Plan & Disability Benefit Plan page.

For information on your eligibility for paid sick leave, please visit our Leaves page, or contact your department’s administrator.

Your Union or Employee Group can also play an important role during this time. Please contact their office if you want additional information on options that may be available to you.

Stage 2: Decide if you want to maintain your group benefits, if applicable

If you are approved for disability benefits, your coverage for the benefits you were enrolled in on the day before the start date of your disability benefit payments will continue at no cost to you. This benefits coverage will continue while you are receiving disability benefits, provided that your employment status with the University does not end.

Ideally, you will have enough paid sick leave so that you will continue to receive your full salary during the elimination period. However, if you do not have enough paid sick leave to cover the length of your elimination period, you will be required to take an unpaid leave of absence.

If you are on an unpaid leave of absence during the elimination period, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans. You can choose to continue all, some or none of your benefits. You are responsible for paying the full cost (employee plus employer share) for any benefits you choose to continue. Once you submit your benefit elections, a Leave of Absence Desk representative from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost.

If you choose not to continue all or some of your benefits while you are on unpaid leave, please know that if you are approved for DBP, you will not receive coverage for these discontinued benefits for the duration of your approved long-term disability claim.

Stage 3: Apply for Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits, if applicable

As noted in Stage 2, if you do not have enough paid sick leave to cover the length of your elimination period, you will be required to take an unpaid leave of absence. You may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) Sickness Benefits through Service Canada during this period. Once you have submitted an application, there is a one-week waiting period for EI benefits, during which time you will not receive any benefits. If approved, you may receive EI Sickness Benefits for a maximum of 15 weeks.

If you are approved for disability benefit payments while receiving EI Sickness Benefits, you must report this to Service Canada.

For more information on the EI application process, please visit the Service Canada website.

Stage 4: Complete the long-term disability application forms

Email disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

The application package includes:

Introduction letter

The introduction letter provides instructions on the claim process and lists the Contract number and Division/Billing group number. If you obtain the IRP/DBP application forms online, please contact the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate either by email or phone to confirm the Plan Sponsor information.

Plan Member’s statement

You are responsible for completing this form. In the Plan Member’s Statement, you are required to provide Sun Life with information about your condition, how it occurred, your general medical history and your expected sources of income and benefits while you’re on leave.

Important Reminders:

• Be sure to answer all the questions in full to avoid delays, and include a detailed job description and resume showing your previous job experience and education history. Please keep in mind this is a standard form and that the questions are intended to cover a variety of conditions. If you need more space to answer any of the questions, you can attach additional pages to the form.
• When completing the section on your general medical history, you only need to provide 3-years of medical history. If this information is difficult and unreasonable to obtain, please raise this with your assigned Sun Life Disability Case Manager.
• Ensure that all dates you provide (such as the date you were first unable to work, the date of the accident, etc.) are correct as they are essential to Sun Life’s assessment of the claim.
• Please provide the required document outlined in the “Automatic deposit of your disability payments” section of the Statement if you would like to have your payments deposited directly into your bank account. For chequing accounts, Sun Life will require a personalized VOID cheque.
• Please read and sign the Declaration and Authorization, which allows Sun Life to exchange information with your doctor and any other healthcare professionals who are involved in your care. Also, please sign Part 1 of the Attending Physician’s Statement before giving the form to your physician to complete.
• If there are any sections or questions for your claim that you are unsure of or are unable to respond to, please note these for discussion with your assigned Sun Life Disability Case Manager. 

Attending Physician’s statement

This form is to be completed by your doctor. In the Attending Physician’s Statement, your doctor is required to provide Sun Life with specific medical information about your condition and your expected recovery.

Important Reminders:

• Your doctor’s Attending Physician’s Statement must provide a diagnosis and prognosis of your condition. This form can be completed by any medical professional who is a doctor of medicine and has treated you for your condition (i.e. your family doctor, a doctor at a walk-in clinic, a specialist, etc.).
• If your doctor has conducted tests, all of the findings must be included in the Statement or as an attachment.
• If you have seen a specialist for your condition, your doctor must attach copies of all consultation and clinical notes with the Statement. Often, Sun Life must follow up to request these documents, which can delay the assessment of a claim.
• If you are charged a fee for completion of the Attending Physician Statement, you may claim this fee through your UBC Health Spending Account if your UBC employee group has this coverage. 

NOTE: Do not change or write anything on the Attending Physician’s Statement, except to complete and sign Part 1: Plan Member Information. Any changes to the Statement must be initialled by your doctor.

Plan Sponsor’s statement

This is to be completed by your Department when your claim has been initiated. The Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will work with your Department’s Administrator or Human Resources Manager to complete the Plan Sponsor’s Statement and submit the form to Sun Life. 

A "for reference" copy of this form is included in the DBP application package, so that you are aware of the information Sun Life requests from the University.

Stage 5: Submit your long-term disability claim

Sun Life requires three forms, as described above: the Plan Member’s Statement, the Attending Physician’s Statement and the Plan Sponsor’s Statement.  Sun Life recommends that completed claim forms be sent at least eight weeks before the end of the elimination period. Sun Life cannot assess your claim until they receive all three forms from you, your doctor and UBC. This provides Sun Life with sufficient time to review your claim and obtain any additional information that they may require to complete the assessment of your claim.

Please send your forms directly to Sun Life using their secure fax number, mail, the Sun Life Plan Members website or the Sun Life Mobile App. See the last page of the Plan Members Statement for information on submitting your forms to Sun Life.

Be sure your group Contract number, Division/Billing group number and your Member ID number (this is your UBC employee number) are clearly shown on your Plan Member’s Statement and Attending Physician’s Statement before submitting your forms. If you need to confirm these numbers, please contact the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate who will be able to provide you with this information.

Sun Life Contact Information:

Mailing Address: PO Box 48810 Stn. Bentall, Vancouver, BC V7X 1A6
Fax Number: 1 (866) 639-7829

• Plan Members website
• Mobile app

Important Note: If the plan member is not able to complete and sign the Plan Member’s Statement and Part 1 of the Attending Physician’s Statement due to a medical condition, and has no power of attorney, an immediate family member may complete the forms. If the claim is approved, Sun Life will pay up to a maximum of $10,000 in disability benefits without power of attorney on file.

Stage 6: Sun Life reviews your claim

The Sun Life Disability Case Manager will consider a number of different factors when assessing the information on your claim. Sun Life looks at the medical information, information about your ability to function and carry on daily living activities, your occupational demands, your work environment and how your illness would affect your ability to perform the demands of your occupation.

As part of this review, the Sun Life Disability Case Manager will be contacting you to conduct a telephone interview. This phone conversation will give you the opportunity to ask questions about your claim.

Stage 7: Sun Life notifies you of their decision on your claim

After reviewing your claim, Sun Life may decide to:

• Approve your claim
• Ask for additional information
• Decline your claim

Claim approval

If Sun Life approves your claim, they will notify you in writing and send a redacted copy of this letter to the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate.

The Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will also notify you in writing that your claim has been approved. Once the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate has been notified of your claim approval they will send you instructions to complete a Go On Leave Benefits Task in Workday. Once you complete the task, you will be able to retain your group benefits plan during the period of your approved disability claim.

If you are entitled to receive benefits from other sources as a result of your disability, the amount of benefit paid may be reduced by additional sources of income, such as:

• CPP or QPP disability benefits (excluding dependents’ benefits);
• Disability payments from any other government plan (excluding Employment Insurance and Veteran Affairs Canada benefits);
• Worker’s Compensation benefits;
• Income replacement benefits from any automobile insurance plan or policy;
• Income from other group benefit, pension or retirement plans provided by any employer when benefits are based on UBC earnings, and as a result of UBC employment, including any coverage resulting from your membership in an association of any kind;
• Payments or earnings from any employer for any work for wage or profit as approved by the Plan Administrator (Sun Life), except for vacation pay and payments from the Living Benefits Loan Program;
• Any past or future wage loss recovered through a legally enforceable cause of action against some other person or corporation in accordance with provisions under Third Party Liability.

For a complete list of reductions and limitations, please go to our Income Replacement Plan & Disability Benefit Plan page and select your employee group. If available, please carefully review the Sun Life Benefits Booklet/Handbook for your employee group. There will be a link under your employee group’s plan if there is a current version available.

For more information on CPP or QPP disability benefits, please check the Service Canada website.

If you are eligible to apply for CPP disability benefits, Sun Life will require you to do so if your claim is approved. Sun Life will send you written notification with the required application forms. Please note that CPP disability benefits are taxable. If you are receiving CPP disability benefits, CPP will waive your pension contributions while on disability, making it possible for you to receive a full retirement pension.

While you are receiving benefits through DBP, you have important responsibilities to help manage your claim. Sun Life and UBC expect that you will make reasonable efforts to explore and pursue rehabilitation options where appropriate. Sun Life will request updated medical information on a regular basis and ask that you keep your contact information updated.

Important Note: During your claim, if Sun Life does not receive a requested update from you and/or your physician after several reminders, they may suspend your disability benefit payments.

Pending decision

For some claims, Sun Life may determine that they don’t have enough information to make a decision. In these cases, Sun Life will try to get the additional information they need as efficiently as possible. This might involve an independent medical exam or a separate evaluation of your functional abilities. Sun Life will let you know as soon as they determine that more information is needed. Your Sun Life Disability Case Manager may also need to contact your doctor and/or the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate to ask some further questions or obtain any missing information before a decision may be made.

Please contact your Sun Life Disability Case Manager to understand what additional information may be needed for them to reach a claim decision.

Claim decline

If Sun Life does not approve your claim, they will call you to explain why your claim has been declined, and they will mail you a decline letter outlining their decision. The Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will be notified and provided a copy of the decision letter for your file records. Any confidential medical information will be redacted from the University’s copy of this letter.

If you have already used up your paid sick leave, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans (if eligible). You can choose to continue all, some or none of your benefits. You are responsible for paying the full cost (employee plus employer share) for any benefits you choose to continue. Once you submit your benefit elections, a Leave of Absence Desk representative from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost. The maximum length of time you may maintain your benefits and pension while on an unpaid leave is 24 months.

If you are medically cleared to return to work, you may also wish to consider participating in Workplace Health Services’ Remain at Work/Return to Work Program. For more information on this program, and how it may be beneficial to you, please visit our Working with an injury, illness or disability page.

For other options that may be available to you, please contact UBC Advisory Services. Each Faculty and Unit is assigned to an Advisor and Associate.

Submitting an appeal

If you wish to appeal Sun Life’s decision, please see the instructions on the decision letter from your Sun Life Disability Case Manager. You can only appeal Sun Life’s decision three times. If you submit medical tests/reports separately, Sun Life may consider these to be separate appeals. We therefore recommend that you collect all necessary information to submit a strong appeal.

Useful links

• Disability Benefit Plan
• Benefits Forms
• Paid Sick Leave
• Unpaid Sick Leave
• Working with an injury, illness or disability
• Service Canada
• Workday
• Integrated Service Centre

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact the Benefits team.
 

Explore the curated mental health resources available to faculty and staff.

Managers and leaders can access additional tools and resources on the Mental health tools and resources for managers, heads and deans (CWL required), page.  

Supporting yourself and others

Assess your needs with UBC's Mental Health Continuum

UBC's mental health self-assessment can help you find the resources you need, whether you are thriving, surviving or struggling.

Use the continuum

Support a colleague in distress: The Orange Folder

The Orange Folder is a printable guide, designed for UBC faculty, staff and leaders to assist a colleague in distress.  

Review the Orange Folder

Counselling and support

Community resources community

There are many mental health resources available locally, provincially, and federally. Here is a curated list of resources for faculty and staff in BC. 

Other UBC resources ubcresources

UBC has a range of specialized services available for individuals and teams seeking mental health and support for wellbeing in the workplace. 

If you are on short-term sick leave or unpaid medical leave and unable to work for 26 weeks or more due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability, which will provide you with a monthly income at a percentage of your regular salary.

Your long-term disability plan is called the Income Replacement Plan (IRP). Sun Life is UBC’s insurer for the IRP.

The information applies to you if you are a member of one of the following employee groups:

• Academic Executives,
• Administrative Executives enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan,
• Faculty, and
• Staff High Earners enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan (earning $218,456.79 or more in 2026).

When you should apply

If you are in your third month of absence from work due to illness or injury and it does not seem that you will be able to make a full return to work, you should apply for long-term disability. To get started, email disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca to learn how to apply for benefits and to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

If you are on an unpaid medical leave

If you have used up your paid short-term sick leave days and have not yet completed the elimination or waiting period for the IRP, you will be placed on an unpaid medical leave. During your unpaid leave, you have the option to continue receiving coverage for your IRP and your other benefits if you pay the full cost of these premiums.

If you are on an unpaid leave of absence during the elimination period, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans.  Once you submit your benefit elections, a Benefits Partner from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost.

If you decide not to continue your IRP coverage or fail to pay your premiums, you are no longer eligible to receive IRP benefit payments after the qualification period. Your coverage will be reinstated when you return to active work.

Your responsibilities

If you are receiving IRP benefit payments, you are expected to make reasonable efforts to:

• recover from your disability, including participating in any reasonable treatment or rehabilitation program and accepting any offer of reasonable modified duties from UBC, and
• obtain benefits that may be available from other sources.

Your IRP benefit payments may be withheld or discontinued if you do not fulfill these responsibilities.

For more information

The outline above is a descriptive summary of the plan and is not a contract. All terms and conditions are governed by Contract Number 100768 with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. In the event of a discrepancy, benefits will be paid according to the official document and applicable legislation. For complete details about your Disability Benefit Plan, refer to the Sun Life benefits booklet.

If you were disabled prior to January 1, 2012, please refer to the Sun Life benefits booklet for Contract Number 023218.

This guide for Faculty, Academic Executives and Staff High Earners enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan describes the process of applying for long-term disability benefits.

If you are on medical leave and unable to work for more than a 26-week period due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability, which will provide you with a monthly income based on a percentage of your pre-disability gross monthly salary.

The long-term disability plan for Faculty, Academic Executives and Staff High Earners enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan is called the Income Replacement Plan (IRP). Sun Life is the University’s insurer of the Income Replacement Plan.

The claims process includes the following steps, each of which is described in detail later in this guide:

• Inform your employer
• Decide if you want to maintain your group benefits, if applicable
• Apply for Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits, if applicable
• Complete the long term disability application forms
• Submit your long-term disability claim
• Sun Life reviews your claim
• Sun Life notifies you of their decision on your claim

We’ve also included a list of Useful Links and Frequently Asked Questions. For more information on disability benefits, please visit Income Replacement Plan & Disability Benefit Plan page and select your employee group.

Income Replacement Plan claims process

Getting to know the key players and their roles

• You will need to notify your UBC Department that you require a leave of absence and provide medical documentation to support your request. If you are medically cleared to work, your department may need to provide you with modified working hours and duties depending on your illness or injury.
• The UBC Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will verify your IRP coverage, help you with the IRP claim application process and act as the primary contact/liaison for any questions you have about submitting your claim. 
  • To ensure privacy and confidentiality, neither a UBC or a Sun Life representative can answer specific questions about the information you include on your claim form until you have been assigned a Sun Life Disability Case Manager. Once assigned a Sun Life Disability Case Manager, you can ask further questions about your claim. 
• The UBC Leave of Absence Desk will invoice you for the cost of your continued benefits coverage if you take an unpaid leave of absence before the start date of your long-term disability benefits.
• Your Employee Group (if applicable) is an important resource for general support and informative advice.
• A Sun Life Disability Case Manager will assess your IRP claim and be involved in the ongoing management of your claim.
• A UBC Workplace Health Services (WHS) Return to Work & Accommodations Advisor (if applicable) can help guide the process before the claim, and/or once there is a predicted return to work, help facilitate your safe and sustainable return to work.

Your responsibilities

You must complete the elimination period before you can begin receiving benefits under the IRP. The elimination period ends after you have accumulated 26 weeks of time away from work from after the first day of work you miss due to illness and/or injury. 

During the elimination period, you are responsible for:

• Submitting your application to Sun Life at least eight weeks before the end of the elimination period. This will give Sun Life the time they need to conduct their assessment and let you know their decision on your claim before the end of your elimination period, if possible.
• Checking your Workday Inbox to complete the Go On Leave benefits task once your paid sick time is exhausted and you are placed on unpaid leave.
• Participating in discussions regarding your return to work when the opportunity is identified and return to your own occupation as soon as it is safe and healthy for you to do so.

Stage 1: Inform your employer

Contact the UBC Benefits Claims & Administration Associate if you want to discuss eligibility criteria and learn more about how to submit a claim.

It is important to let your Department know that you will need to be off work due to illness or injury. You will be required to provide medical documentation to support your request for a medical leave. Alternatively, if you are currently involved in the Workplace Health Services Remain at Work/Return to Work Program, you will have a Return to Work Advisor managing your case with your department.

You may also want to talk with your department about your eligibility for paid sick leave during the elimination period, or the options available to you if you use up your paid sick leave. Disability benefits are not payable until the end of the 26-week elimination period has been satisfied, so it is important to learn about your options.

For information on your eligibility for paid sick leave, please visit our Leaves page, or contact your department’s administrator.

Your Employee Group can also play an important role during this time. Please contact their office if you want additional information on options that may be available to you.

Stage 2: Decide if you want to maintain your group benefits, if applicable

If you are approved for disability benefits, your coverage for the benefits you were enrolled in on the day before the start date of your disability benefit payments will continue at no cost to you. This benefits coverage will continue while you are receiving disability benefits, provided that your employment status with the University does not end.

Ideally, you will have enough paid sick leave so that you will continue to receive your full salary during the elimination period. However, if you do not have enough paid sick leave to cover the length of your elimination period, you will be required to take an unpaid leave of absence.

If you are on an unpaid leave of absence during the elimination period, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans. You can choose to continue all, some or none of your benefits. You are responsible for paying the full cost (employee plus employer share) for any benefits you choose to continue. Once you submit your benefit elections, a Leave of Absence Desk representative from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost.

If you choose not to continue all or some of your benefits while you are on unpaid leave, please know that if you are approved for IRP, you will not receive coverage for these discontinued benefits for the duration of your approved long-term disability claim.

Stage 3: Apply for Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits, if applicable

As noted in Stage 2, if you do not have enough paid sick leave to cover the length of your elimination period, you will be required to take an unpaid leave of absence. You may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) Sickness Benefits through Service Canada during this period. Once you have submitted an application, there is a one-week waiting period for EI benefits, during which time you will not receive any benefits. If approved, you may receive EI Sickness Benefits for a maximum of 15 weeks.

If you are approved for disability benefit payments while receiving EI Sickness Benefits, you must report this to Service Canada.

For more information on the EI application process, please visit the Service Canada website.

Stage 4: Complete the long-term disability application forms

Email disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

The application package includes:

Introduction letter

The introduction letter provides instructions on the claim process and lists the Contract number and Division/Billing group number. If you obtain the IRP application forms online, please contact the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate either by email or phone to confirm the Plan Sponsor information.

Plan Member’s statement

You are responsible for completing this form. In the Plan Member’s Statement, you are required to provide Sun Life with information about your condition, how it occurred, your general medical history and your expected sources of income and benefits while you’re on leave.

Important Reminders:

• Be sure to answer all the questions in full to avoid delays, and include a detailed job description and resume showing your previous job experience and education history. Keep in mind this is a standard form and that the questions are intended to cover a variety of conditions. If you need more space to answer any of the questions, you can attach additional pages to the form.
• When completing the section on your general medical history, you only need to provide 3-years of medical history. If this information is difficult and unreasonable to obtain, please discuss this with your assigned Sun Life Disability Case Manager.
• Ensure that all dates you provide (such as the date you were first unable to work, the date of the accident, etc.) are correct as they are essential to Sun Life’s assessment of the claim.
• Please provide the required document outlined in the “Automatic deposit of your disability payments” section of the Statement if you would like to have your payments deposited directly into your bank account. For chequing accounts, Sun Life will require a personalized VOID cheque.
• Please read and sign the Declaration and Authorization, which allows Sun Life to exchange information with your doctor and any other healthcare professionals who are involved in your care. Also, please sign Part 1 of the Attending Physician’s Statement before giving the form to your physician to complete.
• If there are any sections or questions for your claim which you are unsure of or are unable to provide a response, please note these for discussion with your assigned Sun Life Disability Case Manager. 

Attending Physician’s statement

In the Attending Physician’s Statement, your doctor is required to provide Sun Life with specific medical information about your condition and your expected recovery.

Important Reminders:

• Your doctor’s Attending Physician’s Statement must provide a diagnosis and prognosis of your condition. This form can be completed by any medical professional who is a doctor of medicine and has treated you for your condition (i.e. your family doctor, a doctor at a walk-in clinic, a specialist, etc.).
• If your doctor has conducted tests, all of the findings must be included in the Statement or as an attachment.
• If you have seen a specialist for your condition, your doctor must attach copies of all consultation and clinical notes with the Statement. Often, Sun Life must follow up to request these documents, which can delay the assessment of a claim.
• If you are charged a fee for completion of the Attending Physician Statement, you may claim this fee through your UBC Health Spending Account if your UBC employee group has this coverage. 

NOTE: Do not change or write anything on the Attending Physician’s Statement, except to complete and sign Part 1: Plan Member Information. Any changes to the Statement must be initialed by your doctor.

Plan Sponsor’s statement

This is to be completed by your Department when your claim has been initiated. The Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will work with your Department’s Administrator or Human Resources Manager to complete the Plan Sponsor’s Statement and submit the form to Sun Life. To expedite the process, you may also contact the Benefits Claims & Finance Associate directly to notify them that you have initiated a claim.

A "For reference" copy of this form is included in the IRP application package, so that you are aware of the information Sun Life requests from the University.

Stage 5: Submit your long-term disability claim

Sun Life requires three forms, as described above: the Plan Member’s Statement, the Attending Physician’s Statement and the Plan Sponsor’s Statement. Sun Life recommends that completed claim forms be sent at least eight weeks before the end of the elimination period. Sun Life cannot assess your claim until they receive all three forms from you, your doctor, and UBC. This provides Sun Life with sufficient time to review your claim and obtain any additional information that they may require to complete the assessment of your claim.

Please send your forms directly to Sun Life using their secure fax number, mail, the Sun Life Plan Members website or the Sun Life Mobile App. See the last page of the Plan Members Statement for information on submitting your forms to Sun Life.

Be sure your group Contract number, Division/Billing group number and your Member ID number (this is your UBC employee number) are clearly shown on your Plan Member’s Statement and Attending Physician’s Statement before submitting your forms. If you need to confirm these numbers, please contact the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate who will be able to provide you with this information.

Sun Life Contact Information:

Mailing Address: PO Box 48810 Stn. Bentall, Vancouver, BC V7X 1A6
Fax Number: 1 (866) 639-7829

• Plan Members website
• Mobile app

Important Note: If the plan member is not able to complete and sign the Plan Member’s Statement and Part 1 of the Attending Physician’s Statement due to a medical condition, and has no power of attorney, an immediate family member may complete the forms. If the claim is approved, Sun Life will pay up to a maximum of $10,000 in disability benefits without power of attorney on file.

Stage 6: Sun Life reviews your claim

The Sun Life Disability Case Manager will consider a number of different factors when assessing the information on your claim. Sun Life looks at the medical information, information about your ability to function and carry on daily living activities, your occupational demands, your work environment and how your illness would affect your ability to perform the demands of your occupation.

As part of this review, the Sun Life Disability Case Manager will contact you to conduct a telephone interview. This phone conversation will give you the opportunity to ask questions about your claim.

Stage 7: Sun Life notifies you of their decision on your claim

After reviewing your claim, Sun Life may decide to:

• Approve your claim
• Ask for additional information
• Decline your claim

Claim approval

If Sun Life approves your claim, they will notify you in writing and send a redacted copy of this letter to the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate. Once the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate has been notified of your claim approval they will send you instructions to complete a Go On Leave Benefits Task in Workday. Once you complete the task, you will be able to retain your group benefits plan during the period of your approved disability claim.  

If you are entitled to receive benefits from other sources as a result of your disability, the amount of benefit paid may be reduced by additional sources of income, such as:

• CPP or QPP disability benefits (excluding dependents’ benefits);
• Disability payments from any other government plan (excluding Employment Insurance and Veteran Affairs Canada benefits);
• Worker’s Compensation benefits;
• Income replacement benefits from any automobile insurance plan or policy;
• Income from other group benefit, pension or retirement plans provided by any employer when benefits are based on UBC earnings, and as a result of UBC employment, including any coverage resulting from your membership in an association of any kind;
• Payments or earnings from any employer for any work for wage or profit as approved by the Plan Administrator (Sun Life), except for vacation pay and payments from the Living Benefits Loan Program;
• Any past or future wage loss recovered through a legally enforceable cause of action against some other person or corporation in accordance with provisions under Third Party Liability.

For a complete list of reductions and limitations, please go to our Income Replacement Plan page . If available, please carefully review the Sun Life Benefits Booklet/Handbook for your employee group. There will be a link under your employee group’s plan if there is a current version available.

For more information on CPP or QPP disability benefits, please check the Service Canada website.

If you are eligible to apply for CPP disability benefits, Sun Life will require you to do so if your claim is approved. Sun Life will send you written notification with the required application forms. Please note that CPP disability benefits are taxable. If you are receiving CPP disability benefits, CPP will waive your pension contributions while on disability, making it possible for you to receive a full retirement pension.

While you are receiving benefits through IRP, you have important responsibilities to help manage your claim. Sun Life and UBC expect that you will make reasonable efforts to explore and pursue rehabilitation options where appropriate. Sun Life will request updated medical information on a regular basis and ask that you keep your contact information updated.

Important Note: During your claim, if Sun Life does not receive a requested update from you and/or your physician after several reminders, they may suspend your disability benefit payments.

Pending decision

For some claims, Sun Life may determine that they don’t have enough information to make a decision. In these cases, Sun Life will try to get the additional information they need as efficiently as possible. This might involve an independent medical exam or a separate evaluation of your functional abilities. Sun Life will let you know as soon as they determine that more information is needed. Your Sun Life Diability Case Manager may also need to contact your doctor and/or the Benefits Claims & Administration Associate to ask further questions or obtain any missing information before a decision may be made.

Please contact your Sun Life Disability Case Manger to understand what additional information may be needed for them to reach a claim decision.

Claim decline

If Sun Life does not approve your claim, they will call you to explain why your claim has been declined, and they will mail you a decline letter outlining their decision. The Benefits Claims & Administration Associate will be notified and provided a copy of the decision letter for your file records. Any confidential medical information will be redacted from the University’s copy of this letter.

If you have already used up your paid sick leave, you will receive a Benefits Task in your Workday inbox to make your elections for On Leave benefit plans (if eligible). You can choose to continue all, some or none of your benefits. You are responsible for paying the full cost (employee plus employer share) for any benefits you choose to continue. Once you submit your benefit elections, a A Leave of Absence Desk representative from Payroll will check that your benefits elections are correct and notify you of the monthly cost. The maximum length of time you may maintain your benefits and pension while on an unpaid leave is 24 months.

If you are medically cleared to return to work, you may also wish to consider participating in Workplace Health Services’ Remain at Work/Return to Work Program. For more information on this program, and how it may be beneficial to you, please visit our Working with an injury, illness or disability page. 

For other options that may be available to you, 

• Faculty members should contact Faculty Relations
• High Income earners, please contact UBC Advisory Services. 

Submitting an appeal

If you wish to appeal Sun Life’s decision, please see the instructions on the decision letter from your Sun Life Disability Case Manager to learn how to submit an appeal and the information you will need. Please note that you can only appeal Sun Life’s decision three times. If you submit medical tests/reports separately, Sun Life may consider these to be separate appeals. We therefore recommend that you collect all necessary information to submit a strong appeal.

Useful links

• Income Replacement Plan
• Benefits Forms
• Paid Sick Leave
• Unpaid Sick Leave
• Working with an injury, illness or disability
• Service Canada
• Workday
• Integrated Service Centre

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact the Benefits team.

The UBC community offers a number of opportunities to learn mindfulness and practice meditation, including on-campus meditation groups, and webinars.

Ways to learn more about mindfulness

Introduction to Mindfulness

If you would like to get started with meditation, why not try our Introduction to Meditation course on the Workplace Learning Ecosystem? 

The purpose of this course is to introduce the concept of mindfulness and to provide opportunities and options to try out different mindful practices. We hope it serves as an entry point to a mindful practice that is right for you.

Get started

Benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness has been shown to help manage our attention and focus our minds with intention. Mindfulness allows us to be present and productive in the here and now. It can also enable us to be more aware of our emotions and to approach people, situations and life in a non-judgmental way. Some of the physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness include:

• Improved overall health and wellbeing
• Improved sleep
• Reduced chronic pain
• Lower blood pressure
• Increased sense of joy and contentment
• Reduced and lessened symptoms of depression
• Reduced substance abuse
• Reduced stress and anxiety

Learning to be mindful has many benefits at work, including decreases in stress levels and improvements in:

• Job performance
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution
• Job satisfaction
• Work-life integration
• Focus and concentration
• Ethical decision-making
• Creativity, innovation and collaboration

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can be both spiritual and secular and typically involves dedicating time to being still and quiet. It can take many different forms and might involve breathing exercises, music, a chant or a mantra.

Meditation involves a number of the same elements as mindfulness; however, mindfulness can be practiced anywhere and anytime, meditation includes setting aside a specific time and place to focus attention and concentration inwards.

Meditation impacts the body in a way that is opposite to stress, restoring a state of calm and helping the body repair from the damage of stress.

Practicing meditation can result in increases in:

• Self-management skills
• Positive personal relationships
• Positive state of mind
• Perceived work environment atmosphere

and decreases in:

• Psychological stress
• Blood pressure
• Physiological response
• Stress response

Stay informed

To stay informed and up to date on all of the health and wellbeing offerings for UBC faculty and staff, sign up for the Healthy UBC Monthly Newsletter. If you have any questions about mindfulness at UBC, contact the Workplace Wellbeing Associate EFAP at efap.info@ubc.ca. 

UBC’s Optional Life Insurance Plan provides supplementary life insurance coverage in addition to your Basic Group Life Insurance.

You can purchase Optional Life Insurance to a maximum of $750,000 for both you and your spouse. Your dependent children are automatically approved for Optional Life Insurance if you are enrolled in the plan (effective March 1, 2015). For more details on applying for coverage, please refer to sections below. To apply for coverage, visit Workday. 

Login to Workday

For employees

The Optional Life Insurance Plan provides supplementary coverage in addition to your Basic Group Life Insurance through UBC or any other life insurance you may have.

If you are enrolled in UBC’s Basic Group Life Insurance Plan, you are also eligible to apply for the Optional Life Insurance Plan. When you apply for this optional plan, you must complete a Health Statement that is subject to review and approval by Sun Life.

You select the coverage amount when you apply for the plan in units of $25,000, to a maximum of $750,000. You also designate a beneficiary to receive the sum of money (benefit) if you die. If you do not designate a beneficiary, the benefit is paid to your estate.

For spouses

If you are enrolled for UBC’s Basic Group Life Insurance Plan, you are also eligible to apply for the Optional Life Insurance Plan for your spouse. When you apply for this optional plan, your spouse must complete a Health Statement that is subject to review and approval by Sun Life.

You select the coverage amount for your spouse when you apply for the plan in units of $25,000, to a maximum of $750,000. Your spouse should also designate a beneficiary to receive the sum of money (benefit) if they die. If they do not designate a beneficiary, the benefit is payable to their estate.

Learn more about who is considered a spouse.

For dependent children

Coverage approved as of March 1, 2015 or later:

Your eligible dependent children are automatically approved for optional dependent life insurance coverage if you are approved for employee optional life insurance coverage on or after March 1, 2015. You do not need to apply for this optional plan for your dependent children.

For each $25,000 unit of coverage you purchase for yourself, you will receive $5,000 of coverage for each eligible dependent child at no extra charge. For example, if you are approved for $750,000 Employee Optional Life, each dependent child is covered for $150,000.

Coverage approved prior to March 1, 2015:

Prior to March 1, 2015, the optional insurance for dependent children is based on your spouse’s optional life insurance. If your spouse was approved for spousal optional life insurance before March 1, 2015, you will receive $5,000 for each $25,000 unit of spousal coverage for each eligible dependent child at no extra charge. If you did not have an eligible spouse, the optional life insurance for your dependent children is based on your employee optional life insurance coverage.

Claims

In the event of your child’s death, you are the designated beneficiary for your dependent child’s benefit.

If both parents are UBC employees, only one dependent child claim is payable.

Learn more about who is considered a dependent child.

What are the premiums?

You pay a semi-monthly premium for Optional Life Insurance for coverage for yourself and/or your spouse. For dependent children, there is no additional cost.

The cost of this premium depends on the age of the covered individual, the amount of insurance selected and whether they smoke. Click here for a premiums table.

Premium payments are deducted from each paycheque and they are subject to change annually (each January 1) and as you and/or your spouse age. You pay the full premium cost for coverage.

How do I apply for coverage?

You must apply and complete a Health Statement for Optional Life Insurance for you and/or your spouse. You must be actively at work in order to apply (a disability leave or unpaid leave of absence is not considered actively at work). To apply visit Workday. 

A Benefits Partner from Payroll will send you a Health Statement with instructions on next steps after you submit your enrolment in Workday.

When does my coverage begin and end?

See Benefit Coverage Start and End Dates for details on when your coverage begins and ends.

Your coverage may also end if:

• you or your spouse join the armed forces full time,
• your children or spouse no longer qualify as dependents, or
• you no longer pay your insurance premiums.

See Benefit Coverage Start and End Dates for more information.

When coverage ends, you can convert all or a portion of Optional Life Insurance coverage for you and/or your spouse to an individual policy. You will not be asked to complete a health questionnaire to retain the same level of coverage you and/or your spouse had before your coverage ended. You must convert your policy within 31 days after your coverage ends. This conversion option is not available to dependent children. Learn more.

How do I increase or decrease my coverage?

You can increase or decrease your coverage under the Optional Life Insurance Plan in Workday.

All increases to coverage are subject to providing satisfactory proof of good health by completing a Health Statement.

How do I update my status as a smoker or non-smoker?

Your premium costs are influenced by whether or not you use tobacco products. If you have not used tobacco products for the past 12 months, you can update your smoker/non-smoker status in Workday. 

For more information

The outline above is a descriptive summary of the plan and is not a contract. All terms and conditions are governed by Contract Number 050555 with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. In the event of a discrepancy, benefits will be paid according to the official document and applicable legislation.

You can read the full details of your Optional Life Insurance policy in the Sun Life booklet for your employee group:

• BCGEU Okanagan
• BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care)
• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2278
• CUPE 2950
• IUOE 115
• Faculty: includes Faculty and Academic Executive
• Management and Professional: includes Management & Professional and Administrative Executive
• Non-union: includes Executive Administrative, Farm Workers and Non-Union Technicians and Research Assistant.

Transition to retirement options for faculty and information about Emeritus Status and post-retirement appointments.

Retirement process and options

Faculty wishing to retire must give written notice to the head of their academic unit well in advance of their intended retirement date. Faculty retirement dates usually fall on June 30 or December 31 following their notice date, unless otherwise agreed upon.

Retirement resources for faculty

UBC provides several resources to members of the UBC Faculty Pension Plan (FPP) to support retirement, including counselling and workshops.

The Pension Administration Office offers individual information sessions on pension-related matters as well as larger format seminars. To make an appointment, please call 604 822 3485. Further information on retirement as well as links to other retirement related sites can be found on the Faculty Pension Plan website. You can also use the pension calculator to estimate future account balances(s) and monthly annuity you may receive upon retirement from the UBC FPP.

It is important to keep the beneficiary of your life insurance policies up to date, so that in the event of your death (or your spouse’s death for Spousal Optional Life Insurance), the benefit is paid to the correct individual(s).

If you do not designate a beneficiary, the life insurance benefit will be paid to your estate in the event of your death (or to you if there is no beneficiary designation in the event of your spouse’s death and if they hold Spousal Optional Life Insurance).

All beneficiary designations in Workday are revocable with the exception of employees who reside in Quebec and name their spouse as a beneficiary. In the case of a Quebec employee, a spousal  beneficiary designation is irrevocable in Workday. An irrevocable beneficiary designation cannot be changed without the beneficiary’s written consent.  If you are a UBC employee residing in Quebec who wants to designate a spouse as beneficiary and you want the designation to be revocable, contact Janet McHugh at 604-822-6823 or janet.mchugh@ubc.ca.

At your request you may voluntarily make your beneficiary irrevocable.  Or in some situations such as a court ruling, your beneficiary designation must be irrevocable.  If you want to designate an irrevocable beneficiary or change your beneficiary designation from revocable to irrevocable, contact Janet McHugh at 604-822-6823 or janet.mchugh@ubc.ca.

• To view your beneficiary designation log in to your Workday account and look for Beneficiaries under the Benefits Worklet. 
• If you wish to designate or change your beneficiary visit Workday. 

Login to Workday

For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.