While on Leave

Maternity and Parental Leaves

According to Canadian law, maternity leaves are broken into two parts: health-related leave and parental leave. 

Continuing your Benefits

While you’re on leave, you have the option to continue receiving benefit coverage, as you did when you were working. If you choose not to continue your benefits while on leave, they will be reinstated on your first day back at work. Note that a gap in coverage beyond what is allowed according to the Alberta Labour Standards may cause future claims to be denied if you get sick or are injured during the first 26 weeks after you return to work.

If you have Spending Account coverage, your available credits may change while you’re on leave. See Spending Accounts While on Leave for details.

For Maternity Leave

Your benefits may continue for either your entire health-related leave or just a portion of it, depending on the arrangement with your employer. If you want to receive benefits throughout your health-related leave as well as the parental portion of your leave, you can apply to continue all or some of your benefits, and they will begin the first day after your employer stops paying your premiums. Check with your employer to see who will be responsible for paying your benefit premiums during your leave. 

For Parental Leave

If you’re only taking the parental portion of the leave (e.g. in cases of adoption, or both partners sharing leave, etc.), you can still apply to continue some or all of your benefits during your parental leave (which is officially considered a personal leave of absence by ASEBP). Check with your employer to see who will be responsible for paying your benefit premiums during this time.

See Managing your Benefits During a Personal or Maternity Leave for details.

Income Replacement

Partial income replacement while you’re on maternity leave is covered through Employment Insurance (EI) provided you were paying into EI through your employer while you were working. As EI is a government program, you should contact Service Canada to ensure you’re set up to receive income replacement once your leave starts. You’re eligible to receive EI for both the health-related and parental portions of your leave. 

Pregnancy Complications

Your employer will let ASEBP know when you start your maternity leave. If you start your leave more than 45 days before your anticipated delivery date, ASEBP will follow up with you by email to offer additional support. If you need more information or are interested in the support available to you, return the contact request form included with this email and an ASEBP team member will guide you through the Extended Disability Benefits (EDB) application process.  

If you are approved for EDB, you qualify for income replacement at the level stated on your plan. You can find which plan you are enrolled in by checking My ASEBP or the mobile app. 

If you have questions about your maternity leave or disability supports available to you, get in touch with a benefit specialist.

Support for You

Through your Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), a number of resources are available for new parents, including help with postpartum depression, support for new dads, and assistance transitioning back to work. The EFAP is a proactive health program that offers completely confidential physical and mental well-being support services to you and your family. These supports are available in person, online and over the phone, 24/7/365.

Personal Leaves of Absence

Continuing your Benefits

If you’re planning to take a personal leave of absence, you can choose to continue receiving all or some of your benefit coverage for the duration of your leave. Depending on your arrangement with your employer, you may be responsible for premium payments while you’re on leave. Your employer will be able to tell you who will be paying your benefit premiums during this time.

If you decide not to continue your benefits, they will be inactive during your leave, and will be reinstated when you go back to work. Any gap in your coverage, however, may cause future EDB claims to be denied if you are unable to work due to illness or injury during the first 26 weeks after you return to work.

See Managing your Benefits During a Personal or Maternity Leave for details.

Retiring From a Personal Leave

If you are on a personal leave of absence and decide to retire or take Early Retirement benefits directly from your leave, your benefit coverage will remain the same as when you were on leave. When you retire, you take your current benefits with you, which may be different from the benefit coverage you had while you were working.

If you Become Ill or Injured

If you become seriously ill or injured, you may be eligible for the Early Intervention Program (EIP) or Extended Disability Benefits (EDB). EIP is designed to help you keep working when you have had to reduce your hours due to illness or injury. EDB is designed to support you if you have been deemed medically disabled and unable to work for 90 days due to illness or injury, or if you have participated in EIP and your recovery has not progressed as expected.

The start of the 90 days of sick leave (sometimes called the elimination period) is the date of your disability (accident, injury or medical incident) and is usually the day after your last day worked. If you are on a regularly-scheduled school break (e.g. summer break, winter holidays, spring break) then the start of the elimination period will be the date you become totally disabled (not the day you were scheduled to return to work).

It’s important to note that even if you’ll be away from work due to illness or injury during a regularly-scheduled school break, you’ll still need to provide ASEBP with regular updates on changes in your abilities or health status that impact your return to work. These updates help us keep your benefits in place to support you during this time.

Early Intervention Program (EIP)

During these 90 days you’re able to access EIP, which is a voluntary program offered to employees who are not totally disabled and are still able to work modified hours and duties. The program is a proactive way to help injured or ill employees stay at work. You must be in treatment for your illness or injury to qualify for EIP and EDB.

Why participate in EIP?

By participating in EIP, not only will you benefit from the advantages of early intervention, but you will also be protected if you need to apply for EDB. For example, if you're participating in EIP and your condition deteriorates or a complication arises, you would not need to meet the EDB criteria of being totally and continuously disabled for 90 days. If you are able to work reduced hours and you chose not to participate in EIP, you would not meet the criteria for EDB.  

Depending on the hours you work while on EIP, your 90-day elimination period can be extended. Working more hours means a longer elimination period, which will allow you time to recover from your illness or injury while still working partial hours.

Who can access EIP?

EIP is designed for employees who have Extended Disability Benefits coverage and need to reduce their hours of work by 30 per cent or more because of an injury or illness. To qualify, your condition must be temporary with a high likelihood that you’ll be able to perform your regular job duties at your usual hours within a few months. EIP is not intended to be a permanent, partial-disability program. Note your participation in EIP will need to be supported by medical documentation.

Shortly after your illness or accident, if you’re unable to return to work at your usual hours, you’ll be assessed for EIP. Your early intervention facilitator will provide you with more details about this process.

You’re eligible to participate in EIP until you:

• Have recovered from your illness or injury
• Are working 70 per cent or more of your pre-disability hours
• Decline to participate in a reasonable return-to-work plan, or your employer cannot accommodate a return-to-work plan because of undue hardship
• Are no longer able to work because of a declining medical condition and must apply for EDB
• Have reached the end of your elimination period for EDB

If you Become Ill or Injured During a Personal Leave of Absence

If you continued your coverage during your personal leave and you get sick or injured during your leave, you can apply for Extended Disability Benefits (EDB) and serve the 90-day elimination period. However, if your EDB application is approved, no benefits will be paid and no benefit waivers will be put into place until the end of your approved personal leave. For more information, contact ASEBP and ask to speak with Early Intervention Services. 

If you Become Disabled

If you have a serious or prolonged illness that makes you unable to work more than 90 days, you may be eligible for Extended Disability Benefits (EDB). EDB is a total disability program, which means you must be completely unable to work due to your illness or injury. During the 90-day elimination period, an ASEBP intake facilitator will contact you to gather information and guide you through the application process. Note your participation in EDB will need to be supported by medical documentation.

Starting January 1, 2024, ASEBP is expanding its definition of health care providers to include nurse practitioners, along with physicians, due access issues and related delays in medical treatment. This means that covered members with a total disability can receive benefits if under the care of a nurse practitioner or a physician. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have additional education and nursing experience, enabling them to diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, and perform medical procedures.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for EDB, you must be under the age of 65 and:

• Have EDB coverage and meet the definition of total disability during the elimination period and beyond
• Have been working more than a 0.2 FTE at the time of your injury, or the minimum required by your employer, which could be greater than a 0.2 FTE
• Have continued your benefits during a leave of absence if you become ill or injured during that leave of absence
• Not have a pre-existing medical condition

You are encouraged to complete an application as soon as possible to avoid disruption of income, but we will accept applications up to 12 months following the end of your sick leave (the 91st day after the date of disability). Your application must include details from the date of disability through the 90-day elimination period.

• Please note: 
  • If you’re receiving EDB payments as you approach age 65, your coverage will end on the last day of the month following the month in which you reach age 65. (e.g., if you turn 65 on December 1, 2024, your disability coverage would end on January 31, 2025.) 
  • If you’re not receiving EDB payments as you approach age 65, your EDB coverage will end three months before you turn 65, due to the 90-day EDB elimination period. 

If you’re an employee who will be living outside Canada because of an approved teacher exchange program or secondment position, you’re eligible for ASEBP EDB coverage for a maximum of 24 months. If you choose to return home within the 90-day elimination period, the regular provisions of the EDB plan will apply.

If you’re disabled due to an accident, you may be entitled to additional benefits through your Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage.

Monthly Earnings

If you’re eligible for EDB, you qualify for income replacement at the level stated in your plan. You can find which plan you’re enrolled in by checking My ASEBP or the My ASEBP Mobile App.

Monthly earnings include salary, administrative allowances, pay while on vacation, isolation pay, retroactive salary and compensation for an acting assignment longer than three months. It doesn't include signing bonuses, overtime, car allowances, expense allowances or reimbursements, salary earned while teaching night or summer school classes, early retirement incentives or pay in lieu of vacation.

ASEBP conducts an in-depth review of each EDB claim based on your individual health and financial situation. In some cases, starting January 1, 2024, ASEBP will allow earnings from an employer and/or income from self-employment to reach 15 per cent of a covered member’s pre-disability income before applying an offset to the gross monthly disability benefit. 

Benefits are paid monthly through direct deposit to the bank account you've identified on My ASEBP. You can find your EDB payment details, as well as T4As and other tax information, on My ASEBP under the Documents tab (Extended Disability Benefits and Tax Documents).  

Premiums

Your benefit premiums for Extended Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Extended Health Care, (Drugs, Other Medical Services and Supplies and Travel Emergencies)* are waived by ASEBP when you are approved for EDB. They are based on the coverage you have at the end of the 90-day elimination period. If you have Dental Care and Vision Care benefits, you may be responsible for covering premiums. Check with your employer to see who is responsible for paying premiums.

If you’re responsible for your Dental Care and Vision Care premium payments and have a Health Spending Account (HSA), you can submit the premiums you pay as an HSA expense.

*Special Notes:

• In rare cases, coverage for Extended Health Care, Dental Care and Vision Care are not guaranteed to last through your entire EDB leave. 
• You must disclose any additional disability coverage that you have.

Rehabilitation Employment

Rehabilitation Employment is a temporary program designed for short-term transition back to work while on EDB. The program allows for modified hours, or alternate work or training during your rehabilitation and supports a progressive return to your previous level of employment. 

While on EDB, if you become well enough to work a modified schedule, talk to your claims facilitator about Rehabilitation Employment. Rehabilitation Employment needs to be pre-approved by ASEBP to ensure the work or training meets the program’s objectives. ASEBP will check in and review your progress periodically. 

While performing Rehabilitation Employment your monthly EDB payment is reduced by 50 per cent of any salary or earnings you receive. (E.g. if you’re receiving $3,000/month while on EDB, when you’re participating under the Rehabilitation Employment program and earn $1,000/month from your employer, your EDB payment will be reduced by half of your earnings, or $500. This leaves you with a total EDB payment of $2,500/month.) Income from alternate work that is not part of an approved rehabilitation program will be offset at 100 per cent.

For more information about Rehabilitation Employment, contact your claims facilitator.

If your Illness is Progressively Disabling

If you’re not able to perform all the regular duties of your job because of a progressively debilitating illness that’s expected to result in total disability, our Progressive Disability Program can provide income protection. You may still be able to continue working part time in a limited capacity. Your work hours reduce as your ability to work decreases.

Benefits into Retirement

If you are on EDB and decide to retire or you wish to transition into retirement directly from a leave, you may be eligible for ASEBP's MyRetiree Plan benefits.