Accidental Death & Dismemberment

Accidental Death Benefit

If you die as a result of an accident, your coverage offers two times your annual earnings to a maximum of $800,000, known as the Principal Sum.

Annual 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.

The Accidental Death benefit is payable to your designated beneficiary(ies) or your estate. You can change or update your beneficiary information at any time. See Managing Beneficiaries for details. This benefit is in addition to benefits paid under your ASEBP Life Insurance.

Coverage for Early Retirees, MyRetiree Plan, Supplemental Package Participants and School Trustees

If you have ASEBP Early Retirement benefits or are a MyRetiree Plan member under 65, your Principal Sum is two times your annual earnings at retirement to a maximum of $800,000. If you have Early Retirement Package 2, your coverage is different—please refer to Package 2 information in Early Retirement for details.

If you're enrolled in Supplemental Package benefits or are a school trustee, your Principal Sum is either $25,000 or $50,000 depending on what you chose when you enrolled in your ASEBP benefits. You can confirm your coverage on My ASEBP.

ASEBP Benefits for your Family

Your Life Insurance benefit provides your eligible dependants with temporary coverage options. You’re also covered for the following under your Accidental Death benefit:

Identification Travel Expenses

Reimbursement of transportation and accommodation expenses if a family member has to travel more than 150 kilometers to identify your body.
Maximum: $5,000

Bringing your Body Home

Cost of preparing your body for burial or cremation and shipping your body to your city of residence if death occurs while travelling.
Maximum: $15,000

Funeral Expenses

Cost of funeral expenses
Maximum: $7,500

Grief Counselling

Cost of up to six grief counselling sessions for your spouse or dependent children with a therapist or counselor registered in the province of practice.
Maximum: $2,000

Education, Training and Care for Family

On a case-by-case basis, your spouse or dependent children may be eligible for:

• Up to $5,000 per year for dependent children’s full-time post-secondary education expenses. Can be claimed for up to four years.
• Up to $15,000 for occupational training for your spouse. Can be claimed up to three years after your death.
• Up to $5,000 per year for daycare expenses for dependent children under the age of 13. Can be claimed for four years following your death. There are specific rules that define what qualifies as an eligible daycare. Please contact us if you have questions about if your child’s daycare would qualify.

Accidental Death Benefit Considerations

Please be aware of the following circumstances that may affect coverage:

Disappearance

If your body isn’t recovered within a year of the accident (e.g. if you're involved in a plane crash), it will be assumed that you've died and the Accidental Death benefit will be paid after that time.

Maximum: Principal Sum (two times your annual earnings to a maximum of $800,000, unless you're enrolled in Supplemental Package benefits or are a school trustee, then your Principal Sum is either $25,000 or $50,000 depending on what you chose when you enrolled in your ASEBP benefits)

Car Accidents

If you die in a car accident while wearing a seat belt, your beneficiary will receive the Principal Sum plus 10 per cent, to a maximum of an additional $25,000. Your beneficiary must be able to provide proof that you were properly wearing your seat belt and an accident report will be required.

Accidental Loss, Dismemberment or Permanent Disability

If an accident leads to dismemberment or loss of use of a body part or function, the following benefits (payable only to you as the policy holder) are available:

If you Become Totally Disabled

If you become totally disabled within one year of an accident and this disability continues for one year, you'll receive the Principal Sum minus any payments for the loss or loss of use of a body part previously paid to you (see chart below). If your disability prevents you from being able to work and you participate in ASEBP Extended Disability Benefits, you may be entitled to additional support—see Extended Disability Benefits for additional information.

Maximum: Principal Sum (two times your annual earnings to a maximum of $800,000, unless you're enrolled in Supplemental Package benefits or are a school trustee, then your Principal Sum is either $25,000 or $50,000 depending on what you chose when you enrolled in your ASEBP benefits)

Benefits Paid for Loss, Loss of Use of Body Part or Function

How loss is defined for these benefits:

• Hands or feet: complete severance at or above the wrist or ankle joint, but below the elbow or knee joint
• Arms or legs: complete severance at or above the elbow or knee joint
• Thumbs and fingers: complete severance at or above the first bone of the digit
• Toes: complete severance at or above the first bone of the digit
• Eyes: irrecoverable loss of the entire sight of the eye
• Speech: total and irrecoverable loss of speech
• Hearing: total and irrecoverable loss of hearing

Exposure

If you suffer a loss of a body part as a result of exposure to the elements from your accident (e.g.  losing fingers to frost bite), the loss will be treated the same as if it was lost in an accident. The loss must occur within one year of the accident.

Maximum: refer to chart below for applicable maximum

Multiple Injuries

Only the largest applicable amount is paid for multiple injuries to the same limb resulting from a single accident. If you sustain more than one loss as the result of a single accident, you will only be paid for the greatest of these losses.

Principal Sum

The Principal Sum referred to in the chart below means two times your annual earnings to a maximum of $800,000, unless you are a substitute teacher, casual staff member, part-time employee or school trustee, then your Principal Sum is either $25,000 or $50,000 depending on what you chose when you enrolled in your ASEBP benefits.

You're also covered for the following benefits:

Family Transportation

Reimbursement of transportation and accommodation expenses of immediate family—spouse, children, your parents and siblings as well as your spouse’s parents and siblings—who have to travel more than 150 kilometers to visit you in hospital. This benefit covers the cost of one trip only. If a personal vehicle is used for travel, kilometres will be reimbursed at a rate of $0.35/km.
Maximum: $15,000

Eyeglasses, Contact Lenses and Hearing Aids

If your injury results in the need for glasses, contact lenses or hearing aids—which you didn’t need before your accident—the cost will be covered. Claims are accepted up to one year after your accident.
Maximum: $1,000

Home Alteration and Vehicle Modification

Reimbursement of modifications made to your home or vehicle to make them wheelchair accessible. Claims are accepted up to three years after your accident. Modifications are only covered if you have lost or lost the use of both feet, legs or are/become quadriplegic, paraplegic or hemiplegic.
Maximum: $20,000

Employment Rehabilitation

If you cannot return to your previous job and require special training in order to be qualified for another occupation the cost will be covered. Claims are accepted up to three years after your accident.
Maximum: $15,000