Learn About Your Benefits
The CUPE EWBT is dedicated to supporting the vital work you do to keep the education sector running smoothly. That’s why we believe your benefits should be easy to understand and use.
Benefits can be confusing and complex, and we want to make this simpler. It’s important to understand how your plan works and what’s included, so you can rely on your benefits to care for you and your family.
Learn what your plan includes and the partners ready to help you and your dependents navigate the coverage and resources available. We also invite you to learn more about how the CUPE EWBT determines, funds, and carefully manages your benefits here.
How the CUPE EWBT Provides Your Benefits
The CUPE Education Workers’ Benefits Trust (the CUPE EWBT) is committed to providing reliable and sustainable benefits for our members. With the funding received (including your premiums), the CUPE EWBT ensures that members have access to essential health, dental, and insurance coverage.
What’s Included in the CUPE EWBT Benefits Plan
Here are the benefits included in your plan:
Get Familiar With Your Benefits Booklet
While this website is meant to provide you with quick access to an overview of your benefits, the Benefits Booklet (prepared and provided to members by Canada Life) is always the most accurate source of detailed information.
Review the Benefits Booklet to understand any limits or exclusions before making a health or dental expense, and before travelling outside Canada.
If there’s any difference between the information on this website and the Benefits Booklet, the Benefits Booklet takes precedence.
Reasonable and Customary (R&C) Limits
Your plan covers typical charges for many medical and dental services, supplies, and devices, provided they are:
- Accepted by the Canadian medical profession;
- Proven to be effective with sufficient scientific research; and
- Appropriate in form, intensity, frequency, and duration for the diagnosis or management of the disease or injury.
Insurance providers (like Canada Life) set Reasonable and Customary (R&C) limits so that the maximum amount reimbursed reflects typical pricing in your area. If your provider charges more than Canada Life’s reasonable and customary amount, you’ll need to pay the difference.
View Canada Life’s R&C Limits in the My Canada Life at Work member site or app.
Tip: Always check your coverage before incurring an expense, to avoid unexpected out-of-pocket costs. Submit a predetermination (estimate) to Canada Life to confirm how much of a service, supply, or device will be covered.
Click on Benefits and then Coverages and balances from the menu on the left side.
Select Health, Drugs, Vision & Dental (Policy number 50210).
Click on Health and then Health professionals.
Choose the type of health practitioner, and then scroll to the bottom to view the Customary charges
Tip: Always check your coverage before incurring an expense, to avoid unexpected out-of-pocket costs. Submit a predetermination (estimate) to Canada Life to confirm how much of a service, supply, or device will be covered.
Who is Eligible for the CUPE EWBT Benefits Plan?
As a CUPE Ontario education worker, you qualify for the CUPE EWBT benefits plan if you are:
- A permanent employee, or
- A casual/temporary employee with eligibility under your Collective Agreement.
You can also enroll your family members, including:
- Your Spouse: Legal (marriage) or common-law
- Your Children: Unmarried children under age 21, or under age 26 if they are full-time students at an accredited school, college, or university
In some cases benefits may continue while you are on leave. Review how benefits eligibility changes when you experience a job change (for example, when retiring or resigning) or a life change (for example, personal or medical leave).
Eligibility Criteria for Children
To be eligible for coverage under your CUPE EWBT benefits plan, a dependent child must be:
- Your natural, adopted, step, or foster child (a grandchild is not an eligible dependent unless adopted by, or a legal ward of, their grandparent (you or your spouse))
- Not be employed full-time; and
- Not be eligible for their own insurance under this or any other group policy.
Annual Confirmation
Once your child reaches age 21, to keep coverage in place, each school year you must confirm that your dependent is still a full-time student by the deadline communicated by OTIP Benefits Services.
No Age Limit for Disabled Children
There’s no age limit for children who cannot support themselves due to a mental and/or physical disorder, as long as the disability started before age 21 (or before age 26 if they were a full-time student at that time) and has been continuous since then. Visit the Canada Life website to complete an Application for Over-Age Dependent Coverage.
Partners in Your Benefits
We have several key partners working alongside the CUPE EWBT to provide you with the best possible coverage, wellbeing resources, and plan member experience:
CUPE Education Workers’ Benefits Trust (the CUPE EWBT)
The CUPE EWBT was established to manage and deliver benefits exclusively to eligible Ontario CUPE education worker members. Our mission is to provide a benefits plan that enhances the health and wellbeing of members and their families, now and in the future. Learn more about the CUPE EWBT.
OTIP (Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan)
OTIP is our trusted benefits administrator. They handle the day-to-day operation of your benefits plan, including managing enrollments and answering your questions about eligibility, premiums, coverage changes, life/AD&D insurance claims, and more. OTIP also offers several wellness programs for members.
Canada Life
Canada Life is the insurer responsible for administering your health and dental benefits claims. With their extensive experience and expertise, Canada Life ensures that your claims are processed efficiently and that you receive the coverage you’re eligible for. They also offer tools and resources to help you stay informed about your benefits and care for your health.
Chubb Insurance
Chubb is the insurer for your accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance through the CUPE EWBT benefits plan.
FACET (Cubic Health)
Cubic Health helps the CUPE EWBT keep your prescription drugs benefit affordable and sustainable, through the FACET drug prior authorization program for specialty drugs.
Global Excel
Canada Life’s emergency travel partner, Global Excel, provides emergency medical and travel assistance for out-of-country travel. Services are accessed via Global Excel and any claims are submitted to Canada Life.
How Your Plan Works
The funding the CUPE EWBT receives is used to provide the designated benefits to plan members. This setup offers several key advantages:
Reliable Plan Management
By pooling resources through the CUPE EWBT, we provide you with easy access to your benefits, eliminating the need for ongoing local bargaining.
Greater Buying Power
The large size of our combined membership means we have financial advantages and increased benefits security for you.
Stable, Sustainable Benefits
The CUPE EWBT aims to deliver the best possible plan long-term within the context of the CUPE EWBT’s funding environment.
We encourage you to use your benefits plan for the services you need – that’s exactly what it’s there for. Your thoughtful use of your benefits contributes to the overall health of the CUPE EWBT benefits plan and supports continued access to essential benefits.
We can work together to maintain a strong, secure benefits plan for all CUPE Ontario education workers for generations to come.
Have Questions or Need Assistance?
We’re here to help. Check out our Contacts Guide to find the best resources to get the answers you need.