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Employee Benefit Plans

Retirement

Planning your retirement? You have options when it comes to your benefits.

As you prepare for your retirement, you may have questions about your benefits. We hope to make your retirement process easier by answering some frequently asked questions below.

Preparing to retire

To find out when your retirement date is, please contact your pension provider. 

Available below are the links to some pension providers’ contact web pages:

Your Employer: Ask your employer what advance notice, forms, and other documents you need to provide before you retire. Make sure to discuss your options regarding your accrued vacation. If you work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, you can contact your employer directly through MyConnection.

Service Canada: Contact Service Canada for information regarding Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) benefits. To avoid delays, ensure you file your application at least six months prior to your planned retirement date. 

Available below are the links to some pension providers’ contact web pages:

Other Professionals: Speak with other professionals such as lawyers, accountants, financial planners, insurance brokers, estate planners, and tax specialists who may be able to answer your questions and assist you in planning for retirement.

Your active benefits, such as health and dental, life insurance, and disability income will end on the date of your retirement. Once you are retired, your employer will notify 3sHealth and, if eligible, we will mail you a retirement package outlining the coverage options available to you.

Health and dental 

The GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan is available to retirees who previously had health and dental coverage.

The GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan offers an affordable solution for continued benefit coverage. You may elect to enroll in health only, dental only, or both health and dental. This plan offers single, couple, or family plan options. 

If you previously had coverage under the health and dental plan that 3sHealth administers, we will send you an application to the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan in your retirement package. You will also receive rate options and a brochure. If you make an application for coverage within 90 days after your retirement date, the plan does not require you to answer any medical questions or to complete a medical exam.

On the application you will have the option to choose the start date of your benefits with GMS. You can backdate the start date with GMS to when you retired so there is no break in coverage.

For more information on the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan, visit this page.

Disability Income Plan

Existing disability coverage will end on your retirement date. 

Group Life insurance

If you have existing Group Life insurance coverage, that coverage ends the day you retire. If you retire on or before you 65th birthday, you have 31 days to convert your coverage to an individual policy with Canada Life. For additional information, including eligibility guidelines, visit this page.

If you retire prior to turning 65 and you meet eligibility requirements, you can continue the following coverages you had at the time of retirement: Basic Life insurance, Basic Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D), Voluntary AD&D, and Optional Life insurance. The eligibility requirements are membership in the plan and being under the age of 65. 

The amount of insurance you elect to continue must be equal to or less than the amount of coverage you had in force upon your retirement. 

You would pay the same premium rate as active plan members directly to 3sHealth through a monthly withdrawal from your bank on the first business day of each month to age 65.

If you have been in the Group Life insurance plan for 10 or more consecutive years, 3sHealth will issue you the $5,000 “Retired Plan Member Life Insurance Benefit (RIB)” certificate to you at no cost. Upon your passing, 3sHealth will pay the proceeds to your named beneficiaries. If you have continued your Group Life insurance to age 65, your coverage will end on your 65th birthday. We will issue a RIB to you automatically. 

If you are eligible to continue your Group Life insurance to age 65 but choose not to, we will issue a RIB automatically. 

If you are age 65 or older when you retire and are eligible, we will issue a RIB automatically.

You have 31 days to convert from the date of your retirement or from your 65th birthday. You must contact your insurance agent or financial advisor to assist you with your Group Life insurance conversion. In this case, you can convert your Group Life insurance to an individual Canada Life policy, up to a total of $250,000. These coverages include the coverage you had at the time of retirement: Group Life insurance, Basic Life insurance, and Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and Optional Life insurance. The amount of insurance you elect to continue must be equal to or less than the amount of coverage you had in force upon your retirement.

You must make both the application for the individual converted policy and your first premium payment within this 31-day period. The plan does not allow for any exceptions to this 31-day application period. 

Steps to convert: 

  1. You must consult with a financial advisor. The advisor will ensure that you receive the professional advice necessary to make an informed decision. If you do not have a financial advisor, Canada Life can help you find one.
  2. You need to complete a “Group Life Conversion Option” form. Please contact 3sHealth Employee Benefits. We will provide you with the form you need.
  3. Send the completed form to Canada Life as specified on the form.
  4. Canada Life will provide you with the information on premium costs. 

For more information please reference the Group Life Conversion Member Fact Sheet or the Group Life Insurance Plan Booklet.

Your Group Life insurance will end on your date of retirement.

If you are eligible, 3sHealth will issue a $5,000 “Retired Plan Member Life Insurance Benefit (RIB)” certificate to you at no cost. We will pay the benefit to your named beneficiaries upon your passing.

You can continue your long-term disability claim to age 65 if you continue to meet the definition of total disability. Your pension income may offset the payable disability benefit. This means that 3sHealth may reduce your disability benefit by the amount of pension income you receive, according to plan rules. 

You would maintain your existing Group Life insurance while on an approved claim at no cost to you.

Extended Health Care and Enhanced Dental Plan benefits would remain in effect up to two years and 119 days from your date of disability.

You may elect to end your disability claim at the time you access your pension. 

Long-term disability coverage ends on your 65th birthday.

How much will my benefits cost at retirement?

3sHealth reviews rates yearly and these rates are subject to change. Plan members can find the current rates below. 

For more information on the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan, visit this page.

The monthly premium rate is $0.16 per $1,000 of Basic Life insurance under the Group Life insurance plan. You can elect to continue up to $250,000 of your Group Life insurance to age 65 after you have retired. 

We calculate the monthly premium by multiplying the volume of insurance by $0.16 and dividing that by $1,000.

Example: ($122,000 x $0.16) / $1,000 = $19.52 monthly premium.

If you have Optional Life insurance in effect on your retirement date you are eligible to continue coverage up to age 65. The rates per $1,000 of coverage are based on your age and whether you are a smoker or non-smoker. We calculate the monthly premium by multiplying the volume of insurance by the rate, then dividing that number by $1,000. 

Example – 42-year-old non-smoker: ($100,000 x $0.075) / $1,000 = $7.50 monthly premium.

Non-smoker
Age
Smoker
0.044
Under 39
0.088
0.075
40 to 44
0.150
0.106
45 to 49
0.213
0.250
50 to 54
0.450
0.425
55 to 59
0.750
0.594
60 to 64
1.050

You have 120 days from your retirement date to submit your claims incurred prior to your retirement date to Canada Life.  

Once you have retired, you will no longer be able to access your My Canada Life at Work online account. 

Links to the forms you need to submit claims after you cannot access My Canada Life at Work are available on the EBP Documents and Forms page. 

I am retiring frequently asked questions

Your employer will notify 3sHealth and we will start the retirement process. Please ensure your home address is up to date, as we will send your retirement package directly to you. Your address may be updated on Gateway Online, by notifying your employer, or by contacting us.

3sHealth will send your retirement package directly to you. Enclosed in the package is information about the benefit options available to you at retirement. You will need to complete and submit the forms by the deadlines outlined in the package.

You can contact 3sHealth directly and a Benefit Services Officer will be happy to assist you.

You can contact GMS and a representative will be happy to assist you.

You can contact your pension provider directly.

For Group Life insurance, including new beneficiary designations, you can send these forms directly to 3sHealth. Here is our contact information.  

Send your forms for the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan directly to GMS.

You can send any pension-related forms directly to your pension provider.

Your active benefits, such as health and dental, Group Life insurance, and disability income will end on the date of your retirement. Once you are retired, your employer will notify 3sHealth and, if eligible, we will mail you a retirement package outlining the coverage options available to you.

Plan members retiring at the age of 65 have the option to convert their policy. For Group Life insurance, you have 31 days from your retirement date to apply to convert your Group Life insurance to an individual policy through Canada Life. 

Plan members retiring under the age of 65 have the option to continue their Group Life insurance coverage. If you are retiring under the age of 65 and wish to continue your existing Group Life insurance coverage, you have 60 days from the start of your retirement to apply to continue your coverage. The Group Life insurance coverage will then come into effect the day after your retirement. This coverage will remain in place until age 65 or if you choose to discontinue the coverage earlier.

For the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan, you have 90 days after retirement to apply for health and/or dental coverage without completing any medical questionnaire. Once GMS has approved your application, your coverage is in effect the day after your retirement.

When you retire, 3sHealth will send you a package explaining your retirement options.

You will pay your Group Life insurance premiums through a monthly withdrawal from your bank on the first business day of each month. You will include a void cheque or pre-authorized debit form when you apply for your Group Life insurance continuation into retirement. 

There is no additional cost when 3sHealth issues you the “Retired Plan Member Life Insurance Benefit (RIB)” certificate.

If you convert your Group Life insurance to an individual life insurance policy with Canada Life, you will pay premiums directly to Canada Life.

You will pay premiums directly to GMS if you enroll in the GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan. You can elect to pay your premiums either monthly or annually.

After you retire

When you are moving, it is important to keep your address up to date with 3sHealth, your pension provider, and with GMS if you are participating in GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan. 

Contact us.

Contact GMS.

We are sorry for your loss. To update your beneficiaries, please complete the “Group Life Beneficiary Designation Form.” Please send the completed form to ebp@3sHealth.ca

If the beneficiary that died was your spouse or child, you may be eligible for a Dependent Life insurance claim. Please contact 3sHealth to confirm if your claim is eligible. 

You must also contact your pension provider to inform them of your spouse's death.

If you have a $5,000 “Retired Plan Member Life Insurance Benefit (RIB),” we will send you a letter confirming the change to your beneficiary. Please keep this letter with your original RIB certificate.

Upon your request, 3sHealth Employee Benefits can confirm your beneficiary designation for you. Please contact us.

For your pension, please contact your pension provider.

You may name any person as your beneficiary, such as your spouse, parent, child, or anyone else in your life. You may designate more than one beneficiary. You may also name a legal entity as your beneficiary, such as a charitable organization. If you choose to name a charitable organization as a beneficiary, 3sHealth requires the full legal name and address of the charitable organization.

For Group Life insurance continuation, we require 30 days written notice to cancel or reduce your coverage. Please note that you cannot increase your coverage amount. If you cancel your continuation coverage, 3sHealth will issue you a $5,000 RIB automatically at no cost if eligible.

For any changes to your GMS 3sHealth Retiree Benefits Plan coverage or to cancel your coverage, you will need to contact GMS directly at 1‐800‐667‐3699.

You can submit your health and dental claim directly to GMS through your My GMS account or by mail. Please contact GMS for additional assistance by calling 1-800-667-3699.

After retirement, you can print your T4s from Gateway Online as usual if you had access to Gateway Online with your employer. You will have access to Gateway Online until March 31 of the year following your retirement. To log in, use the same username and password as when you were working. If you are having issues accessing Gateway Online from home, you can contact eHealth at 1-888-316-7446, or Regina users can call 306-337-0600.

If you require information or T4s for more than a year ago, please contact your former employer.

When 3sHealth receives the notification of your death, we will reach out to your beneficiaries directly to start the life insurance claim process. We will complete as much of the information on the claim form as we can and indicate where your beneficiaries need to fill in more information and sign the form. The beneficiaries will return the completed claim form to us. We will work with the insurer to issue payment of the policy proceeds.

Employer responsibilities

If they tell you verbally, please ask them to provide you a written notice that includes their retirement date.

Once you have received the written notification, please forward the request to your human resources and/or payroll departments, depending on the requirements of your organization. 

You can have them contact 3sHealth. You can also point them to the “Retirement” life event section.

You can have them contact their pension provider.

Questions

3sHealth administers your Employee Benefits Plan. We are happy to answer any questions you have. This page contains our contact information. 

Available below are the links to some pension providers’ contact web pages:

Available below are the links to different disability plan administrators: 

Related Links

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  • Life Event: Family Changes
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  • Life Event: Leave of Absence
    A leave of absence requires a lot of planning. We have made the process easier for you, explaining what happens to your benefits depending on the type and length of your leave.
  • Life Event: Death
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