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Human Resources

Basic Group Life

The Basic Group Life insurance plan provides 24-hour coverage on or off the job.

Eligibility & Enrolment

All regular staff and Continuing Sessional Lecturers actively employed half-time or more are required to join the Basic Group Life Insurance Plan immediately upon employment. Employees must also be Canadian residents.

For CUPE 951, CUPE 917 and Exempt Support employees, coverage will commence on the first day of the month following satisfactory completion of your probationary period. 

See premiums page for current information on contributions and cost-sharing (if applicable). 

Basic Group Life Insurance coverage will terminate upon the earlier of:

  1. termination of employment
  2. entering the armed forces on a full-time basis
  3. termination of the Policy or coverage on the group, division, or class to which you belong
  4. retirement (if you choose to work beyond your normal retirement date, benefits will continue to the earlier of your retirement date, or December 31st of the year in which you reach age 71).

Plan benefits

Plan benefits vary by employee group. 

If prior to your normal retirement date you should die from any cause, your beneficiary or estate will receive a lump sum of 2 times your annual salary as of the date last actively at work, to a maximum of $750,000.

If you should die from any cause, your beneficiary or estate will receive, in a lump sum, a multiple of your annual salary as of the date last actively at work. Depending on your age at death, the Group Life Insurance benefit ranges from 1.0 to 5.5 times your annual salary, as indicated in the following table.

Group Life Insurance benefit range - CUPE 951, CUPE 917, ES
Age Multiple of salary
30 & under 5.5
31 5.4
32 5.3
33 5.2
34 5.1
35 5.0
36 4.9
37 4.8
38 4.7
39 4.6
40 4.5
41 4.4
42 4.3
43 4.2
44 4.1
45 4.0
46 3.8
47 3.6
48 3.4
49 3.2
50 3.0
51 2.7
52 2.4
53 2.1
54 1.8
55 1.5
65 & over 1.0

If prior to your normal retirement date you should die from any cause, your beneficiary or estate will receive a lump sum of 1.5 times your basic earnings in the twelve months immediately preceding death, to a maximum of $750,000.

If you choose to continue working past your normal retirement date, the Basic Life Insurance coverage will continue to the earlier of your retirement date, or December 31st of the year in which you reach age 71, with a benefit amount of 1.0 times your annual salary as of the date last actively at work, to a maximum of $750,000.

Note:

  • Benefits are rounded up to the next higher $1,000 if not already a multiple of $1,000.
  • “Salary” means your annual gross regular salary or wage, excluding any additional forms of compensation such as honoraria, overtime or special payments, etc.

Visit our benefit enrolment & termination page for information on beneficiaries, including changing your beneficiaries.

Make a claim

Death claim payments are made payable to the beneficiary. To initiate a claim, the beneficiary must contact the Benefits Office in Human Resources (benefits@uvic.ca)

Conversion options

If your individual coverage terminates or reduces prior to your normal retirement date, but group coverage continues, you may convert your group life insurance to an individual life insurance policy. This amount must be equal to or less than your group life amount, subject to an overall maximum of $200,000. The individual life insurance policy will be issued without proof of satisfactory health provided the completed application form, along with the necessary premium, is received by Pacific Blue Cross within 31 days of the date of termination of your group coverage. A conversion option is not available if your group plan terminates after your normal retirement date.

The conversion option is mainly of interest to persons who would not otherwise qualify for individual insurance. The annual premium to convert group life insurance to an individual plan without medical evidence is much higher than under a plan where medical evidence must be provided.

For further information contact the Plan Carrier:

Pacific Blue Cross
Plan Group No. 40703
1-888-275-4672