Eligibility of Benefit Coverages
The easiest way to determine if you are eligible for benefits is to refer to your offer letter, and/or your Collective Agreement. If you are unsure, please contact the Office of Human Resources.
If you are eligible for benefits, but have not yet completed a Benefits Orientation, please contact us immediately.
Eligibility for Medical, Dental, Vision, Insurance:
To be eligible for these benefits, a plan member must meet one of the following criteria:
- Actively working full-time (35 hours per week, unless otherwise agreed to)
- Retired (if benefits are available to retirees)
- Have been designated as eligible within your offer letter of employment.
Eligibility for Travel Insurance Coverage:
If you have Medical coverage through our employee Green Shield Plan, you are automatically covered for Travel Insurance. For more information about this benefit, visit Travel Benefits.
Eligibility for Disability Insurance/Benefit:
If you have medical, vision, and dental coverage as outlined above, you are likely eligible for sick day benefits. Check the details on your offer letter to review your coverage. For more information about this benefit, visit Disability.
Eligibility for Tuition Benefit:
Staff:
- Established Position - A permanent position approved by the Board of Governors.
- Lakehead Contract Employee - A person working under a specific work arrangement for a specified period of time. A contract employee will be eligible for tuition waiver after 12 months of employment, and a spouse and/or dependent(s) will be eligible after the contract employee has completed 3 years of continuous employment.
- Special Contract Employee - A person working under a specific work arrangement that is not directly funded by the Lakehead University operating budget. A special contract employee, spouse and dependent(s) will be eligible for tuition waiver if the funding agency agrees to pay for the tuition benefit.
Faculty:
- Effective July 1, 2004, a full-time member, his/her dependent and/or the spouse of a member with a full-time appointment. No full-time member, dependent or spouse will be entitled to exceed the tuition waiver maximums specified in this policy.
- A member with an appointment as a Contract Lecturer Member at Level 2 or Level 3 will receive an $800 tuition waiver credit to be used by the member and/or his/her spouse/dependents who enrol in a regularly-scheduled University course for academic credit in the current or subsequent academic year. No Contract Lecturer Member at Level 2 or Level 3, dependent or spouse will be entitled to exceed the tuition waiver maximums specified in this paragraph.
Guidelines
- Employees in established positions are eligible for a tuition waiver.
- Employees on approved job sharing arrangements may apply for a tuition waiver on a pro-rated basis.
- Spouse and dependents of staff may apply for a tuition waiver.
- At retirement, an employee is eligible for a tuition waiver for any course(s) in which he/she is currently enrolled.
- A spouse or dependent of an employee who retires at normal retirement date will continue to be eligible for the tuition waiver until he/she has completed the undergraduate course(s) or graduate course(s) in which he/she is currently enrolled.
- A spouse or dependent of an employee who dies will continue to be eligible for the tuition waiver until he/she has completed the course(s) in which he/she is enrolled and for the next two academic years, subject to lifetime maximum.
- The tuition waiver will be effective from the date of hire to the date of termination. If an employee joins Lakehead University in the middle of a term, the tuition waiver will be pro-rated at the start of the next term.
- An employee who is on sick leave with pay, or for the first 24 months of receiving payment under a plan for long-term disability, or receiving payment under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, or is on maternity/paternity/parental leave, is eligible for a tuition waiver as if he/she were at work. A spouse or dependent of such an employee is similarly eligible.
- An employee on an approved leave without pay for non-medical reasons for a term in excess of one month is ineligible for a tuition waiver while on such leave. Spouse and dependents are also ineligible.
- Courses are to be taken outside of normal working hours. An exception may be made if the course is a prerequisite for the member's job position. A request to take the course during working hours must have the approval of the appropriate Chair/Director/Dean and an explanation of how the time will be made up. Time taken for any courses during working hours shall be made up by the employee.
- Tuition costs for employees in established positions are an operating cost for Lakehead University. Budgets will be established against which the cost of waivers will be charged. Tuition costs for contract employees will be charged against the contract funding.
- This policy does not apply to audit fees, co-op program participation fee (work term), activity fees, lab fees, field trip fees, or other incidental fees that may be required.
- Lakehead Contract Employees hired prior to July 1, 2004 are covered by the eligibility definitions in their contracts in place as of June 30, 2004.
- If two faculty or staff are related to a dependent child, the dependent child will be eligible for only one scholarship.
- Tuition waiver for spouses and dependents is scholarship income for the student receiving the benefit and, accordingly, the student will receive a T4A slip.
- Completed application forms, signed by the supervisor of the employee, must be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources at the same time as the registration takes place. The supervisor's signature is not only required for employee applications, but also for spouse and dependent applications.
- Policy interpretation should be directed to the Associate Vice-President of Human Resources.
For more information on this benefit, visit Tuition Benefit.