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Benefit
Merit Contractor Association's
comprehensive medical/dental insurance program
is Merit's most important service and the number one reason contractors
join the Association. Features included in the benefit plan, as
outlined below, are Employee Life Insurance, Accidental Death
& Dismemberment Insurance, Dependent Life Insurance, Long
Term Disability Coverage and an Employee & Family Assistance
Program.
The Benefit Plan coverage
is offered by Great West Life and Co-operators, and administered
independently by Mercon
Benefit Services.
Three plans are available
to Merit member companies:
Hour Bank Plan
- for construction site workers
Office/Administration
Plan - for office and support staff
Hour Bank First
Nations - for construction site workers already
covered by Federal
Government benefits.
Hour Bank
Especially tailored for construction workers, this plan is fully
portable between Merit member companies and allows coverage during
off-season or lay-off periods.
Eligibility for the
Hour Bank benefit plan is determined by the number of hours flowing
through an employee's "hour bank account". The account
acts like a bank account except hours, instead of dollars, are
recorded. The employer must report all hours, including overtime,
worked by each employee, on a monthly basis.
An employee becomes eligible to receive benefits on the first
day of the second month following the accumulation of 300 hours
in his or her hourbank account.
For each month of coverage, 150 hours are deducted from the account.
If the account falls below 150 hours, the employee can elect to
'self-pay' for up to six consecutive months. The employee is reinstated
when 150 hours are again accumulated within eight months.
Available Coverage
The following reflects the full range of coverage available. Individual
companies may opt for basic coverage, or may choose to add in
optional programs (short-term disability). Please contact the
Merit Manitoba office for more information or for help tailoring
a package to suit your needs.
Basic Coverage
Life
Insurance
(employees
only) |
$80,000 |
Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
(employees only) |
$80,000 |
| Dependent Life Insurance |
Spouse - $10,000
Each Child - $5,000 |
Extended
Health Care
(employees and dependents)
(no
deductible) |
- prescription
drug benefits - 80%
- emergency out of country -100%
- other health expenses to
specified
limits - 100%
- overall maximum - unlimited |
Vision
Care
(employees and dependents)
(no deductible) |
- all covered
expenses - 100%
- maximum, $300 every two years
- maximum for children under 19,
$300 per
year
- eye exams -$50 every two years
- eye exams for children under 19,
$50 per
year |
Dental
Care
(employees and dependents)
(no deductible) |
- basic dental
services - 80%
- major restorative
expenses -
50% GP
Fee Guide
- maximum per
person for basic /
major restorative
services -
$2,500
per calendar year
- orthodontic
services for children
under 19
- 50%
- orthodontic
services lifetime
limits
- $2,500 |
Long Term Disability (LTD)
(employees only) |
- monthly benefit
- $2,100/month
for first
24 months, then
$2,600/mo.
payable to age 65.
- benefits start
after 119 days (17
weeks)
of continuous disability.
- eligibility
is based on employee
being “in-benefit”
and working
25 hours
per week for a Merit
company
during each month of
employment
prior to disability. |
Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
(employees and dependents) |
- confidential counselling
- self referral
- 24 hours access |
Optional*
| Short
Term Disability (STD)*
(employees only) |
-
$600 flat benefit/week
- income from
all sources not to
exceed
85% of pre-disability
income
- benefit period starts on
first day
of accident or
hospitalization
and eighth day
of illness.
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* Refers to optional coverage which companies may offer, if desired,
for an additional rate of $0.09 per hour.
Manitoba Rates (effective January 1, 2008)
For each hour worked by employees, the contribution is $0.74 for
benefits premiums including Long Term Disability PLUS $0.08 per
hour worked for "Membership Fees".
Administration
The plans are administered by Mercon Benefit Services. The employer
submits the number of hours worked by each employee each month
along with the appropriate remittance. Rates are subject to renewal
on November 1st of each year. If you would like specific monthly
costs for your situation or would like to discuss alternative
plans, please call Mercon Benefits at 1-877-263-7266.
Office/Supervisory Plan
Designed for office/supervisory staff such as accountants, estimators,
secretaries, payroll staff, and management.
First Nations Plan
This plan is specifically designed for First Nations people so
as not to duplicate the medical coverage already received under
the federal government.
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