Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) benefits

If you are receiving Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) benefits and have not ended your employment with your employer, you can choose whether to continue contributions to the Plan during that time.

If you choose to contribute, you will need to make your regular required contributions based on your pensionable earnings rate immediately before WCB benefits started. Your employer must pay their share of contributions – unless a collective bargaining agreement or other employment contract otherwise states how the total contributions will be shared between you and your employer during the WCB benefit period.

If you and your employer make the required contributions during the WCB benefit period, you will continue to earn credited service during this period. This will result in a larger pension than if you did not contribute.

Note: It's important that you consider carefully whether you will contribute during the WCB benefit period. Keep in mind that if you do not contribute during this period and then decide later that you want to purchase that period through the past service purchase program, you may do so, but only under the following conditions:

• you must be an active employee contributing to the Plan at the time you make the purchase; and,
• you must pay 100% of the actuarial cost of the service being purchased – your employer does not share in the cost of this purchase.

Before making your decision you should ask – Is paying my share of total current contributions now, financially better for me than paying the entire actuarial cost later on? NSAHO Pension Plan staff is not permitted to give you financial advice. Therefore, you may want to get the advice of a financial planner who can assist you in answering that question.

Once you make your decision, please contact your employer at the start of your WCB benefits period and complete the option form that is required to document your decision.

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