Health considerations

If you qualify for LTIP, you will continue to earn pension credit in the Plan. The amount of pension credit you earn depends on a few factors: your employer, your position, your bargaining agent (in some cases) and when the disability happened.

If you qualify for LTIP because of a disability that occurred before January 1, 2016 (January 1, 2017 for Case Management Masters, January 1, 2018 for TVO employees, September 1, 2018 for Walkerton Clean Water Centre employees, and April 1, 2020 for Justices of the Peace), or you qualify for LTIP due to a disability that occurred on or after January 1, 2016 and you’re employed by one of the employers listed below, you’re considered a member of Group A.

Group A

• Ministries (including Cabinet Office), commission public bodies, or the Lieutenant Governor's office represented by
  • The Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO)
  • The Ontario Crown Attorneys' Association (OCAA)
  • The Association of Law Officers of the Crown (ALOC)
• First Nations police forces
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board
• Certain public bodies
• The following:
  • The Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
  • The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario
  • The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
  • The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
  • The Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario
  • The Office of the Legislative Assembly (including Offices of Members of Provincial Parliament)

Learn more information about key details and rules if you are part of Group A.

If you qualify for LTIP because of a disability that occurred on or after January 1, 2016 (January 1, 2017 for Case Management Masters, January 1, 2018 for TVO employees, September 1, 2018 for Walkerton Clean Water Centre employees, and April 1, 2020 for Justices of the Peace), and you are a non-bargaining employee working for one of the employers listed below, you’re considered a member of Group B.

Group B

• Non-bargaining* employees of
  • Ministries (including Cabinet Office)
  • Commission public bodies
  • The Lieutenant Governor's office
• Ministers' offices
• The Office of the Auditor General,
• The Algonquin Forestry Authority,
• The Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT)
• TVO
• Walkerton Clean Water Centre
• Full-time appointees to tribunals or regulatory bodies
• Case Management Masters
• Justices of the Peace

Learn more information about key details and rules if you are part of Group B.

Group C

Different rules apply to OPP employees and members represented by PEGO, who would be considered a member of Group C. Learn more information about key details and rules if you are part of Group C.

If you’re a member of Group A:

• Your employer will make both your contributions and the matching contributions to the PSPP
• You will continue to earn pension credit at the same level you did before you became disabled

If you’re a member of Group B:

• You will continue to pay your contributions, but they will be calculated based on 70% of your salary the day before your LTIP effective date
• You will earn 70% of the pension credit you regularly received before becoming disabled (this may delay when you reach an early unreduced retirement date under the PSPP)

The Plan does not allow you to purchase or top-up your pension credit for LTIP periods. 

Different rules apply to OPP employees and members represented by PEGO, who would be considered a member of Group C. Learn more information about key details and rules if you are part of Group C.

If you’re a member of Group A: Your employer will make both your contribution and the matching contributions to the PSPP.

If you’re a member of Group B: Canada Life will deduct your pension contributions from your LTIP payments and remit them directly to us. If your LTIP payments from Canada Life are not sufficient to cover the full cost of your pension contributions, you may be required to pay your contributions to us directly. This could occur if your LTIP payments are offset by CPP disability benefits or Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits, or if you're participating in a return-to-work program. Please note that a different process is in place for employees of TVO and the Walkerton Clean Water Centre. If you work for one of these organizations, please direct any questions about the process to your employer.

If you’re a member of Group C: Up until the date you earn 30 years of pension credit and reach your early unreduced retirement date (EURD), your employer will make both member and employer matching pension contributions to the PSPP. When you have earned 30 years of pension credit and have reached your EURD, and if you choose not to retire, you will be required to begin making your member contributions to the PSPP. Your employer will make matching pension contributions. At that time, Canada Life will deduct your pension contributions from your LTIP payments and remit them directly to us. If your LTIP payments from Canada Life are not sufficient to cover the full cost of your pension contributions, you may be required to pay your contributions to us directly. This could occur if your LTIP payments are offset by CPP disability benefits or Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits, or if you’re participating in a return-to-work program.

If you continue to qualify for LTIP and you and/or your current employer continue to make contributions (as applicable), you can earn pension credit in the PSPP until you reach age 65.

You are totally and permanently disabled if:

• You have a physical or mental disability that prevents you from doing any job for which you’re reasonably suited based on your education, training or experience
• The disability can reasonably be expected to last for the rest of your lifetime

You must be an active member or divested member who has 10 or more years of credit or 10 or more years of continuous PSPP membership, and you must be found to be totally and permanently disabled.

To apply for a disability pension, please submit the following:

1. OPB3001 – Disability Pension Application (PDF) (you complete this)
2. Consent to Medical/Physical Information (PDF) (you complete this)
3. CPP, LTIP & WSIB eligibility approval letters, if applicable (you provide these)
4. OPB3002 – Employer's Statement on Disability (PDF) (your employer completes this)
5. OPB3008 – Physical Demands Analysis (PDF) (your employer completes this)
6. Job description at the time your disability commenced (your employer provides this)
7. OPB3003 – Medical Examination Report (PDF) (your doctor completes this)

Once your complete application is received, we will review it to determine if you meet the eligibility requirements, and we will let you know in writing when it has been approved. In some cases, we may send your application to our external medical consultant for further assessment. If your application is not approved, we will let you know in writing.

If your application is approved, your disability pension will start the month after we received your complete application package. You will need to end your employment before your disability pension payments can begin.

If you're approved for a PSPP disability pension, it will be calculated using the Plan's pension formula and it will be based on the credit you have earned up to your termination date. The pension amount will not be reduced based on age.

If you’re terminally ill and your doctor expects that you have less than 24 months to live, you may be eligible to withdraw the commuted value of your PSPP benefits as a lump sum.

If you’re dealing with a prognosis like this, you and your family are likely processing a lot of difficult emotions. We're here to help you understand your options so you can determine how to protect your loved ones’ future. If you have any questions, give us a call at 416-364-5035 or toll-free at 1-800-668-6203.