HEU members and dependents covered by the Facilities Collective Agreement (FCA) will see a number of significant improvements to their extended health and dental plan effective January 1, 2022:
- Deductible Eliminated: Today your plan requires you to pay a $100 deductible before your extended health claim is fully reimbursed by Pacific Blue Cross. As of January 1, 2022 you will no longer have to pay a deductible when submitting an extended health or dental claim to Pacific Blue Cross.
- Eye Exams Reimbursed: Today your plan does not included reimbursement for eye exams. On January 1, 2022 your plan will reimburse up to $100 per calendar year for each of you and your dependent family members.
- Contraceptives Reimbursed: Today your drug coverage does not include reimbursement for contraceptives. On January 1, 2022 your plan will include reimbursement for contraceptives that are included on the BC Pharmacare formulary.
The changes were announced today by Trustees of the Joint Facilities Benefits Trust (JFBT) which has been responsible for administering benefits for Facilities members since 2017.
The Trustees also announced that they are undertaking a broader review of the benefits plan to ensure it is responsive to the needs of plan members in the future. JFBT will be seeking input from plan members over the next year as part of this review.
HEU secretary-business manager Meena Brisard says these are the first improvements to the benefits plan for Facilities members in recent memory.
“The changes announced today will be welcomed by our Facilities members. They represent a significant benefit for HEU families,” says Brisard.
“I’m especially pleased that the Trustees have recognized the importance to our membership of providing contraceptive coverage.”
The JFBT was established under the terms of the 2014-2019 Facilities Collective Agreement and assumed responsibility for administering extended health and dental, group life and accidental death, and long-term disability benefits effective April 1, 2017.
The cost of benefits is largely covered by a negotiated funding envelope from employers. The JFBT is governed by a board composed of an equal number of employer and union trustees appointed by the parties to the Trust – the Facilities Bargaining Association (HEU and other FBA unions) and the Health Employers Association of B.C.
- You can read about the changes to your Facilities benefits on the JFBT website.
- Any questions about the changes can be emailed to: planchangequestions@JFBT.ca
- Learn more about the JFBT.
- You can read the provisions establishing the JFBT on p. 58 of the 2019-2022 Facilities Collective Agreement.