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HOOPP
Members Life Changes Health Leaves & Disability Benefits Free Accrual

Free accrual of pension benefits

Free accrual allows you to continue to build your HOOPP pension while you are on a health leave without the need to make contributions. If you are approved for free accrual, you accumulate contributory service at no cost to you or your employer.

Who is eligible for free accrual?

To be eligible for free accrual, you must be employed by a HOOPP employer. You must also

  • Apply for disability benefits from HOOPP
  • Have been on an employer-approved health leave for 15 weeks
  • Be assessed by HOOPP as being partially disabled, totally disabled, or totally and permanently disabled
  • Have contributed to the Plan before going on a health leave
  • Be under age 65
  • Have less than 35 years of contributory service

 

How can I apply for disability benefits?

HOOPP will provide you with a copy of our Disability Benefits booklet and the medical forms that you need to complete once you have reached 15 weeks of your health leave. Or you can contact Member Services or sign in to HOOPP Connect to download the appropriate forms and follow the instructions provided.

HOOPP will review your completed forms, along with any other additional medical evidence that demonstrates the nature of your physical illness or injury or mental illness. HOOPP will then contact you to let you know if you qualify for benefits and to outline any next steps that are required.


When can I apply for disability benefits?

Free accrual cannot begin until HOOPP has reviewed and approved your application.

We encourage you to complete and forward all necessary medical information to HOOPP within 60 days of receiving your disability application package. If HOOPP receives your information after the deadline, there may be gap in your contributory service between the end of the qualifying period and, if you qualify, the start of free accrual.

If you are approved for free accrual

HOOPP will contact you to let you know that you have been approved and for how long. The length of your approval period will depend on HOOPP’s provisions for free accrual limits, as well as periodic medical reviews.

Periodic medical reviews

Once you are receiving free accrual, HOOPP will ask you to submit updated medical information periodically to determine whether you continue to qualify for this benefit.

Periodic medical reviews are required for all three levels of disability. You are responsible for providing medical evidence to HOOPP by the review dates set by HOOPP. If you do not submit medical evidence or if HOOPP determines that you no longer qualify for disability benefits, your free accrual will end as of your medical review date. If HOOPP determines that you continue to qualify, you will receive a new approval letter containing your updated approval period.

If you are partially disabled:
Provided that you continue to be assessed by HOOPP to be partially disabled, you can continue to qualify for free accrual, until the earlier of when you

  • Return to work and resume making contributions, or
  • Reach four years from the date your health leave started, or
  • Reach 35 years of contributory service or reach age 65, or 
  • End your membership in HOOPP or, if you are age 55 or older, request your retirement options from HOOPP.

If you are totally disabled or totally and permanently disabled:
Provided that you continue to be assessed by HOOPP to be totally disabled or totally and permanently disabled, you can continue to qualify for free accrual until the earlier of when you

  • Return to work and resume making contributions, or
  • Reach 35 years of contributory service or reach age 65, or
  • End your membership in HOOPP or, if you are age 55 or older, request your retirement options from HOOPP.

If you are not approved for free accrual

If HOOPP has assessed that you do not meet any of the definitions of disability, you will not be approved for free accrual.

While you remain on an employer-approved health leave, both you and your employer may continue to make contributions to HOOPP for up to four years, subject to your employer’s approval. After four years on a health leave, you will remain a member of the Plan as long as you remain employed, but you will not build any additional benefits in the Plan.

You may use new medical evidence to apply for HOOPP disability benefits again at any time during the first four years of a health leave.

If your employment comes to an end

If your employment ends while you are receiving free accrual, you may choose to continue your membership in the Plan and receive free accrual until your next medical review date. At that time, you may need to submit updated medical evidence to apply for a continuation of free accrual, subject to limits and maximums. If HOOPP determines that you do not qualify for a continuation of free accrual, or if your employment has ended during a time when you are not receiving free accrual, you will have the option of ending your membership in the Plan.

Reapplication and appeal

If HOOPP denies your application for disability benefits, you may be able to reapply or appeal the decision.

Reapplication
If you are on an employer-approved health leave and still employed but not approved for free accrual, you are not eligible to appeal. However, you may use new medical evidence to apply again at any time during the four-year period that follows the start of your health leave.

Appeal
You can appeal HOOPP’s decision within 60 days from the date of your letter if:

  • You wanted to receive a disability pension but were not approved for one, or
  • Your application for disability benefits is denied after you have reached the end of the fourth year of your health leave or after your employment relationship has ended.

Simply contact HOOPP if you wish to do so. Appeals are carried out by an independent medical examiner (IME) whose costs are covered by HOOPP. However, you are responsible for paying for all transportation costs associated with attending the IME appointment. If you miss the medical appointment with the IME, you will be responsible for the cost of the missed appointment.

Rehabilitation programs

A rehabilitation program can help you return to work gradually using a modified work schedule. HOOPP defines a rehabilitation program as one that

  • Has the objective of enabling you to return to work
  • Has specific, measurable goals that are time dependent
  • Is usually weeks or months in duration, not years

If you return to work at your employer on an employer-approved rehabilitation program while you are receiving free accrual, your free accrual can continue until one of the following occurs:

  • You reach your next medical review date, or
  • You resume your full pre-leave duties or begin a new permanently accommodated role, or
  • You no longer qualify for free accrual

While you are on an employer-approved rehabilitation program, you must continue to provide HOOPP with medical evidence to support your claim for free accrual, as requested by HOOPP. If you are unable to provide this information, your free accrual benefit may be discontinued.

This document provides a simplified overview of HOOPP's benefits based on the terms of the HOOPP Plan Text at the time of publication. From time to time, HOOPP may amend the HOOPP Plan Text. In cases where the information provided in this document differs from that contained in the HOOPP Plan Text, the HOOPP Plan Text will govern. More details, including the full HOOPP Plan Text and a complete description of the Plan and its benefits, can be found on hoopp.com.