Member Eligibility

To qualify for coverage you, and your eligible dependents, must be insured under a provincial health plan. You must also maintain your membership in good standing with your Teamsters Local. The Trust Fund’s administrator keeps an account for you of the hourly contributions made by your employer on your behalf. This account is called a Dollar Bank Account. The balance in this account determines your eligibility for benefits. Each month a deduction is taken from your Dollar Bank account to “pay” for your benefits. From time to time the Trustees will alter the amount of the monthly deductions when required to prudently manage the Benefit Trust Fund.

You become eligible for coverage under the Trust Fund when you have accumulated two monthly deductions in your Dollar Bank. Your coverage is effective on the first day of the second month following that accumulation. Your coverage continues for each month your Dollar Bank contains the required monthly deduction. The maximum Dollar Bank balance is 24 monthly deductions.

If you are absent from work because of disability due to illness or injury on the date your coverage, or any increase in your coverage, would otherwise become effective, such coverage will not become effective until the date you return to active full-time work for 1 full day.

Change of Your Status

It is your responsibility to notify the administrator of any change of your status (married, separated, divorced, new dependents, etc.) to ensure that proper coverage is maintained.

Dependent Eligibility

Your dependents becomes eligible for coverage when you become eligible or, if acquired later, upon becoming your dependent. To qualify for coverage your eligible dependents must be insured under a provincial health plan. Newborn children are eligible for Dependent Life Insurance and Hospital Cash Benefits from 15 days of age and for all other coverage from birth, provided you advise the administrator within 31 days of the birth.

You must be a covered member of the Trust Fund and eligible for benefits in order for your dependents to be covered.

Coverage or any increase in coverage, for your dependent who is confined for medical treatment in any institution or at home on such date such coverage would otherwise become effective, will not become effective until given a final release by the physician from all such confinement. This shall not postpone the effective date for a child born while the member’s dependents are insured under the Trust Fund.

Dependent means a spouse or unmarried child (over 14 days of age with respect to Dependent Life Insurance and Hospital Cash Benefits only) who is under 21 years (under 25 years, if regularly attending school and solely dependent upon the member for support).

Spouse means a husband or wife by virtue of a valid religious or civil marriage ceremony; except that, a person living with the member in a common-law relationship for a minimum period of twelve consecutive months will be deemed to be the member's spouse, if such person is publicly represented as the member's spouse. If the member has been married to more than one person, the term spouse shall mean only the person to who the member was most recently married, using the above criteria.

The term Spouse shall not include a person divorced or separated from the member, whether or not separation is pursuant to a court order or legal separation agreement.

Child means:

• Your unmarried children (over 14 days of age with respect to Dependent Life Insurance and Hospital Cash Benefits only) and under 21 years of age provided they are not employed on a regular full-time basis.
• Your unmarried children under 25 years of age provided they are not employed on a regular full-time basis and they are in full-time attendance at a university or similar institution. Annual proof of student registration is required after the child attains age 21.
• Your legally adopted children, stepchildren, or children of your common-law spouse, provided your spouse or common-law spouse lives with you and has custody of the child, and provided they meet the requirements set out above.
• Children outlined above must be solely dependent upon the member for support.