OSSTF District 10

Pregnancy, Parental, or Adoption Leave

• Workshop
• Should I Continue My Long Term Disability Coverage During My Leave of Absence - an article from OTIP
• OTPP - Pensionwise Information - "The Road to Buying Back Your Credit"
• Guide to Pregnancy & Parental Leaves for OSSTF
• Checklist
• Contact Information
• Lambton Kent District School Board Forms
• Method of Pay
• Calendar
• Applying for Employment Insurance Benefits
• Article 18

Requesting a Leave of Absence in District 10

Under Article 16 of the Collective Agreement between OSSTF District 10 and the Lambton Kent District School Board, all leave requests are to be made using the Request for a Leave of Absence Form. This form (this is a Sample form) is available in the main office of all LKDSB schools, on the LKDSB Portal system (www.lkdsb.net), and by diirectly contacting the Human Resources Department.

LKDSB contacts are:

• Sabrina Di Murro - contact for Occasional Teachers
• Julia Deery - Pregnancy/Parental Leaves for Contract Teachers

Some additional items to consider when requesting the leave are:

• your leave can start seventeen (17) weeks prior to the delivery date
• under the Emploument Standards Act, the first day of the leave must be on or before the expected due date
• you must give at least two weeks notice (most give more)
• if you want to change the first day of the leave, you must give at least two weeks notice prior to that new first day

The other element of completing the Request for Leave of Absence form is establishing your return to work date. Some items to consider include:

• under the Employment Standards Act, you must give four (4) weeks notice if you want to change your return to work date
• if you are a contract teacher, you should confirm with the Board two (2) weeks prior to your return
• please remember that you are able to apply to job postings while on your leave

Benefits

If you are currently a contract teacher, you will need to make a decision as to whether to maintain your OTIP Benefits or to suspend them. Please contact OTIP Benefits Services at 1-866-783-6847 for individualized information and to discuss your options. You will need your OTIP Plan Number and OTIP Identification Number - both can be found on your OTIP Benefits card.

You will also need to make the same decision regarding access to our contractual Employee and Family Assistance Plan. If mainting your access to this service (current estimated cost is $0.51/month), you should complete and submit an LKDSB Benefit Action Request form to the Board.

Important: you should add the baby's name to your benefits as soon as possible following birth or adoption as there is a specific window of time to do so. To make a change from single/family (or vice-cersa) this lifestyle change needs to be done within 31 days.

Long Term Disability (LTD)

A decision you will need to make is whether to opt out of LTD coverage for the duration of your leave or to maintain coverage. A very good article has been produced by OTIP called Should I Continue My Long Term Disability Coverage During My Leave of Absence.

Should you decide to maintain your LTD coverage:

• you will be responsible for 100% of the the cost
• 1.58% of your salary including RST tax (please see your pay stub for details)
• you will have protection if injured or have health problems while on leave
• you will need to make arrangments with the LKDSB to pay the monthly premiums (see the LTD payment form for details)

Should you decide to opt out of coverage for the duration of your leave:

• your decision to opt out must be approved by OSSTF District 10 (not the LKDSB)
• you will need to complete this form - Human Resources will forward this information to OSSTF
• please contact OSSTF Distict 10 to confirm your decision

Under WSIB/LTD, there needs to be agreement that you are not collecting income from a different source at the same time.

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

There are also decisions to be made and steps to be taken related to your pension.

• Contact Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (1-800-668-0105) or www.otpp.com-Member Sign-in
• all leave persiods are submitted by the Board directly to OTPP
• Log-in (or call) and check the My Buybacks tab after OTPP has received notification from the Board; information will be provided here when that has taken place
• be sure to reac The Road to Buying Back your Credit
• when you have reached a decision about what is best for you, make arrangements directly with OTPP for any payments to buyback your credit

Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB)

Supplemental Employment Beneftis are outlined in Article C8 (central part) as well as Article L18 (local part) of the collective agreement.

• in the waiting period (1st week) SEB entitles you to 100% pay
• you should consult with the Servive Canada website for infomration on your claim that can be printed and submitted
• Top-up - Remaining seven (7) weeks
• difference between EI and 100% salary
• Proof is your EI stub
• go to the Service Canada website and look under the My Current Claim and My Payments sections
• print copies and send to the LKDSB Human Resources Department

Employment Insurance Application (EI)

The application for EI can be completed on-line. Keep the following in mind:

• the application date is the date you start your leave
• You will need your SIN, current salary, bank transit number and account number
• it usually takes about four (4) weeks to process
• Federal tax is deducted

Ontario College of Teachers

Please make sure you contact the Ontario College of Teachers in January during your leave to arrange to pay your annual fees. The Board does not pay this on your behalf if you are on a leave in January.

Checklist

Before the Arrival

• Determine when to start your leave. You may start your leave up to 17 weeks prior to the due date; if baby arrives before your date then that will become your start date.
• See your doctor or midwife. Obtain documentation that states your due date.
• If adopting, see your adoption agency and get documentation on when your child will be released into your care.
• Complete the Leave of Absence form, attaching the supporting documentation, and submit to the board through your school administration.
• Complete and return the paperwork that you receive back from the board.
• Make arrangements with the board regarding your option to cancel or continue your LTDI coverage payments for the duration of your leave.
• Begin your application for EI Benefits. You can do this at www.servicecanada.gc.ca.
• Make a decision regarding the continuation of extended health, dental, and life insurance benefits and make arrangements with OTIP to continue or suspend benefits.
• Contact the OTPP (www.otpp.com – Member Sign-in) to determine if/how/when you can “buy back” your pension contributions for the duration of your leave.

After the Arrival

• Call the board HR Department to report your actual delivery date.
• Apply for EI Benefits within 4 weeks of the birth of your child.
• Add your child to your extended health and dental benefits at www.otip.com within 31 days of their arrival.
• Submit the receipt from your first EI payment to the board’s HR Department to receive your Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB). See Article L18.03 from the Collective Agreement for information on “top up”.
• Arrange with the College of Teachers to pay your annual fee during the time you are on leave (usually done in January).
• Make a decision about extending your leave beyond the statutory period and request the leave (if taken). Note: Extended Parental Leave (EPL) is unpaid and teaching experience does not accumulate during EPL. See Article L18.01.2 from the Collective Agreement for information on EPL.