COVID-19 – Canada Life
Please see Canada Life’s website for their latest information on the impact of COVID-19 where you will also find useful information on:
- Their business continuity plans.
- The additional services available with your policy, usually free of charge, that may help at this time.
- Premium options, such as monthly payment or premium deferral.
For answers to some of your FAQs, see below.
Will cover still be in place for employees while working from home, in isolation or in quarantine?
Cover will continue for employees.
Will cover be based on earnings prior to any reduced pay, reduced hours, no pay, unpaid leave or employees on ‘furlough’?
Furloughed employees, those temporarily working reduced hours or those temporarily on a reduced salary will continue to be covered for their full benefit entitlement, providing their contract of employment is maintained and premiums are paid on this basis. It’s important that the data provided to us during this time reflects the full salary for each individual, and not the reduced amount that might be paid.
For furloughed employees, benefits will be calculated from the date of last attendance. For employees temporarily working reduced hours, benefits will be calculated from the date they last worked their full contracted number of hours. For employees temporarily on a reduced salary, benefits will be calculated from the date that the temporary change to salary was made.
This stance will be reviewed on 31st July or if there is a change in Government support prior to this date.
Some employers are mentioning redundancy cover – is this something you would consider introducing as an alteration to terms at the moment? If so, on what basis?
This will be considered on a case by case basis, but given the Government support currently in place, this is not something that we are seeing many requests for at this time.
Group Life – does a catastrophe risk apply?
We define a catastrophic event as:
“One originating cause, event or occurrence or a series of related originating causes, events or occurrences, resulting in the deaths of four or more members, irrespective of when or where the members die”.
Coronavirus can be considered one originating cause. Our catastrophic event limits only apply to our Group Life Insurance policies. They don’t apply to our Group Income Protection and Group Critical Illness policies.
