Service

Two types of service are used to determine your HEPP pension entitlement:

EMPLOYMENT SERVICE refers to the uninterrupted period of employment from your first date of hire by one or more Participating Employers.

Employment service is used to determine your pension eligibility and includes eligible periods of paid and unpaid leaves of absence (LOAs), sick LOAs when in receipt of benefits from a specified long-term disability plan, and service transferred in from another registered pension plan. The missed period of pensionable service taken during unpaid LOA/layoffs cannot exceed 54 weeks in duration (or 52 weeks prior to May 31, 2010). 

Employment service is considered when determining your eligibility for pension benefits.

If you are a casual employee, employment service begins on the first day of paid employment.

CREDITED SERVICE is the total of the years and/or partial years you contributed to or purchased service in the Plan.

Credited service also includes service accrued while in receipt of disability benefits from a specified long-term disability plan. In any given year, the maximum total credited service you can earn is one year.

The more credited service you accumulate, the higher your pension benefit will be.