Employee Assistance program, Life Insurance coverage and Travel Medical insurance: Three overlooked Employee benefits you probably have but may not fully understand
June 14, 2017
Some people know exactly what coverage they have on their employee benefits plan – but others…. not so much!
The importance of the travel medical insurance
Some people don’t realize they have out-of-province and out-of-country travel insurance as part of their employee benefits plan. Often this coverage is unlimited, and usually protects you for 60 days. An often overlooked benefit of the out-of-country travel is their Medical Assistance Program. If a plan member (or insured family member) has a medical emergency while out of the country, there is a toll-free number available. This number should be called as soon as reasonably possible, and for sure within 24 hours of the emergency. Numerous services are available, such as messaging relatives at home, coordinating the medical care, or even arranging a special charter flight home as soon as you are medically able to travel. These services are free-of-charge and are part of your coverage.
Employee Assistance Program, an Employee benefit for you and your family
Does your employee benefits plan have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Amazing services are available to employees and family members…. from legal advice, nutritional counselling, learning how to better manage your finances and budget – to confidential face-to-face counselling sessions at no cost to you or your employer! This is an awesome, and little-understood benefit of an EAP.
Is your life insurance covering just you or your family?
Benefit plans virtually always include Life Insurance coverage for employees, and this is well-understood. However, many plans also include some coverage for the spouse and children of the employee. We have seen legitimate Life Insurance benefits go unclaimed because the employee did not realize that coverage was in place – and only by accident were we able to determine there was a claim to be made and were then able to help file for the insurance payout.
Our office is always happy to conduct meetings at your convenience to help your employees better understand their coverage. Knowing the total value of the wide range of services available to them will instill greater appreciation for their compensation package and their workplace.
Ask us how we can help you foster greater employee appreciation.
These articles are not intended to dispense legal advice and should not be taken as such. You are advised to obtain legal counsel if required to address areas of concern this article may have raised. The goal of these articles has been to draw your attention to an aspect of your business which may currently be neglected.
