Seniors Health Benefit

UBCP/ACTRA is pleased to announce a 2-year pilot program Seniors Health Benefit (SHB) for qualified members to receive up to $250 per year reimbursement for health spending. 

To Qualify:

  • Must be a UBCP/ACTRA (BC Branch) Full Member who has reached age 65 and has 10 (ten) years of cumulative (does not have to be consecutive) membership with UBCP/ACTRA (BC Branch) as a Full Member.   
  • Membership during all qualifying years must have been in Good Standing.  Any periods of being resigned, suspended or withdrawn within the year will not be counted towards the ten cumulative years. 

Dependents 

  • Qualifying members can claim allowable expenses for a spouse (per the provincial definition). A spouse is legally married or  living common-law (lived together in a marriage-like relationship for a minimum of 2 years) 
  • A spouse must have also reached the age of 65 to qualify. 

Covered expenses:

The funds are to be used for for the following health spending needs here as drawn from the Canada Revenue Agency list of allowable expenses.

To apply, complete this application form  and submit it with all receipts to tracy.petersen@ubcpactra.ca or mail it to UBCP/ACTRA 300 – 380 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver BC,  V5Y 1C8  – Attention: Tracy Peterson. 

Things to know:

  • Expenses for dependents other than a qualifying spouse can NOT be claimed.
  • There is no requirement for the qualifying member to have had earnings in any of the ten cumulative years.  
  • There is no maximum limit on how much the qualifying member earned in the ten cumulative years. 
  • The $250 from Year 1 of the pilot program can be carried over to Year 2 if not used by the Member in the first year. 
  • The $250 can be spent on any of the Items #1 to #110 on the UBCP/ACTRA list of allowable expenses.
  •  Dual Coverage – If you have coverage elsewhere (employer’s program, spouse’s program, another union), that plan will be applied first.  The UBCP/ACTRA Seniors Health Benefit (SHB) can support any balance. 
  • There is no requirement to prove financial need for the pilot program. 
  • The expenses must be incurred between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.