To our Pension and LTD recipients

We will be mailing the 2020 T4A forms this month. If you have moved recently, please ensure that we have your correct mailing address so that there is no delay in getting your form to you.

Plan Office closed to members

Plan Office closed to members: all services available via mail, phone or online. 

In these extraordinary times, the safety of Plan Office staff and the protection of members and their plans are of utmost concern. Following the BC Ministry of Health’s recommended precautions, our Burnaby office is currently limited to essential services only. We are doing our best to minimize service disruptions, and we will continue to update this space should any of the following change in this rapidly evolving environment.  

Burnaby Office

• We are no longer accepting member drop-ins or appointments at our Burnaby office.
• Couriers are asked to leave packages at the front door.

Members receiving payment from the pension or LTD plan

• Direct deposit payments will continue as usual.
• Cheques will be mailed for the time being, but members are strongly encouraged to sign-up for direct deposit to ensure continued payment in the event of a complete office shutdown. To sign-up for direct deposit, complete and fax or email a form to the Plan Office. Download the pension direct deposit form or the LTD direct deposit form. 
•  All personal information must be emailed securely. If you are not sure how to do this, please contact us first before sending in any forms or other personal information. 

Members undergoing rehabilitation

• Rehabilitation counselors are currently only available via phone and email. In person visits are postponed until further notice.

Communication with the Plan Office

• For faster service, we recommend faxing (604.433.0518) or emailing pension@iwafibp.ca or ltdrehab@iwafipb.ca for pension and ltd/rehab related inquiries. Be careful when emailing us: all personal information must be emailed securely. If you are not sure how to do this, please contact us first before sending in any forms or other personal information. 
• Limited staff will be in the office to receive mail if you cannot email or fax us, but this will result in processing delays.

Processing delays

• For the safety of Plan Office staff, we have reduced the number of personnel in the office. This will affect the time it takes to process applications, including new pension applications, break in service applications, rehabilitation applications. Please allow for more processing time than usual.
• All applications and concerns will be addressed in a first-come-first-serve sequence.

Employers

• Continue to submit contributions via EmployerConnect.
• Use EmployerConnect to securely message the Plan Office, or email contributions@iwafibp.ca.

Plan funding

• At a time like this, you might be wondering about the health and funding status of the pension and LTD plans. We would like to reassure members that we are well equipped to protect members’ benefits for the future. Market performance in any one year is always unpredictable and can be volatile, and while the plans are not immune to market fluctuations, the plans' long-term horizons means we are able to weather short-term volatility.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all navigate this difficult time together. Stay safe.

Holiday Office Hours

Seasons Greetings from the staff at the IWA–Forest Industry Pension and Long Term Disability Plans. Please note that our office will be closed on December 24, 2020 and will re-open January 4, 2020.

Improvements to LTD benefits effective January 1, 2021

Effective January 1, 2021, the gross monthly long-term disability (LTD) payment for members on claim will increase by $200 (before tax). For most members, this means that their gross payment will increase from $2,300 to $2,500 per month. 

Also effective January 1, 2021, the extended health coverage is improved for psychologist and clinical counsellor services combined to a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year for members in receipt of LTD benefits and their eligible dependents.

Members on claim will have the LTD payment increase applied automatically, starting with their January cheque or bank deposit. Members with offsets like WCB awards, CPP Disability, or third-party settlements may not receive any payment if their total offsets exceed their gross payment.

For more information, contact ltdrehab@iwafibp.ca.

Videos: all about your pension plan

Watch these short explainer videos to learn more about how your pension plan works, including everything from earning service in the plan to your retirement options and beneficiary coverage: iwafibp.ca/pension-plan-videos 

Fall/Winter newsletter now available

The next issue of the AFTER WORK newsletter is now available for download. Copies will also be mailed to all members and employers over the next couple of weeks. 

Videos: Understanding your Long Term Disability Plan and Rehabilitation Services and what to do if you become disabled

Watch these short explainer videos to understand what it means to be a member of the IWA—Forest Industry Long Term Disability Plan, to guide you through your disability and to understand your Rehabilitation Services.

LTD Annual Report 2019

We are pleased to present the LTD plan annual report for the year ending December 31, 2019.

Pension Plan Annual Report 2019

We are pleased to present the pension plan annual report for the year ending December 31, 2019.

Video: your pension plan explained

Watch this short explainer video to learn what it means to be an IWA—Forest Industry Pension Plan member, as well as who the Plan Office is.