HSPBA: Health and Welfare Benefits

BENEFITS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

HSA members are protected by health and welfare benefits negotiated and protected by your union.

The following documents are provided by the JHSBT. Please contact the human resources department at your worksite if you have questions about coverage.

Joint Health Science Benefits Trust

The Joint Health Science Benefits Trust (JHSBT) is an Employee Life & Health Trust (ELHT) that was established April 1, 2017 to provide employee benefits to members of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and their dependents. The JHSBT is governed by a Jointly-Trusteed Board (Trustees) with equal representation by unions and employers participating in the JHSBT.

The Trust receives negotiated funding from employers and some contributions from employees, which it holds in the Trust fund for the purpose of providing group health and insurance benefits to eligible employees, their eligible dependents and beneficiaries. This change removed the provision and structure of health and welfare benefits from the HSPBA collective agreement.

The only area of negotiation of health and welfare benefits through HSPBA collective agreement bargaining is related the level of funding to cover the health and welfare benefits provided by the Trust. (i.e., does more funding need to be negotiated to cover the cost of providing health and welfare benefits)

HSA members are represented on the board by trustees, who have a fiduciary responsibility to act for the benefit of JHSBT and its beneficiaries.  A Health Benefits Design Review Committee of Trustees is one of several committees that reports to the Board of Trustees, and provides guidance and advice to the board on ways in which to potentially improve or vary health and welfare coverage options for members.

To provide input and feedback on your benefits plan, contact the JHSBT trustees at @email.

Regular Employees

Casual employees

New: Mental Health Support Fund (April 2025)

A new Mental Health Support Fund will begin to help Health Science Professional Bargaining Association (HSPBA) members starting April 1, 2025. 

Your union has negotiated this funding with the BC government as part of our ongoing work to provide greater support for members, especially for those dealing with the impact of significant shortages and excessive workload. This one-time $11 million grant through BC’s Ministry of Health will fund up to $5000 worth of enhanced mental health and wellness support for HSPBA members like you.

The fund will be available to members as supplementary benefits as part of the Joint Health Science Benefits Trust (JHSBT), which provides health benefits to HSPBA members – essentially raising the limit on benefits to allow more time with psychologists, clinical counsellors, online cognitive behavioural therapy and social workers, and adding coverage for dietitians for the duration of the fund.

The fund is open to all HSPBA members who are regular full-time, regular part-time, and casual employees covered by benefits. It does not extend to spouses, dependents or other family members. 

BENEFITS ELIGIBLE FOR TOP UP 
  
The fund will top up your coverage by up to $5000 over the lifetime of the fund for the following supplemental benefits:  

  • Psychology benefit enhancement: Registered social workers will be added as an ongoing approved service provider under the existing $900 annual psychology benefit of the JHSBT plan effective June 1, 2025. For claims incurred between April 1, 2025 and May 31, 2025, please see the information below about that reimbursement process.
  • Psychology top up: Once a member reaches the $900 per calendar year combined maximum psychology benefit, they will have access to an additional $1,100 per calendar year combined maximum at 100% reimbursement, subject to Pacific Blue Cross’s reasonable and customary limits, for registered social workers, registered clinical counsellors, registered psychologists, and online cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) programs available through Pacific Blue Cross. The HSA supplementary top-up will be available effective April 1, 2025.
  • For claims made between April 1 and May 31, 2025 only: During the months of April and May 2025, the HSA supplementary psychology benefit will be available to members through an interim reimbursement arrangement with the Healthcare Benefit Trust.  For more information about claims made April 1, 2025 - May 31, 2025, please email HSPBA.SupportFund@hbt.ca.    
  • For claims made June 1, 2025 onward: Effective June 1, 2025, the HSA supplementary psychology coverage may be accessed by submitting receipts for reimbursement to Pacific Blue Cross as per the usual claims process. 
  • Registered Dietitian: $600 per calendar year at 100% reimbursement and no annual deductible, subject to Pacific Blue Cross’s reasonable and customary limits, effective April 1, 2025, and submitted to Pacific Blue Cross via the usual claims process.   

HOW TO APPLY 

You do not need to apply to access this funding. Simply claim your benefits mostly as usual, with the exception of benefits in April and May of this year.

Claims made for benefits during April and May 2025 will have to be submitted to the Healthcare Benefit Trust.  For more information about claims made April 1, 2025 - May 31, 2025, please email HSPBA.SupportFund@hbt.ca. 

Starting June 1, 2025, you can claim as usual through Pacific Blue Cross. The additional funding will allow you to claim more time the professionals listed above. 

HOW LONG WILL THE FUNDING BE AVAILABLE?

The $11 million in funding will be available to top up benefits starting April 1, and will remain available until individual members have incurred $5,000 in supplementary benefit claims, or all funding is depleted.  

When the funding is depleted, coverage levels will return to the current limits.

The registered dietitian benefit will only be available for the duration of the fund, after which that coverage will be discontinued.