The Disability Board of Management is responsible for the overall administrative and financial management of the Disability Insurance Plan, including the review of the contract of insurance, review of any financial or service agreement, the financial status of the Plan, the services of the Insurer, the administrative fees and charges, the adequacy of reserves, the premium levels, the disposition of disputed claims, and other matters referred to it by the National Joint Council on the overall operation of the Plan, and for making appropriate recommendations to the National Joint Council.
Committee Advisor: Laura Mackenzie
Quarterly Report to the National Joint Council (June, July and August 2026)
Regular Activities
- The Board of Management has met two (2) times since the last Council meeting and considered six (6) appeals over the reporting period.
- The Board wishes to note the departure of an Employer Side member, Stephanie Austin, from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and to thank them for their contributions to the Board.
- In the six (6) appeal cases reviewed, Sun Life (SL) declined to provide disability benefits as it was of the view that the medical information on file does not support a finding of continuous total disability that would prevent the claimant from performing the essential duties of their regular occupation for four (4) appeals, and that the medical information on file demonstrated that the claimant had a pre-existing condition for two (2) appeals. The Board agreed with SL’s decision to decline to provide disability benefits for three (3) appeals, disagreed with SL’s decision for two (2) appeals, and deferred one (1) recommendation pending additional medical expertise to be provided by a medical consultant.
- The Board received a presentation from SL on the 2025 Financial Results and 2026 Year-To-Date results of the 12500 DI Plan. Regarding claims statistics, there were 5,560 notified claims in 2025, an increase of 9.3% (compared with 10% in 2024). A notified claim means that SL has officially received the initial intent to claim or initial paperwork, but a final decision (approval or denial) has not yet been made.
- The Board continues to receive monthly financial updates from SL.
- Due to contracting difficulties, the Board continued to be without a medical consultant. Nevertheless, it continued its work so as to minimize the impact on the caseload. The Board determined that they had exhausted the cases that did not require a medical consultant, and would review cases at their September meeting, once a medical consultant was secured.
Outstanding Items:
- Forty-five (45) appeals; thirty-one (31) have been received by the NJC Secretariat from SL and are scheduled for review, and fourteen (14) remain under review with SL.
Next Meeting: November 10, 2026