Your Public Service Pension and Benefits - Active Member - Getting Married or Reaching Common-law Status


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Home > Active Member - Life Events > Getting Married or Reaching Common-law Status
Active Member - Getting Married or Reaching Common-law Status
Printable Version Now that you are married or have reached common-law status, your new partner may be eligible for coverage under your plans. The following information is intended to outline the plans under which your spouse may be covered.
You may want to know...
	Is your new spouse or common-law partner covered under your insurance benefits plans? What types of protection does your pension plan offer for your spouse or common-law partner? Who is able to claim survivor benefits? Who is able to claim survivor benefits if you have both a legal spouse and a common-law partner? Is there a minimum benefit guaranteed under the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)? How does your marriage or common-law status affect the Supplementary Death Benefit (SDB) Plan?
Is your new spouse or common-law partner covered under your insurance benefits plans? Yes. Your new spouse or common-law partner may be covered under your various insurance benefit plans. For a summary of the types of coverage that are available, the time limits for enrolling new dependants and any steps that you must follow, refer to the following:
	The Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) provides optional health care coverage for members and their eligible dependants. You may apply for coverage for the person to whom you are legally married, for the person with whom you have lived for a continuous period of at least one year, or for whom you have publicly represented as your spouse and with whom you continue to live as if that person were your spouse.
	The Public Service Dental Care Plan (DCP) provides members and their eligible spouse or common-law partner with coverage for specific dental services and supplies that are not covered under a provincial health and dental care plan.
	The Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP) provides members with group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, dependants' insurance and long-term disability insurance. Members are generally those who are employed in managerial or confidential positions. As a plan member, you can apply for Dependants' Insurance (life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage) for the person to whom you are legally married or for the person with whom you have lived for a continuous period of at least one year and with whom you continue to live in a conjugal relationship. To designate a beneficiary under the PSMIP, you must complete and submit the Public Service Management Insurance Plan form (PDF 70KB).

What types of protection does your pension plan offer for your spouse or common-law partner? Your pension plan offers several types of protection for your surviving spouse. For instance, your spouse or common-law partner may be entitled to an immediate allowance in the event of your death, whether you are employed or retired at the time. The survivor benefit is usually equal to half of your basic pension.
Who is able to claim survivor benefits? A survivor allowance is payable to a spouse or common-law partner with whom you have lived in a relationship of a conjugal nature for at least one year, as long as that relationship began prior to your retirement from the Public Service.
Who is able to claim survivor benefits if you have both a legal spouse and a common-law partner? At the time of death, if you have both a legal spouse and an eligible survivor with whom you have lived in a relationship of a conjugal nature, the survivor's benefit will be apportioned between them. Each survivor's share of the benefit will be based on the length of your cohabitation. Additional information may be found by consulting the Superannuation, Pension Transition and Client Services Sector.
Is there a minimum benefit guaranteed under the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)? Under the PSPP, there is a guarantee of a minimum of five times your annual unreduced pension paid to your designated beneficiary under the Supplementary Death Benefit (SDB) Plan. If you do not name a beneficiary under the SDB Plan, then the benefit will be paid to your estate. For more information, refer to minimum benefit.
How does your marriage or common-law status affect the SDB Plan? The SDB Plan provides a form of decreasing term life insurance protection, which is designed to cover members of the PSPP. Coverage begins when you become a member of the PSPP. If you wish to name your new spouse or common-law partner as a beneficiary, you must complete a Naming or Substitution of a Beneficiary form (PDF 654KB).