High Risk Travel Compensation Program

Policy

The purpose of the High Risk Travel Compensation Program (HRCTP) is to provide the survivors of Public Service employees on official travel status with compensation for private life insurance benefits not paid because death occurred as a result of war or other hostile activities. The Program operates to minimize the impact of such exclusions by providing compensation up to a maximum of $400,000. Compensation is payable only in respect of a death that occurred as a result of an incident arising out of and in the course of employment.

Departments are responsible for ensuring that travel in high-risk areas is authorized only when absolutely necessary because of operational needs. HRCTP provisions will only apply in these circumstances.

This policy will allay individual concerns that private life insurance policies may exclude the payment of benefits in cases where the insured person's death results from an action in a high-risk area such as a war zone or a known area of hostilities.

Effective Date

The effective date of this program is .

Eligibility

This program applies to employees of departments and agencies as specified from time to time in Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Public Service Staff Relations Act who are on official travel status in high-risk areas as defined by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

Compensation

This compensation program applies where a Public Service employee dies while on official travel status in an area defined as high-risk by DFAIT.

Compensation will be paid under this program only where an employee, at the time of death, has life insurance that has been excluded from payment because the death of the insured occurred in a war zone or known area of hostilities. The compensation payable cannot exceed the amount of the life insurance so excluded.

The amount of compensation that will be paid under this program is the lesser of

  • The amount of the life insurance payment excluded and
  • $400,000 minus the life insurance benefits actually payable.

If the total amount of life insurance payable to an employee's survivors exceeds $400,000, no additional compensation will be paid under this program.

Program Parameters

Item 1: For purposes of this program, life insurance includes both coverage acquired through the purchase of an individual life insurance policy with an insurance provider and through membership in a group insurance plan such as the Public Service Management Insurance Plan or the Public Service Alliance of Canada Group Life Insurance Plan. It does not include Accidental Death or double indemnity benefits under private or group insurance policies.

Item 2: This program does not provide compensation for any individual or group Accidental Death benefits not paid because of war zone or other exclusions.

Item 3: Compensation will be paid under this program only where benefits are payable pursuant to the Government Employees Compensation Act (GECA) in respect of a death that occurred as a result of an incident arising out of and in the course of employment.

Item 4: Benefits will be paid upon receipt of all the information and documentation required, as determined by the Treasury Board Secretariat, to establish proof of loss. Compensation will be paid to the employee's named beneficiary or estate, as provided for in the original insurance policy. If an employee has a number of excluded life insurance policies which in total exceed the amount of compensation payable under this program, the compensation payable will be prorated between the designated beneficiaries of those policies.

Administration

Participating departments and agencies are responsible for the administration of this program under the direction of the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Authority

Authority for the program is Section 7.1 of the Financial Administration Act.

Costs

The cost of compensation will be paid from Treasury Board Secretariat Vote 20 – Public Service Insurance.

Duration of Program

This program will remain in effect until further notice.

Contacts

For additional information on this policy please contact Marilyn Boake at 613-946-9347.

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