For a paid leave of absence, all benefits and pension you are currently eligible for will continue. This includes extended health care, dental, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, optional life insurance, optional accidental death and dismemberment, disability insurance and the pension plan.

For an unpaid leave of absence, you may maintain the benefits and pension you are currently eligible for if you pay both the employer and employee costs. Should you choose to waive your benefits and not pay to maintain them, no expenses incurred will be reimbursed and some coverage may be terminated, with a requirement for you to reapply upon return to work (ie. optional life insurance).

• Academic Money Purchase Pension plan members and Research Pension Plan members can maintain their pension contributions so long as they pay both the employer and employee portions.
• CAAT DBplus Pension Plan members have the opportunity to purchase all or a portion of an unpaid leave of absence once you return to work. For information about this process, please contact CAAT at 1-866-350-2228 or member@caatpension.ca.

• Premium Costs

Waiving Benefits

Before you go on your leave of absence, you are required to apply for a leave. On this form, you select which benefits you wish to maintain (costs will be calculated for you based on the dates of your leave).

You may change your benefit selection at any point in time prior to your leave. Once your unpaid leave begins, the decision you make is final and cannot change, including if you extend your leave or take a subsequent leave without returning to work first. You are required to pay for all benefits you opt to maintain for the entirety of your leave.

Any benefits you do not wish to maintain will be waived the day your unpaid leave begins. If payments are not received for the benefits you select to maintain, these benefits will also be waived.

If you maintain the health coverage during your leave, your flexible spending program will continue, but you will not receive any new allocations until you return to work.

Returning to work

You will not have to re-serve any waiting periods previously served in full.

All benefits will be reinstated the day you return to work, with the exception of optional life insurance and optional accidental death and dismemberment. This coverage will be terminated if not maintained while on an unpaid leave. If you would like to resume this coverage, you will be required to re-apply and may need to provide medical evidence of insurability to Sun Life.

Implications of waiving benefits

Before applying for a leave it is important you learn the implications of waiving benefits and other details about benefits while on a leave.

** In the event of death within 31 days of commencing an unpaid leave, members with basic life and optional life insurance will be covered by the plan.

During an unpaid leave of absence, benefit coverage may only be maintained for three consecutive years upon which it will be terminated until you return to work. You will not be required to re-serve any waiting periods previously served in full.

Please note that if you do not maintain benefits during your leave, and you terminate your employment during or at the end of your leave (before returning to work first), benefit conversion options will not available for any benefit not maintained.

If you are a Faculty member in-scope of USFA and have been approved for a sabbatical leave all benefits you are enrolled in continue for the duration of your leave. 

Traveling outside of Canada on sabbatical

If you are traveling outside of the country, there are some additional steps to take before you leave and important information to know regarding travel benefits, health care, and reimbursements. For detailed information.

• Benefits While on Sabbatical Leave
• Before Travelling and Emergency Situations

Information for applying for employment insurance and supplemental benefits while on maternity/parental/adoption leave is available.

• Maternity, adoption and parental leave

Learn more about leaves available if you are sick or injured.

• Sick or injured

The Deferred Salary Leave Plan (DSLP) provides employees with an opportunity to self-finance a Leave of Absence by authorizing the employer to set aside, over a limited period, a portion of the employees’ salary prior to the leave of absence. The salary held by the employer is not subject to income tax until it is paid to the employee during the Leave of Absence.

The DSLP is voluntary and subject to University approval and the conditions set forth in the Deferred Salary Leave Plan.

An employee may enroll in the plan for an educational program, travel or other personal endeavors.

Members of the following groups are eligible:

• ASPA
• CUPE 1975
• Exempt
• Senior Administration

• Deferred Salary Leave Plan Details

A partial leave voluntarily reduce the full time equivalent (FTE) of an employee (typically from 1.0 to less than 1.0) through a reduction in working hours in the course of a given period. Partial leaves are granted for a variety of reasons including:

• education
• family needs
• retirement transition
• personal need
• personal preference

There are many ways that partial leaves can be structured, including:

• shortened work weeks (taking Fridays or Mondays off)
• working fewer hours daily (for example, arriving to work after dropping children off at school, or leaving early to pick them up)
• reducing time during an operationally slow period (for example, taking Fridays off during the summer)

Other Considerations

• Employees do not receive any additional time off ‘in lieu’ if their leave falls on a statutory holiday or other University closure.
• Partial leaves are reviewed after a 12 month assessment period. After this time, both employees and people leaders can review the arrangement and decide if a permanent reduction in FTE is a good fit for both parties.

An application for a leave of absence must be approved by your supervisor or department head. Some leaves will be granted automatically as per the university’s policies and provincial employment standards, and others may be granted if the request is reasonable, the leave is not unduly disruptive to the operations of the unit and it is possible to fill your responsibilities on a temporary basis.

Refer to the Saskatchewan Employment Act for additional unpaid leaves of absence provided for under the provincial employment standards. Leaves are not normally granted for you to pursue alternate employment, although special circumstances may receive consideration.

How to apply

• Apply for a leave