ARCHIVED Work Procedures for compensation advisors

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Plan Enrolment and Orientation Work Procedures for Compensation Advisors and the Public Service Pension Centre (PSPC)

Overview

The objective of this document is to explain the new Plan Enrolment and Orientation process and to identify the important activities that compensation advisors will provide to support this new process, as of February 1, 2010.

Additionally, a Roles and Responsibilities table and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet have been developed for the Plan Enrolment and Orientation services. These documents should be referenced in conjunction with the Plan Enrolment and Orientation Work Procedures for compensation advisors.

The Plan Enrolment service includes the collection of new public service pension plan members' contact information, validation of eligibility, notification of plan membership, and assistance to new plan members with the completion and sending of documentation.

The Orientation service includes the provision of general information about the public service pension plan to employees of the public service, the provision of individualized information specific to a new plan member's account, and assistance with the use of self-serve tools.

| Note: The processes surrounding the change to an employee's plan membership status from contributory to non-contributory are not included in the centralization of these services. Examples of these situations include: a change in an assigned work week to less than 12 hours, or a change in employment status that would affect an employee's eligibility to the public service pension plan, such as someone employed on an "as required basis". It also does not include the process for reaching 35 years pensionable service. Client organizations continued this work until enhancements to the new pension solution were made in April 2011 allowing the PSPC to manage these events.

Acronyms

• PRI: Personal Record Identifier
• PWGSC: Public Works and Government Services Canada
• RPS: Regional Pay System
• SDB: Supplementary Death Benefit
• URL: Uniform Resource Locator

Terminology

Client organizations: Employers that participate in the public service pension plan. This can include departments, Crown corporations, agencies and territorial governments.

Compensation advisors: Individuals who provide compensation services to the public service pension plan members within all client organizations, unless otherwise specified .

Plan members: Employees who are eligible to be a member of the public service pension plan.

Orientation Information Kit: Compilation of reference information and resources intended to be an introduction to the public service pension plan for new members and an important part of the Plan Enrolment Package.

| Plan Enrolment Package: The first communication from the PSPC sent directly to new members of the public service pension plan, starting the process of building a relationship with plan members. The package contains:  a cover letter,

• a "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC  2018-PF) form,
• an "Enrolment Information and Acknowledgement of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 571 ) form,
• an Orientation Information kit, and
• a pre-addressed postage-paid envelope.

"Your Public Service Pension and Benefits" Web portal: a Web site designed to provide information on the public service pension plan and other benefits available to employees of the public service of Canada.

| The Pension Centre Contact Us information site includes mailing and email addresses and phone numbers to be used by plan members to contact the PSPC. This information can be found by selecting the "The Pension Centre Contact Us" button on the "Your Public Service Pension and Benefits" Web portal.:

Plan Enrolment and Orientation Forms

| Plan Member Contact Information (PWGSC-TPSGC 577): a new form to be completed by the compensation advisor in conjunction with the new plan member enabling the PSPC to mail the Plan Enrolment Package directly to the plan member and for ongoing contact purposes. The form includes fields for the plan member's address, phone numbers and email addresses.

| Notification of Plan Membership (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) : an existing form used to communicate the effective date of becoming a plan member, formerly known as a "Notification of Contributory Status".

| Enrolment Information and Acknowledgement of Plan Membership (PWGSC-TPSGC 571 ): a new form to be completed by new members of the public service pension plan that acknowledges receipt of the Plan Enrolment Package, including the Notification of Plan Membership and the Orientation Information Kit. Moreover, the plan members can identify their prior service and the name of their eligible dependants. The form is returned to the PSPC using a pre-addressed postage-paid envelope.

Transitional Implementation Guidelines

Individuals whose "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF)" is dated (generated) prior to February 1, 2010 are not part of the new centralized Plan Enrolment and Orientation process. The existing process for plan members to acknowledge the Notification of Plan Membership using the "Superannuation Documentation Transmittal Slip" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2241) will continue to be used by client organizations for any notice issued prior to February 1, 2010 .

| Effective February 1, 2010, client organizations will no longer be supplied with Control Notice 0919 advising that an acknowledgement has not been received by the PSPC. A list of the outstanding acknowledgements, for which client organizations are still responsible to obtain from the plan member, will be supplied as a tool to use in conjunction with their own monitoring process to ensure the PSPC receives all acknowledgements prior to or as soon as possible after the new centralized services implement.

Plan Member Contact Information

• Compensation Advisors

| Under the new centralized model of the Plan Enrolment and Orientation services, it is the responsibility of the compensation advisor to provide the new plan members' contact information to the PSPC. To enable the PSPC to mail the Plan Enrolment Package directly to plan members, the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) form must be completed and forwarded by fax within three business days of the date public service pension plan contribution deductions are started. It is important for client organizations to understand that a delay in the provision of this information to the PSPC will impact the plan member.

Compensation advisors should NOT fax the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) until the transaction to commence the pension plan contribution deduction is in history in the RPS. Forms sent prior to this may not be recognized where RPS data, specifically the PRI, has not updated the pension system. These situations would require manual intervention and ultimately delay the mailing of Plan Enrolment Packages to plan members.

| When an employee is hired for a period of six months or less, it is recommended that client organizations put in place a procedure, should the period of employment be extended, that ensures the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) form is completed and faxed to the PSPCwhen the employee satisfies the six month qualifying period to become a member of the public service pension plan.

| Client organizations that do not have access to the Central Index System (CIS) to create a PRI will contact the PSPC, using the toll free telephone number provided to plan members, to obtain one in order to complete the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) form prior to forwarding it to the PSPC.

• | PSPC

| The PSPCuses plan member contact information to send Plan Enrolment Packages to new members. Where a plan member's contact information is not received prior to the issue of a "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) , the PSPCwill make every effort to contact the client organization to obtain the contact information. The PSPC will escalate the request to the compensation manager when contact cannot be made with the compensation advisor, or when contact has been established but the plan member's coordinates are not received within two business days following contact.

| The PSPCwill assign a PRI to plan members from client organizations that do not have access to the CIS when contacted by that client organization.

Commencing public service pension plan contribution deductions

• Compensation Advisors

Under the new centralized model of the Plan Enrolment and Orientation services, compensation advisors continue to be responsible for initiating public service pension plan contribution deductions for individuals who become members of the plan, including SDB plan contribution deductions, if applicable (a pay function). Compensation advisors will answer questions from employees on their payroll deductions, and continue to apply the rules of eligibility provided in the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA) to establish eligibility, and enter the appropriate codes in the pay system.

| If an employee identifies that he previously worked for an organization that is a member of the public service pension plan or that they are currently on leave without pay (LWOP) from such an organization, compensation advisors may choose to seek guidance from the PSPC, using the toll free telephone number provided to plan members, to establish eligibility and to enter the appropriate codes in the pay system.

| Client organizations will be provided with a copy of a "Notice of Plan Membership-Employer Advice" indicating that an employee has become a member of the public service pension plan.

| When the PSPCreceives an input reject on the pension system, a pension expert will contact the compensation advisor. Additional information may be required by the PSPC in order to determine the correct date of eligibility to the public service pension plan. Upon confirmation of the correct date of eligibility from the PSPC, the compensation advisor will amend the pay system to reflect the correct information.

| Note: Generation of an invalid "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) can result when incorrect data in the RPS is fed to the pension system.

• | PSPC

| The PSPCwill investigate pension system rejects with the assistance of the compensation advisor in order to determine eligibility for membership in the public service pension plan. The PSPC will be responsible to advise compensation advisors to amend the pay system to reflect the correct information required to generate a new or revised "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) from the pension system.

Provision of public service pension plan information to new public service employees

• Compensation Advisors

| Requests from employees for general information about the public service pension plan should be directed to the PSPC by providing them with the PSPC "Contact Us" information. The PSPC Contact Us information provides the employee with the "Your Public Service Pension and Benefits" Web portal address, the global email address, the toll free telephone number, the facsimile number and the mailing address.

For employees with access to the Internet, the URL address can be provided directly to the employee. This is particularly convenient via email.

For employees who do not have access to the Internet, a copy of the PSPC "Contact Us" information should be printed and given to them by the compensation advisor.

• | PSPC

| The PSPC will provide general information to public service employees about the public service pension plan, as well as specific information on pension and survivor benefit entitlements, service buyback, pension transfer agreement (PTA), Pension Benefits Division (PBD), spousal/dependant benefits and the Plan Enrolment Process to new plan members.

Service Standards

• Compensation Advisors

Complete and fax the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) form within three business days of the date the compensation advisor commences the pension plan deduction and the transaction updates in history in the Pay System. If fax is not available, it may be mailed to the address indicated on the form.

| Note: Mailing the form will not ensure the PSPC receives it within the established timeframe. This could result in the PSPC contacting the client organization for the plan member's contact information when they are not in receipt of the form by the date the "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) is generated. Fax transmission is the preferred method, and mail should only be used in extenuating circumstances.

• | PSPC

Respond to questions and resolve issues immediately.

| Capture plan member contact information immediately upon receipt of the "Plan Member Contact Information" (PWGSC-TPSGC 577) form in the PSPC.

| Distribute Plan Enrolment Packages on later of: the "Notification of Plan Membership" (PWGSC-TPSGC 2018-PF) generation date or receipt of contact information from the client organization.

Employees hired at age 71 or older

• Compensation Advisors

| New employees hired at age 71 or older that meet the condition requirements to become a member of the public service pension plan, but cannot contribute because of their age, will be advised by the PSPC of their participation in the plan and acknowledge plan membership. Client organizations subject to Part II of the PSSA must remember that, although public service pension plan contribution deductions are not commenced, they remain responsible to commence contribution deductions for the SDB plan.