Retiree Benefit Program

From 2009 through 2019, RBP members received a monthly subsidy covering 50 percent of their Medical Service Plan (MSP) premiums. This service concluded as of 2020 when the provincial government eliminated MSP premiums for BC residents.

The end of the MSP subsidy contributed to the NBA negotiating the creation of the Pension Review Committee (PRC) which is separate from the RBP. The PRC mandate was to review potential changes to the governance of nurses’ pensions that would allow for the Retiree Benefit Fund to be integrated into the existing pension plan to provide inflation protection and group benefits superior to what was available through the pension plan. The Pension Governance Review was delayed from March 2020 to September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the fall of 2022, the pension governance review process concluded with no recommended change to the existing pension arrangement for NBA members. 

On Nov. 8, 2022, considering that the RBP Fund would not be utilized within an existing pension plan for inflation protection or other benefits, the RBP committee passed a motion to commence an RBP plan design review project to consider funding and benefits issues and options for the future use of the fund.

In addition, following the conclusion of the pension governance review process and in consideration of the length of time needed to complete it, the RBP committee passed a motion to direct a one-time $500 payment to eligible retirees who retired on or before Dec. 31, 2022. Applications for this one-time payment were accepted until Nov. 30, 2023.

Members who retired on or after Jan. 1, 2023, are welcome to submit an RBP application form to be eligible for future benefits as determined by the RBP committee.

The RBP Committee engaged in a governance review to identify options to increase LPN representation on the committee. The review determined that one position on the RBP Committee would be allocated to a retired LPN member and the other to an active LPN member. The committee appointed two LPNs and will benefit from the perspective and input of LPN representation.

Marlene Goertzen, retired LPN member and retired regional council member from the Central Vancouver region serves on the committee with Danette Thomsen, North East regional council member, who serves as the committee’s active LPN member. Both serve alongside fellow committee representatives appointed by BCNU and one representative appointed by the Health Sciences Association.

Committee work includes monitoring RBP fund investments, determining member benefits, reviewing appeals and overseeing service providers contracted to administer the program. The committee meets a minimum of four times a year at BCNU’s head office in Burnaby.

To qualify for RBP benefits, nurses who are members of the NBA provincial collective agreement at the time of retirement may be eligible. An “Eligible Retiree” meets all the following criteria:

(a) has been a member of one of the NBA’s constituent unions for at least two (2) consecutive years as at the member’s date of retirement and retired under the provincial collective agreement. For purposes of determining whether a person is an Eligible Retiree, “retirement” shall mean the date at which the Eligible Retiree is in receipt of a pension payment from the MPP (Municipal Pension Plan), PSPP (Public Service Pension Plan), or CBSPP (Canadian Blood Services Pension Plan);

(b) is in receipt of a pension from either the MPP, the PSPP or the CBSPP; and

(c) at the date of retirement, the member had worked a minimum of four hundred (400) hours in an approved status under the provincial collective agreement (i.e., regular or casual status) in each of the two (2) years prior to retirement or in each of the two calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which the member retired.

An LPN who retires on or after April 1, 2024, is eligible for enrolment in the RBP as of their retirement date, provided the LPN meets the definition of Eligible Retiree noted above. LPN members who retired prior to April 1, 2024, do not qualify as eligible retirees.

Examples of ineligibility

Some members may not be eligible to receive RBP benefits. Former members under the NBA are not eligible if they:

• Terminated employment prior to retirement and retired when they were not a member of one of the NBA unions. For example, they terminated employment as a registered nurse and member under the Nurses' Bargaining Association at a hospital in BC and went to work at a doctor's office or private health care setting prior to retirement.
• Were a BCNU/HSA member but were employed at a site covered by the Nurses Master and Component Agreement with the provincial government when they retired.
• Retired as an employee in health care but their union was not part of the Nurses' Bargaining Association (e.g., such as the Hospital Employees Union (HEU)).
• Were not a member of one of the NBA’s constituent unions for at least two consecutive years at their date of retirement.
• Did not work the required number of hours in an approved status under the provincial collective agreement (i.e., regular or casual status) in each of the two years prior to the date of retirement or in each of the two calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which they retired
• Retired from a non-union position, such as an excluded nurse manager.

• Download and complete the application form on this page. 
  NOTE: the form must first be downloaded before being completed. If filled out directly in a web browser without being downloaded, the information entered will not be saved, and the submitted form will be blank.
• Print a hard copy of the completed form and have it signed by a witness of majority age.
• Send completed application by mail or email to the RBP administrator (see addresses on application form).
• Alternatively, call BCNU at 604-433-2268 or 1-800-663-9991 to request an application form. 

• Automatically receive approved program benefits. There is no need to reapply.
• Any changes to the program will automatically apply to registered and qualified members.
• Opt-out of the current benefit payment by downloading and completing the One-time Benefit Opt-out and Release form and submit it per the contact information on the form.