Effective May 1, 2017, the University contracted a private corporation called Lifemark Health Group to manage our short-term disability benefit.
Part of our Salary Continuance Plan provides that the employer will pay faculty members their full salary for the first 90 days of an illness or disability. Members who remain ill or disabled beyond this 90-day period can apply to Sun Life for long-term disability benefits.
Up until May 1, Wellness Resources, a service unit within HR, assisted and managed the 90-day salary continuance plan. The USFA had previously negotiated with the Employer the type of information collected to ensure that requests for private medical information complied with applicable legal privacy considerations and arbitral authority concerning what could legally be collected by employers.
On June 7, the USFA filed a grievance disputing the medical disclosure requirements that Lifemark, acting as agent of the employer, is attempting to collect from our members to substantiate claims for short term disability benefits. A copy of the grievance filed can viewed on the USFA website. It is our position that Lifemark’s demands for detailed medical information are off-side current privacy laws and arbitral authority governing the scope of private medical information that can be collected.
Until this disputed matter is resolved by mutual agreement or by arbitration, any faculty member who is disqualified from the receipt of short-term disability benefits or who has any other concerns with correspondence from Lifemark should immediately contact the Association at 966-5611.