What is a “Worker Wellness Plan?”
A Worker Wellness Program (“WWP”) provides eligible employees with a wage replacement payment when they take a day off from work for a Qualifying Leave.
This benefit is only available to employees performing work under a collective bargaining agreement requiring contributions to the Plan for the WWP Benefit.
Consult your applicable collective bargaining agreement to determine if your agreement covers contributions for WWP Benefits. The WWP Benefit is taxable.
What constitutes Qualifying Leave?
An eligible Qualifying Leave day is defined as a day (or days) on which you are unable to work a normally scheduled day of work due to reasons such as:
- Your physical or mental illness, treatment or preventive care;
- A Family Member’s physical or mental illness, treatment or preventive care;
- Closure of your workplace or a Family Member’s school due to weather or public emergency; or
- Any other reason for which you were unable to work on a normally scheduled day of work.
For purposes of this Plan, the term “Family Member” means the participant’s spouse, as well as any dependent child or qualifying relative of the participant as defined under IRS Code Section 152(a).
How to claim your WWP benefits
An employee who experiences a Qualifying Leave may submit a claim for WWP Benefits. To submit a claim, you must:
- Submit the amount of WWP Benefits you are claiming. The balance in your WWP Benefit Account must be equal to or greater than the amount you are claiming; and
- Self-certify that you experienced a Qualifying Leave for the month for which you are seeking WWP Benefits;
For example:
- Roger’s spouse has surgery and requires his assistance post-surgery.
- Due to the surgery, Roger takes one day off to care for his spouse.
- Roger is eligible for active coverage, has $1,000 in his WWP Benefit Account, and submits a claim for $500.
- Roger has experienced a Qualifying Leave and his WWP Account Balance is sufficient to satisfy his WWP Benefit claim for $500.
Learn more about accessing your WWP benefits by clicking here!
