New Fórsa salary protection scheme launched
 
The merger of the schemes will also stabilise the price, while ensuring fairness and equal access for all union members.
The merger of the schemes will also stabilise the price, while ensuring fairness and equal access for all union members.

A new 80,000-member strong salary protection scheme was launched on 1st June. The culmination of two years of work and packed with new benefits, the Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme is a merger of four separate schemes available to members of the three unions that amalgamated to create the new union in 2018.

 

The merger of the schemes will also stabilise the price, while ensuring fairness and equal access for all union members. Had the schemes remained separate, it’s likely that there would have been significant increase in rates for all the schemes.

 

All scheme members are now covered for:

  • Disability benefit up to 75% of salary*
  • New death benefit, which is typically two times annual salary
  • New specified illness benefit: A once-off lump sum of 25% of annual salary for 55 specified illnesses**
  • New partial payment specified illness benefit: A once-off lump sum of €12,500 or 12.5% of annual salary (whichever is less) for one of the 36 less severe, but still life altering, conditions
  • New children’s specified illness benefit: An additional benefit of €15,000 if your child suffers a specified illness, or €7,500 if your child suffers a partial payment specified illness
  • New Fórsa MyDoc: An easy phone and online healthcare service for you, your spouse or partner, and dependent family members living with you. Book free consultations and get prescriptions, sick certs or referrals
  • Terminal illness benefit: 25% of death benefit, accidental death benefit
  • New breast and prostate education and preventative programme run through Beaumont and Bon Secours hospitals
  • New tax return service for claimants
  • New will service for members.

The new scheme is open to Fórsa members in hundreds of different grades, professions and occupations. And it means that members in civil service executive and clerical grades will now have access to the full suite of benefits that were previously only available to other Fórsa members.

 

These include life cover, specified illness, and retired members life cover.

 

It also means civil service clerical officers won’t have to apply to transfer to a different scheme if they’re promoted. Existing executive and clerical scheme members will benefit from the additional benefits at no charge for the first six months from the date of the review.

 

After that, the cost of full membership is 1.99% of gross salary with effect from 1st December 2022. But existing executive and clerical scheme members can opt out of the full benefits prior to September and maintain the income protection benefit only at a cost of 1.44% of gross salary.

 

Cornmarket, which administrates the merged scheme, is to write to members individually to notify them of the changes. Meanwhile, all existing schemes members will automatically transfer to the new scheme on the enhanced benefits set out above.

 

Find out more

If you have questions, or want to make a claim, you can speak to a member of Cornmarket’s team on these numbers:

  • Queries and questions: 01-408- 6280 or spsadmin@cornmarket.ie
  • Claims: 01-408 4018 or spsclaims@cornmarket.ie.

Watch a short video about the new scheme HERE.

 

Read the full terms and conditions, including a full list of specified illnesses and the policy definition and criteria of each illness, HERE

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

 

*Less any other income that you may be entitled to (eg, half pay, ill health, early retirement pension, temporary rehabilitation remuneration, state illness benefit or state invalidity pension).

 

** There is only one specified illnesses benefit and one partial claim per member per scheme.

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