The end of 2024 calendar year is approaching and with it some of your benefits. These benefits are “use it or lose it”, reset in January, and do NOT stack year-to-year.
These benefits include:
Medical Claims: Your allotment for various medical claims through SunLife. These renew on January 1st of the new year and any unclaimed amounts cannot be carried over to the next calendar year. This includes paramedical benefits, like massage therapy, counselling, and chiropractor (note that vision care is a bit different, and renews on the second year following a claim). For more information about your SunLife Plan follow this link to your SunLife Plan.
Flexible Spending Program: For your Flexible Spending Program benefits (i.e., the Health Spending Account or Personal Spending Account). The annual amount of $900 carries forward for 1 calendar year. If you have any amounts left from 2023 you need to use them by December 31, 2024. If unspent, this amount cannot be carried over and used towards eligible future purchases (although you can still submit claims after January 1st). This benefit can be used on a wide variety of expenses, including online music subscriptions, traditional medicine, transit passes, pet care, and even RRSP/TFSA contributions! For more information follow this link to the flexible spending spending program information.
Remember also that your choice of allocation for the Flexible Spending Program needs to be made before the end of the year. This will allow you to select to place money either towards the Health Spending Account (HAS, non-taxable) or the Personal Spending Account (PSA, taxable). More information can be found at how to allocate flexible spending program funds.
Personal/Family Days: ASPA members are entitled to three (3) Personal/Family Days per calendar year. These are for emergent, personal or family situations, and do not roll over from one calendar year to the next. Your Personal Days reset to three (3) on January 1st, 2025 and do not stack. See Section 20.9 in the ASPA Collective Agreement.