Are PDFs eligible for benefits? What about health insurance?
A As of January 2008 a plan has been set up with Green Shield and includes coverage for dental, prescription drug and some other health care services (e.g. an eye exam every two years). The plan is mandatory for all PDFs who are paid through the University of Toronto payroll office. PDFs who are paid through the teaching hospitals or directly through other external granting bodies are not eligible for this benefit. For eligible PDFs, the benefit will be deducted monthly by HR from the stipend; PIs should ultimately be responsible for this added cost, increasing the PDFs stipend by the yearly amount (currently $504/year). In order to qualify for the health benefit, PDFs must be registered through the new registration database at the Postdoctoral Office. Currently, PDFs are entitled to use many University of Toronto services, as outlined in the SGS Postdoctoral Resources webpage.
