Background

Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) is a defined benefit plan that provides a pension, at retirement, based on accumulated paid-up service and the highest consecutive five-year salary average.

Procedures

Once an employee commences contributions he/she must continue until:

• Retirement;
• Termination of employment; or
• Employee no longer meets the hours qualifications (falling under a regular scheduled 14 (fourteen) hours per week or 728 (seven hundred and twenty-eight) hours for the year or moving to a position that is temporary with a known end date would disqualify a current contributor from ongoing participation.

Service is accumulated on following base units:

• Educational Assistants – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
• Instructors – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
• Home Liaison Workers – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
• School Administrative Assistants – 35 (thirty-five) hours per week.
• School Librarians – 35 (thirty-five) hours per week.
• Division Office Personnel – 35 (thirty-five) hours per week.
• Maintenance Personnel – 40 (forty) hours per week.
• Student Advocacy Counselors – 37.5 (thirty-seven and a half) hours per week.

Participation applies to all eligible positions with the exception of those classed as temporary with a known end date. (Not eligible are those with positions that are replacements for maternity, disability or general leaves of absence and employees hired on a term contract basis where there is an end date for a specified event or program).
Northern Lights School Division No. 69 does not subscribe to the approved LAPP disability plan offered by LAPP.

Eligibility for new employees shall be based on a minimum assignment of 14 (fourteen) hours per week over the school term.

Participation requirements are as per the following criteria:

• Employees eligible to participate in LAPP are those non-teaching staff members to whom the Teachers’ Pension Plan Act does not apply and are permanent (continuous) or ten-month staff with reoccurring employment who regularly work 14 (fourteen) or more hours per week.
• Eligibility includes employees who have served the probationary period and are in an acting position or seconded position.
• Eligible employees, including ten-month staff with reoccurring employment status, and employees in an acting or seconded position, employed by the Board and who regularly work 14 (fourteen) hours or more per week shall participate in LAPP.
• Eligible employees who work the ten-month school year and have reoccurring employment status shall be entitled to a full year of pensionable service providing they work the following base units:
  • Educational Assistants – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
  • Instructors – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
  • Home Liaison Workers – 32.5 (thirty-two and a half) hours per week.
  • School Secretaries – 35 (thirty-five) hours per week.
  • School Librarians – 35 (thirty-five) hours per week.
  • Student Advocacy Counselors – 37.5 (thirty-seven and a half) hours per week.

Those employees working less than the base units per week shall have their
pensionable service prorated on the basis of their hours worked per week in
relation to the base units per week.

• Employees regularly working less than 14 (fourteen) hours a week are not eligible to participate in LAPP.
• In the event that a temporary employee becomes permanent, the employer will not be liable for the employer contributions for this prior service if the employee chooses to purchase it.
• All eligible employees are required to complete a period of service before they become members of LAPP, this is referred to as the LAPP probationary period. The LAPP probationary period is 12 (twelve) months from the start of service, less:
  • Any previous period of employment with Northern Lights School Division No. 69, regardless of the nature of employment or when it occurred (e.g., fulltime, permanent, part-time, temporary and casual employment; and
  • Any previous period of service with another employer that participates in the LAPP Plan, if the member moved immediately from the former employer to Northern Lights School Division No. 69.

Exempt from the LAPP probationary period is any employee who has applied for transfer service into the LAPP Plan under a reciprocal transfer agreement.

Employees have the option to purchase the LAPP probationary period as
optional service in compliance with LAPP legislation.

More information on LAPP Pension is available at www.lapp.ab.ca