Privacy Policy
Since its inception on January 1, 1994 The Benefits Trust has been committed to professional, personalized service. Our purpose is to appropriately administer the employee benefits plans of our member employers according to their written benefits promise, and to account individually for their funds placed in trust.
We are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of personal information as it relates to employee benefits coverage with The Benefits Trust.
Personal information is defined as information concerning an identifiable individual. This includes, but is not limited to, all information concerning group and individual contractholders, covered members, dependants, and beneficiaries, particularly information concerning their health.
Personal information does not include the name, title or business address, telephone number or e-mail address of employees.
Following are our ten privacy principles in keeping with our stated purpose, with the Canadian Standards Association’s Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, and with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
1. Accountability
The Benefits Trust is responsible for maintaining and protecting personal information in its possession or control, including information that has been transferred to a third party for processing.
2. Identifying Purposes
The purposes for which personal information is collected will be identified at or before the time the information is collected. This will generally be done through application or claim forms.
3. Consent
The knowledge and consent of the individual are required for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information except where required or permitted by law.
4. Limiting Collection
The collection of personal information will be limited to that which is reasonably necessary for the purposes identified by The Benefits Trust.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention
Personal information will only be used or disclosed for the purpose for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
The Benefits Trust will provide information concerning a client’s contract to a new broker if that client’s existing broker is no longer willing or able to provide service to the client, and the client has provided written consent.
6. Accuracy
We will maintain personal information as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. It remains the responsibility of the contractholder and covered member to inform The Benefits Trust of changes to personal information which may affect coverage.
7. Safeguarding Client and Member Information
Personal information will be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
This principle is of significant importance because The Benefits Trust deals with highly sensitive information concerning the health of our clients.
The security safeguards will protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
The methods of protection will include:
- physical measures (eg. building access cards for employees, off-site backups, archiving);
- organizational measures (eg. limiting access on a “need-to-know” basis); and
- technological measures (eg. the use of passwords).
8. Openness
We will make available to individuals and corporate members specific information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
9. Individual Access
Upon request, an individual will be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and shall be given access to that information. An individual will be able to challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.
In certain situations, The Benefits Trust may not be able to provide access to all the personal information it holds about an individual. Exceptions to the access requirement will be limited and specific, and the reasons for denying access will be provided to the individual upon request. Exceptions may include information that contains references to other individuals, information that cannot be disclosed for legal, security, or commercial proprietary reasons, and information that is subject to solicitor-client or litigation privilege.
10. Collection and Use of Image Information in The Benefits Trust Mobile Applications
The Benefits Trust mobile applications collect and upload users’ image information for the purpose of processing insurance claims. When you use our app, you grant us permission to access, upload, store, and process the images you choose to share within the app, such as photos of receipts, medical bills, or other supporting documents related to your claim.
We take appropriate security measures to protect your image information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We store your image data on secure servers, and we employ encryption technologies to ensure the confidentiality of your data.
Your image information may be shared with third-party service providers only when it’s necessary for processing your insurance claims or improving the app’s functionality. These third parties are contractually obligated to use the data solely for the purposes specified and to maintain its confidentiality and security.
We retain your image information only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, such as processing your insurance claims or as required by law.
By using The Benefits Trust mobile applications, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your image information as described in this privacy policy. If you do not agree with these practices, please discontinue using our app.
11. Challenging Compliance
An individual may address a challenge concerning compliance with this policy to The Benefits Trust’s Privacy Officer.