Accommodation

Lodging in the vicinity of the hospital where you are confined.

Child

Your natural, legally adopted, step or other eligible child¹ who meets all of the following requirements:

•	unmarried;
•	totally dependent on you for support and maintenance;
•	one of the following ages:
	-	under age 21;
	-	under age 26 if full-time student at an accredited college or university (under age 25 for life and accidental death coverage)2;
	-	of any age if physically or mentally handicapped, provided he or she became handicapped while covered by the benefit plans and you provide satisfactory proof that your child is incapable of self-support as a result of the handicap3;
•	living in Canada, unless a full-time student elsewhere; and
•	not in the armed forces (except for dependent life insurance).
Please note that proof may be required. 1 The plans can also include your common-law spouse’s child (for health, dental and travel coverage). For life insurance coverage, the plan can also include any child who lives with you and totally depends on you or your spouse for support within the terms of the Income Tax Act. 2 For life insurance coverage, the child must be a regular, full-time student at an accredited institute of learning. 3 For life insurance coverage, the child must also be incapable of self-sustaining employment and totally depend on you for support and maintenance.

Common-law spouse (in the event of accidental injury or death)

The designated partner of the opposite sex under age 70, where your partner has lived with you and you have publicly represented him or her as your spouse for at least one year immediately before a loss is incurred under the policy.

Dentist

A doctor of dental surgery or a doctor of dental medicine licensed to practice and prescribe in the area where services are rendered.

Dependent child (in the event of accidental injury or death)

Any natural born child, legally adopted child, step-child, common-law child for whom you have legal custody, or any other child dependent upon you for support and maintenance in a parent-child relationship as defined under the Income Tax Act, provided the child is unmarried and under age 25.

Dependents

Your eligible spouse and children.

Note: The definition of spouse and dependent child varies slightly in the event of accidental injury or death.

Earnings

Gross earnings, including bonuses, commissions¹ (based on gross earnings during the previous 12 months), and shift differentials subject to your employer’s approval².

Hospital

A facility that is licensed to provide active treatment for sick or injured patients. It does not include rehabilitation hospital, mental institution, convalescent hospital or home, an institution used primarily for treatment of a specific illness or disease, a nursing home, a chronic care facility, a home for the aged, a rest home or any other facility that provides similar care. Beds set aside for chronic care in a hospital are not covered.

Regarding accidental injury or death benefits
Hospital means an institution licensed as a hospital, which is open at all times for the care and treatment of sick and injured persons, has a staff of one or more physicians available at all times and which continuously provides 24-hour nursing service by graduate registered nurses. It provides organized facilities for diagnostics and surgery, is an active treatment hospital and not primarily a clinic, rest home, nursing home, convalescent hospital or similar establishment. For the purposes of this definition, physicians and nurses can include a member of the immediate family.

Loss

Loss means, with regard to:

Hands and feet	Actual severance through or above the wrist or ankle joint
Arms and legs	Actual severance through or above the elbow or knee joint
Thumbs and fingers	Actual severance through or above the metacarpophalangeal joints
Toes	Actual severance through or above the metatarsophalangeal joints
Eyes	Entire and irrecoverable loss of sight
Speech and hearing	Entire and irrecoverable loss of speech and/or hearing
Paralysis	Total and irreversible paralysis

Medically necessary

A service or supply provided or prescribed by a health care professional to prevent, diagnose, or treat an injury, disease, or disability that is:

•	consistent with the treatment of symptom(s) or diagnosed injury, disease, or disability;
•	not primarily prescribed or provided for convenience;
•	the most appropriate, safe, and cost-effective service or supply; and
•	generally recognized as accepted medical practice.
When the benefit plans refer to a health care professional, they mean a person who is legally licensed to practice his or her profession where services are rendered, and includes physicians, pharmacists, dentists, and other professionals as approved by the benefit plans.

Member of the immediate family

A person at least 18 years of age, who is your child, parent, brother, sister, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law (all of the previous include nature, adopted and step relationships), spouse, grandchild or grandparent.

Nurse (in the case of accidental injury or death)

A graduate registered nurse (R.N.) or nurse who is licensed to practise nursing service by a governmental agency having jurisdiction over such licensing. The nurse can be neither you nor a member of your immediate family.

Participating in a non-practice emergency alarm

Includes travelling directly to or returning directly from an emergency alarm, along a normal and reasonable route, without delay or stopover.

Permanently and totally disabled

Under accident insurance coverage, permanently and totally disabled means your complete inability to engage in any occupation for which you are qualified by education, training, or experience for the rest of your life.

Physician

A doctor of medicine who is legally licensed to prescribe drugs, administer medical treatment, and perform surgery within the scope of this license.

In the event of accidental injury or death, a physician refers to a doctor of medicine (other than you or a member of your immediate family) licensed to practice medicine by:

Post-secondary institution

Any university, CEGEP, trade school or college, as defined in the place where you lived prior to your death.

Proof of good health

Medical questionnaire that you must complete to show the status of your health. Depending on your answers, Great-West Life can require a medical examination and any other information.

Regular care and attendance

Medical treatment to the extent necessary under existing standards of medical practice for the condition causing disability or hospital confinement, or requiring such treatment.

Seat belt

A belt that forms a restraint system, and includes infant and child restraint systems when properly used with a seat belt.

Spouse

The person to whom you are legally married, or the person of the same or opposite sex with whom you have been living in a common-law relationship for at least one year.

Also note:

Spouse (in the event of accidental injury or death)

The person under age 70 to whom you are legally married through an ecclesiastical or civil ceremony, or your common-law spouse, provided you have submitted a written designation to your employer.

Totally disabled

During the qualifying period and the following 24 months of disability, illness or accidental injury must render you physically or mentally incapable of performing the essential duties of your normal occupation.

After this period of disability, illness or accidental injury must render you physically or mentally incapable of performing the essential duties of:

Usual cost

The usual cost of covered services and supplies that are medically necessary to treat an illness, injury or pregnancy.

The benefit plans will only cover: