The Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme for Civil and Public Servants Automatic (Auto) Access Membership

For the full terms and conditions of the Scheme, please see the Master Policy Document V000095E issued by New Ireland Assurance Company plc. Please contact Cornmarket if you would like a copy of the Master Policy Document.

The Scheme Summary Booklet is also available here. This details the main benefits, terms, conditions, exclusions & limitations of the Scheme as well as answering some frequently asked questions.

Cornmarket’s Terms of Business document is available here.

Overview

Salary Protection – Automatic Access and 9 Months’ Free Cover

Fórsa has negotiated Automatic Access to the Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme for Civil and Public Servants, for new Fórsa joiners, who consent to sharing their union data with Cornmarket and who meet the eligibility criteria of the Scheme. This saves new joiners the time of completing an application form and avoiding potential medical underwriting. The Scheme includes:

• Disability Benefit
• Death Benefit
• Specified Illness Benefit

And, there is no cost for the first 9 months!

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for Automatic Access to the Scheme you must be:

1. A new member of Fórsa who is actively employed in the Civil or Public Service and
2. Under age 65 and
3. In employment under at least one of the following conditions:
4. - Permanent basis or
5. - Contract of indefinite duration or
6. - Fixed-term contract of at least 12 months’ duration or
7. - Working continuously for the past 12 months.
8. and
9. An employee of one of the following:
10. - the Civil or Public service or a Section 39 organisation or
11. Section 39 organisations are Community, Voluntary & Not for Profit Agencies in Voluntary Health and Community Care, Funded by the HSE under section 39 of the Health Act 2004
12. - a Section 56 organisation or
13. Section 56 Organisations provide services funded by Tusla under section 56 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013
14. - a Section 10 organisation or
15. Section 10 Organisations provide Homeless Servies Funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988
16. - the School Completion Programme
17. School Completion Program (SCP funded by the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) UNER THE Education (Welfare) Act 2000.

You must remain a member of the Fórsa union and in employment, as per the eligibility criteria noted above to remain an eligible member of the Scheme. Those who are job/work sharers (this means working 50% or less than the normal working week) or on statutory maternity (paid and unpaid), adoptive, parents or paternity leave and who satisfy the above criteria are eligible to be covered under the Scheme.

You may not be eligible for Automatic Access to the Scheme if: 

• Your gross annual salary is €18,000 or less as the benefit payable from the Scheme may be minimal when any other income you may be entitled to is accounted for in the calculation of benefit or
• You are an existing or previous member of any Salary/ Income Continuance Scheme administered by Cornmarket

Important: If you are accepted into the Scheme through Automatic Access, the wait time before some of your cover comes into effect is different to those who have completed an application form join the Scheme. Please read the limitations and restrictions of Automatic Access cover carefully. We would draw your attention to the Disability Benefit pre-existing conditions clause, and the Death Benefit waiting period.

For the full terms and conditions of the Scheme, please see the Master Policy Document V000095E. All other Limitations and Restrictions as outlined in the Scheme Summary Booklet available here also apply to Auto Access members.

Key Benefits: overview, limitations and restrictions:

• Disability Benefit (please see details on the pre-existing conditions waiting period below)
• Death Benefit (payable in the event of Accidental Death only for the first 12 months, Full Death Benefit thereafter – see below for more details)
• Accidental Death Benefit
• Terminal Illness Benefit (cover available after 12 months membership – see below for more details)
• Children’s Death Benefit
• Full Specified Illness Benefit
• Partial Payment Specified Illness Benefit
• Children’s Specified Illness Benefits
• Medical Immunity Benefit

Disability Benefit

This scheme is designed to provide you with a replacement income of up to 75% of salary* if you’re ill or injured and can’t work.

*Up to 75% less any other income to which you may be entitled e.g. half pay, Ill Health Early Retirement Pension, Temporary Rehabilitation Remuneration, State Illness Benefit. You can claim salary protection when you have used up your employer’s sick leave entitlements and passed the scheme ‘deferred period’. Simply put, that’s the time that must pass before benefit is paid.

Disabled means that you are totally unable to carry out the duties of your normal occupation because of illness or injury and you are not engaged in any other occupation (whether or not for profit, reward, remuneration or benefit-in-kind)

Disability Benefit - Pre-Existing Conditions

If you have a pre-existing condition (as defined below), there is a waiting period of 5 years from the date you were accepted into the Scheme through automatic access before the Deferred Period as explained in the Scheme Summary Booklet can commence. Disability Benefit is payable at the end of the Deferred Period (provided the claim is admitted by the Insurer).

For the purposes of this Scheme pre-existing conditions are defined as: Any health condition, which existed in the 5 years prior to the date you were accepted into the Scheme, in respect of which you:

• had symptoms or signs of the condition or a related condition and/or
• consulted a health professional about the condition and/or any related condition and/or
• took or were prescribed medication or treatment including counselling, physiotherapy or physical therapy for the condition or a related condition and/or
• had any test, scan, investigation or surgery for the condition or a related condition.

Pre-existing conditions are determined by the Insurer in consultation with their Chief Medical Officer. Any sick leave relating to a pre-existing condition will not be used in the calculation of the Deferred Period during the waiting period of 5 years from the date you were accepted into the Scheme.

Death Benefit

The scheme provides a lump sum of typically twice your annual salary if you die. This can help to pay bills and unexpected costs, at an already difficult time. During the first 12 months’ of your membership, Death Benefit is only payable in the event of your accidental death (if your death is as a result of an accident) Terminal Illness Benefit is also not payable during the first 12 month period. After 12 months of membership, Death Benefit is payable in the normal manner as set out in Scheme Summary Booklet.

Accidental Death Benefit

In the event of accidental death, a benefit of €15,000 is payable tax-free in addition to the normal Death Benefit.

Terminal Illness Benefit 

In the event you are certified by a qualifying medical specialist as having a Terminal Illness, a benefit of 25% of the Death Benefit is payable to you tax-free. This benefit is not payable for the first 12 months’ of membership. After 12 months of membership, Terminal Illness Benefit is payable in the normal manner as set out in Scheme Summary Booklet.

Children’s Death Benefit 

In the event that a member’s child between the ages of 0 and 20 dies, a Death Benefit of €5,000 will be paid tax-free. This benefit is payable once per member.

Full Specified Illness Benefit

If you are diagnosed with one of the Specified illnesses covered by the Scheme, and meet the relevant definition, this benefit will pay a once-off, tax-free lump sum of 25% of your annual salary at the date of diagnosis. For a full list of Specified Illnesses covered, and the policy definition/criteria of each illness, please see the Scheme Summary Booklet available here

Partial Specified Illness Benefit

If you are diagnosed with one of partial specified illnesses covered by the Scheme and meet the relevant definition this benefit will pay a once-off, tax-free lump sum of the lesser of €15,000 or 12.5% of your salary (whichever is less) at the date of diagnosis. For a full list of Partial Specified Illnesses covered, and the policy definition/criteria of each illness, please see the Scheme Summary Booklet available here

Children’s Specified Illness Benefit

If your child aged between 0-20 is diagnosed with one of the illnesses covered by the policy, and meets the relevant definition, this benefit will pay a once-off, tax-free lump sum of €15,000.

Children's Partial Specified Illness Benefit

If your child aged between 0-20 is diagnosed with one of the partial specified illnesses covered by the policy, and meets the relevant definition, this benefit will pay a once-off, tax-free lump sum of €7,500.

Medical Immunity Benefit

This benefit entitles you to join the Cornmarket Retired Members’ Life Cover Plan when you retire, without any medical underwriting. The cost is currently 0.05% of your overall premium, and you must apply to join within a certain period of retiring or of your membership of this Scheme ceasing. Terms & Conditions apply. Please see here for more details.

The Cornmarket Retired Members’ Life Cover Plan is provided by Irish Life Assurance plc.

Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Option of medical underwriting

If you are accepted into the Scheme through Automatic (Auto) Access, the wait time before some of your cover comes into effect is different to those who have completed an application form to join the Scheme. For example, Scheme members that are accepted with medical underwriting have no waiting period for any Death Benefit cover and will not have to serve the 5-year waiting period for Pre-Existing Conditions for Disability Benefit cover, unlike Auto Access members (see Scheme Limitations and Restrictions above for the waiting periods that apply to Auto Access members). However, Scheme members that undergo medical underwriting may be offered Disability Benefit cover with an exclusion. If this happens, their Disability Benefit Cover will not apply for the excluded illness(es) or condition(s), and they can never claim for them. If you would prefer to join the Scheme using an application form subject to medical underwriting, please contact us on (01) 408 4195 to discuss this option in more detail.  

Important: If you submit your application within 30 days of the date of your acceptance letter, you will be able to maintain your Auto Access membership while your application form is being medically underwritten. Once you receive a decision from the insurer on your application, you can chose whether you wish to go on cover as a medically underwritten member, or remain an Auto Access member.

MyDoc, online GP services

MyDoc, an easy online healthcare service, is now available to members of the Fórsa Salary Protection Scheme for Civil and Public Servants. This means Scheme members and their family can book free consultations with a doctor, get prescriptions, sick certs and open referral letters to private care, when they need to! For more information click here.

Cost of the Scheme

Warning: The current premium may increase at the next Scheme rate review on or after 1st June 2025.

The current cost of membership is 1.99% of your salary. If your premiums are deducted from your salary, your premiums will increase or decrease in line with your salary. If you pay your premiums by direct debit, you need to let us know if your salary changes so that we can adjust your premiums accordingly. This is to ensure that your cover is provided in line with your current gross salary and that you are paying the correct premium amounts.

Opt-out 

If you do not wish to be a member of the Scheme, you have the option of cancelling your cover before the end of your 9 months’ free period by completing the opt-out form here. Any premium that you have paid will be refunded to you. If you cancel your cover after your 9 months’ free period, any premiums you have paid will not be refunded.

It is important to note that if you cancel your cover, and decide to join later, you will need to complete an application form and undergo full medical underwriting.