Understanding Your Benefits When Work Hours Change

Reviewing hour bank eligibility and benefits coverage.

 When work availability changes, questions about coverage are completely understandable. This guide is designed to help you understand how your coverage works if your hours are affected, what happens if your hour bank drops, and what options are available to help maintain continuity of coverage. 

Important: This article is intended as a practical guide. If there is any difference between this summary and the official Active Health Plan booklet, the booklet and governing legal documents will apply. 

1. How Hour Bank Coverage Works

As mentioned in the Active Health Plan booklet: 

• Your coverage starts on the first day of the second month after you have at least 280 hours in your hour bank, earned within a 12-month-period 

• It “costs” 140 hours per month to maintain coverage 

• You can bank up to 1,680 hours (140 hours × 12 months) 

 This means that during a busy stretch, you may build a buffer that allows you and your family to remain covered even if no hours are reported for several months. 

2. What Happens When Your Hours Drop Below 140?

If your hour bank falls below the required 140 hours to keep you covered, you will receive a shortage notice by email (or Canada Post if no email is on file) at least one month before coverage ends. 

The shortage notice tells you: 

• How many hours you are short 

• The associated cost to “top up” 

• The deadline for payment 

  
  

The booklet is clear:

If you don’t respond to the shortage notice, you could lose your benefits coverage

Submitting a self-pay top-up to maintain hour bank coverage.

3. What Is Self-Pay?

If your hour bank falls below 140 hours and you are paying active member union dues, you may “top up” your hour bank to keep your benefits coverage. 

Key rules from the booklet: 

• You may self-pay for up to 12 consecutive months, provided you remain available for work and in good standing 

• Any payment equivalent to 70 or more hours is considered a full self-payment (effective March 2025) 

• You are responsible for tracking your self-payments 

  
  

Resetting the 12-Month Window 

If at least 70 hours are reported in one month, your self-pay count resets to zero. Working fewer than 70 hours does not reset the window. 

This is an important detail that is often misunderstood during slower periods. 

4. Disability Coverage During Self-Pay

The booklet specifies: 

• Benefits are not paid for disability if you are covered by full self-payment (140 hours) in the month you become disabled, unless specific conditions apply 

If you have questions about disability eligibility while self-paying, you should contact a Benefits of Film representative directly. 

5. When Coverage Ends

Hour bank coverage ends if: 

• Your hour bank balance falls below 140 hours, and 

• You do not make your self-payment by the specified date 

  
  

You will receive a termination notice. 

To reinstate coverage: 

• You must contact AGA Benefit Solutions within the first three weeks of the month your coverage ends 

• You must self-pay the number of hours short in the current month plus 140 hours for the following month 

  
  

If you do not reinstate within that window, you must build up 280 hours within a 12-month period to re-qualify. You cannot re-qualify by making self-payments. 

Staying on top of benefits during a quieter stretch of work.

6. Practical Advice During a Slow Season

The safest approach is: 

● Check your hour bank status regularly (via Member Login or by calling AGA) 

● Do not ignore shortage notices 

● Note deadlines immediately 

● Understand your self-pay count 

● Ask questions early 

You are responsible for keeping your contact information current, so you receive important notices. 

7. Why Acting Early Matters

The structure of the hour bank is designed to provide stability across production cycles: 

• It allows up to 12 months of banking (1,680 hours maximum) 

• It allows up to 12 consecutive months of self-pay (subject to rules) 

  
  

But once those windows close, re-qualifying requires rebuilding 280 hours within a 12-month period. Planning early is significantly easier than rebuilding later. 

8. Where to Confirm Your Status

• Active Health Plan Booklet

• Member Login: benefitsoffilm.com

• AGA Benefit Solutions

• IATSE Local 891 office (Health representatives) 

If you are unsure which rule applies to you, contact us. We will direct you to the correct section of the official booklet. 

Final Note

Production cycles change. Your benefits are structured to help you navigate those changes with clarity and confidence.