In recognition of the need for comprehensive benefits protection for our contractors, the Canadian Independent Adjusters' Association is pleased to make available the Menuflex™ Benefits Program, the most comprehensive benefits program available in Canada today.

Menuflex™ offers a unique combination of the Health & Dental coverage you want plus the flexibility of customizing coverage to meet your needs with Optional Benefits that are normally only available in large group programs.

With Menuflex™ you can design your benefit coverage to meet your personal needs. Available coverage includes: Extended Health Care Only Extended Health Care with Dental Basic or PLUS levels of coverage Out-of-Country Coverage Critical Illness Insurance Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance Disability Insurance   Menuflex™ is all about choice! You choose the coverage that makes sense for your life. You can choose between Menuflex™ Basic or enhanced Menuflex™ PLUS coverage, (with or without Dental Benefits), and you have the option of customizing your coverage with flexible Optional Benefits. Menuflex™ offers Single, Couple and Family levels of coverage, and unlike competing plans, Menuflex™ recognizes that not all families are the same. So we offer different rates for Single Parent families and Two Parent families. All plans include a Pay-Direct Card, Paramedical Benefits, Vision, Hospital, Ambulance and much more. Optional coverage includes Critical Illness, AD&D Insurance and Disability Insurance. Menuflex™ is both comprehensive and affordable! In Ontario, for example, Basic Health premiums start from less than $47/month Single, $85/month Couple and $108/month Family. Premium rates vary by age, province and number of dependents. To determine your rate, just download the PDF Application Form for your province at right, or use our Online Application Form. For some Menuflex™ participants, monthly premiums are tax-deductible as a business expense. If you are self-employed, incorporated or an independent contractor, you may be able to deduct your Health & Dental Premiums as a business expense, subject to CCRA regulations. More Info Menuflex™ does not require you to submit to a medical examination to be approved for coverage. You do need to provide Satisfactory Health Evidence in the form of a Personal Health Declaration for the EHC and Dental Benefits, or a separate Health Statement for the Optional Critical Illness. This information is confidential, shared only among the Program Administrator and Insurers. Please review the details of the coverage available on the next page, and decide which Menuflex™ plan is right for you. Premium rates for your Province and age group are included in the Application Form, available as a PDF download at right. To participate, simply complete the Application Form and Personal Health Declaration and mail them to the Program Administrator at the address indicated. Faxed Applications are also acceptable. The Program Administrator, Alternative Benefit Solutions Inc., will notify you of your approval or declination as quickly as possible. Your coverage becomes effective the 1st of the month following date of approval by the Insurer. If you require assistance or further information, please visit the How To Apply page or Contact Us. As we've said, Menuflex™ is all about choice - choosing the plan that's right for you. Fortunately the choices are simple and straightforward: Basic coverage without Dental   Basic coverage with Dental   PLUS coverage without Dental   PLUS coverage with Dental And you also need to choose between Single, Couple or Family (Single or Two-Parent) coverage.                   Finally, you can customize and enhance your coverage by choosing any of the Optional Benefits described on the next page. Use the side-by-side comparison table below to determine which Menuflex™ plan suits you best: Benefits Included Menuflex™ BASIC Menuflex™ PLUS EHC BENEFITS Echelon General Insurance Company 100% Reimbursement except Drugs 100% Reimbursement except Drugs Prescription Drugs 70% Reimbursment of 1st $500/year, 100% of next $3,000 per policy year; Generic Drugs; Dispensing fee cap of $7.50 per prescription; ESI Pay Direct Card. 80% Reimbursement of first $500, 100% of next $4,000 per policy year  Brand name drugs; ESI Pay Direct Card Accidental Dental $2,500 per policy year $3,000 per policy year Ambulance Ground $10,000; $4,000 air ambulance per policy year Ground $10,000; $4,000 air ambulance per policy year Home Support $3,000 per policy year Combined policy year maximum of $7,500 for Home Support & Durable Medical Equipment, and Prosthetic appliances and Orthotics Durable Medical Equipment $3,000 per policy year Prosthetics $3,000 per policy year Medical Supplies Included Included Orthopedic footwear Custom Orthotics to $225 per policy year Custom Orthotics to $225 per policy year as part of Durable Medical Equipment maximum Private Duty Nurse Included in Home Support & Durable Equipment maximum of $7,500 Included in Home Support & Durable Equipment maximum of $7,500 Paramedical Services $450 maximum per practitioner per policy year ($50 maximum per visit): Acupuncturist; Chiropractor; Chiropodist; Naturopath; Osteopath; Physiotherapist; Podiatrist; Registered Massage Therapist. $35 for Chiropractic X-rays per policy year. Psychologist limited to 15 visits per year, maximum of $75 first visit and $60 subsequent; Speech Therapist $60 and $40. $500 maximum per practitioner per policy year ($50 maximum per visit): Acupuncturist; Chiropractor; Chiropodist; Naturopath; Osteopath; Physiotherapist; Podiatrist; Registered Massage Therapist. $35 for Chiropractic X-rays per policy year. Psychologist limited to 15 visits per year, maximum of $75 first visit and $60 subsequent; Speech Therapist $60 and $40. Hearing Aids $400/4 years. $500/4 years Vision Eye glasses: $150/2 years; Eye Examinations: $100/24 months Eye glasses: $250/2 years; Eye Examinations: $100/24 months Hospital Semi-private $150/day to a maximum of $4,500 per policy year Semi-private or Private up to $200/day; maximum $25,000 per policy year Maximum per person Benefit maximums Benefit maximums Lifetime Maximum $250,000 $250,000 Out-of-Country Royal & Sun Alliance $1M –30 days, unlimited trips with $100 deductible per claim $1M –30 days, unlimited trips with $100 deductible per claim DENTAL Menuflex™ BASIC Menuflex™ PLUS Preventive Services Echelon General Insurance Company 80% reimbursement; no waiting period  8 units scaling; 9 month recall; Oral Surgery, Endodontics, Periodontics. 80% reimbursement; no waiting period; Exams, cleaning, scaling every 6 months; fillings, x-rays, fluoride, space maintainers, extractions, anesthesia, endodontics, periodontics, denture repairs. Major Restorative Services Not Included Available Year 3+ at 60% reimbursement; Crowns, bridges, dentures & orthodontics; Orthodontia Not Included See above Maximums 80% to $500 year 1; 80% to $750 year 2+ 80% to $500 year 1; 80% to $750 year 2; 80% to $1,000 year 3 & 4; and $1,250 year 5, including combined Periodontics / Endodontics maximum of $500/year; 50% Periodontics reimbursement.                                                                                                                           Both of the Menuflex™ Basic & PLUS programs provide a wide range of comprehensive Health & Dental benefits coverage and will cover most of your needs. But for truly complete protection, you should consider customizing your coverage by choosing any or all of the Optional Benefits - they're very reasonably priced, and offer real peace-of-mind and security against life's uncertainties: Critical Illness Benefits   Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance   Disability Insurance Underwritten by ACE INA Insurance Critical Illness Protection is not Life insurance. It is a new type of insurance that pays a tax-free lump sum benefit after the insured person is diagnosed with any one of the TEN named conditions and survives for a period of 30 days. (For Cancer only, diagnosis must be made 90 days after coverage becomes effective.) Critical Illness protects against the financial consequences of TEN critical illnesses and conditions which include most of the common life-threatening illnesses face by Canadians today, including: Cancer Kidney Failure Stroke Deafness Recipient Major Organ Transplant Heart Attack Multiple Sclerosis Paralysis Blindness Coronary By-Pass Surgery Benefits are paid based on a specific medical diagnosis, not on an inability to work or proof of reduction in income. Coverage is renewable on an annual basis to age 65, and terminates at the Policy Anniversary immediately following the insured's 65th birthday. Coverage may be purchased in an amount of $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000. Coverage is subject to approval of a separate health declaration. Pre-existing Conditions: No benefit will be payable for a Critical Illness if, during the first 24 months of coverage, the insured is diagnosed with a symptom or medical problem for which treatment was received in the 24 month period prior to the effective date of coverage. Critical Illness protection may also be purchased for the applicant's spouse. The premium rate for spousal coverage will depend upon the spouse's age, sex and smoker status. Underwritten by ACE INA Insurance Under age 45, the largest single cause of death or disability is an accident. Accidents can cause significant financial loss for the victim as well as all family members. Through the purchase of Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance protection, participants can minimize their financial losses and have the funds to cope with unexpected expenses not covered by provincial Medicare Plans or any other insurance plan. Optional Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance coverage is available for the applicant only, or the applicant and all family members in units of $50,000 up to a maximum of $300,000. No health evidence is required. Protection is provided 24 hours per day, 365 days per year regardless of where travel, or participation in hazardous leisure time activities takes place. Benefits are payable for loss of life, dismemberment, paralysis. If Family coverage is selected, the spouse is insured for 60% of the selected amount, unless there are eligible dependent children; in that case the spouse is insured for 50% and each child 15%. If there are only dependent children and no spouse, each child will be insured for 20% of the selected coverage amount. Underwritten by Lloyd's of London It's your most valuable asset: your ability to work and earn an income. Yet more than 50% of working Canadians have not purchased disability insurance to protect this asset. In other words, they "walk a tightrope" without any coverage, perhaps simply hoping it will never happen to them. But disability has no respect for age, occupation, gender, or position when it strikes unexpectedly through sudden illness or accident. What would you do? The primary concern of most individuals is their ability to meet their ongoing financial obligations in the event of temporary or long term disability. How would you, and/or your family survive financially if you became disabled and unable to work temporarily or permanently? Take away the ability to earn an income through unexpected injury or illness, and the result can be a financial disaster greater than premature death for the majority of Canadians. An affordable solution: The new Menuflex™ Disability Insurance Program can assist you in meeting your protection needs at reasonable and competitive cost, while providing you and your loved ones with comprehensive protection against loss of income due to illness, injury or death. With Menuflex™ Disability Insurance, you can walk the tightrope of life knowing there's a financial cushion in place to protect you and your family from any falls. Available coverage includes: Temporary Total Disability 66.67% of weekly salary to a maximum of $1,000 per week for both accident & sickness; covers earnings up to $77,990/annum; Permanent Total Disability provides a lump sum, tax-free payment of up to 5 times gross annual earnings (up to a maximum of $500,000) after 25 months of continuous disability when it has been determined that the insured is "Permanently and Totally Disabled". covers you for both accident or sickness. Accidental Death & Dismemberment 24 hour, 365 days per year coverage of up to $500,000; The Menuflex™ Disability Insurance Program is detailed in a separate section of the website, which you can access here. A separate Application Form & Health Declaration is required for Disability Insurance. These questions and answers have been compiled from inquiries we have received from both individual applicants and employers wishing to distribute the Menuflex™ Benefits Program for Individuals to eligible staff. We hope you find them useful. For additional information or to suggest a question, please contact us.   Q: Who is eligible for the Individual Program? A: Virtually anyone who works a minimum of 20 hours per week as a self-employed entrepreneur, full-time, part-time, casual, or contract employee is eligible to participate. Alternative coverage is available for those who do not meet the minimum 20 hours per week. Please contact us for details.     Q: How does Menuflex ™ compare to other plans in the marketplace? A: The Program offers more comprehensive, needs-related protection than other plans across Canada at a very competitive cost.     Q: What is the cost? A: The monthly premium costs are based your province of residence, your age and whether you choose Single, Couple or Family coverage under Menuflex™ BASIC or Menuflex™ PLUS coverage. The premium rates for all benefits are contained in the Application Form, available as a PDF download at right. You can also determine your premium rates using the Online Enrolment Form. Your monthly premiums are paid by pre-authorized debits     Q: How do I apply for coverage? A: You have two options: Use our Online Enrolment Form or   Simply complete the Application Form/Personal Health Declaration available as a PDF download, and mail it with a VOID cheque to the address indicated, or fax it for faster medical underwriting. Note that the Application Form and the Personal Health Declaration must be completed in detail, ensuring that you provide complete information on the second page of the Health Declaration wherever you have answered "Yes" to one of the questions on page one. No medical examination is required, you will be approved (or offered full coverage subject to a monthly surcharge on the rates to cover pre-existing conditions) based on the information provided on the Health Declaration. Alternatively you may be offered coverage with an exclusion for pre-existing conditions. Please also ensure that you indicate your family physician's name in the event he/she has to be contacted for clarification. A separate Health Statement is required for Critical Illness Insurance. Upon approval you will be notified, and coverage will commence on the 1st of the month coincident with, or next following, date of approval.     Q: What is meant by the term "medical underwriting"? A: Each of the insurers underwriting portions of the Program reserve the right to consider the medical history of the applicant and eligible dependents based on the responses to the questions posed on the Personal Health Declaration or Health Statement (Critical Illness), any additional information requested from the family physician, as well as their height and weight and current medication usage, in determining if the applicant will be approved for coverage. No medicals are required.     Q: What if I fail to disclose my full past medical history or current medication usage? A: All coverage can and will be terminated, and any pending claims will be declined.     Q: When does coverage start? A: Coverage commences on the 1st of the month coincident with or next following date of approval of the Personal Health Declaration by the insurer. It is therefore important to submit these documents to Alternative Benefit Solutions as early in the month as possible.     Q: How long will it take following approval will it be before I receive proof of coverage? A: Within 2-3 weeks you will receive your Booklet describing your coverage, a Pay-Direct Card and other information from the Program Administrator.     Q: What do I do if I incur Medical or Dental expenses in the meantime? A: Simply pay for the expenses, obtain a receipt and submit a paper claim as outlined in the booklet. Claim forms are available from the Downloads page.     Q: Who administers the program - who to contact? A: Alternative Benefit Solutions Inc., Toronto, Ontario acts as the Third Party Administrator and will be the one point of contact regarding coverage or claims once you have been approved. If you have questions in advance of submitting an Application please contact Scott Maclagan at 1-877-359-6368, the developer of the Program.     Q: Can I continue with service even if I'm between employment / contracts? A: Yes, Menuflex™ coverage is fully portable. The insurer has a general requirement that participants work a minimum of 20 hours per week over a period of 9 months.     Q: Are the benefits provided only while I'm on contract? A: No, once you have been approved for coverage you may continue to participate through to age 90, regardless of whether you are on contract or move to a full-time position, provided you make arrangements through Alternative Benefit Solutions Inc. to pay the entire premium on your own through pre-authorized bank withdrawals. If you elect not to continue on your own, and enter into a new contract within 6 months, you will not be required to provide new Health Evidence. Please contact Alternative Benefit Solutions for details.     Q: Can I purchase Disability Insurance only? A: Yes, simply complete the Disability Quote request form under the Disability Insurance Section. If you have unique or special requirements please contact us.     Q: Can I purchase Dental only? A: No, that would be considered "selection against the insurer", as only those who know that they have pending dental expenses would enroll. Dental must be purchased in conjunction with Extended Health Care Benefits.     Q: Can I purchase Term Life optional coverage? A: Yes, complete the Term Life Quotation Request Form and submit it to Alternative Benefit Solutions. We will secure quotations based on your specified needs and respond as quickly as possible. Dependent on your location, we may refer you to a local Sub-Broker to assist you.     Q: When is the renewal date and will my rates change? A: All Menuflex™ participants are combined under one underwriting pool with the primary insurer. There is a common anniversary date of April 1st when all premium rates may be adjusted based on the claims experience of the overall group.     Q: I am going to be working on a contract basis for several months in the United States, will the Program's health and dental coverage apply to me while I am working there? A:  The Out-of-Country Emergency Hospital/Medical coverage, as with all Canadian group and individual plans, is designed to cover incidental business travel, or vacations out of Canada, subject to the time limit contained in the contract. This Program, and competing programs, is not intended to cover individuals reporting to a work location in the United States, even those commuting on a weekly basis. It is essential to obtain proper coverage, designed to cover Canadians working out-of-Canada. Menuflex™ offers this coverage under a different program. Please visit the Odyssey™ Expatriate Benefits section of this web site for details on comprehensive protection on a world-wide basis.     Q: To what age can an applicant remain covered under the Program? A:  Applicants may apply for coverage up to age 75 and remain covered to age 90.     Q: I live and work in Quebec, what difference does that make? A: Due to the fact that Menuflex™ is an Individual Program, it cannot include drug coverage under the EHC Benefits. Drug coverage must be secured through RAMQ.                                                                                                                                                                             It's easy to choose your benefits and apply for coverage! As with any type of insurance coverage, your premium rates are determined by a number of factors, including Age, Province, number of dependents and the custom mix of benefit options you have selected. The Online Enrolment Form and the downloadable Application Form provide rate information for each Province, and allow you to quickly calculate your premium costs as you fill out the necessary personal information and choose your coverage options.   To Apply For Coverage you have two options: Apply online using our Online Enrolment Form Or   Simply complete the Application Form/Personal Health Declaration available as a PDF download, and mail it with a VOID cheque to the address indicated, or fax it for faster medical underwriting. Note that the Application Form and the Personal Health Declaration must be completed in detail, ensuring that you provide complete information on the second page of the Health Declaration wherever you have answered "Yes" to one of the questions on page one. No medical examination is required, you will be approved (or offered coverage subject to a surcharge for pre-existing conditions) based on the information provided on the Health Declaration. Alternatively, you may be offered coverage with an exclusion for pre-existing conditions. Please also ensure that you indicate your family physician's name in the event he/she has to be contacted for clarification. This information is strictly confidential, shared only among the Insurer and Program Administrator. If you have pre-existing conditions: In some cases the Insurer may agree to offer full coverage even with pre-existing conditions, but with a monthly surcharge based on the anticipated future drug or healthcare costs related to the condition. A separate Health Statement is required for Critical Illness Insurance. Upon approval you will be notified, and coverage will commence on the 1st of the month coincident with, or next following, date of approval. For assistance or additional information, please contact us: Alternative Benefit Solutions Inc. 5045 Orbitor Drive, Unit 10 Suite 300 Mississauga, Ontario L4W 4Y4 Phone: (905) 629-1252 Toll-free: 1-866-636-8359 Fax: (905) 602-7983 e-mail: info@alternativebenefits.ca To learn more about and apply for the Menuflex™ Benefits Program, please download a Program Flyer and Application Form. Premium rates are included in the Application Forms. Just choose the appropriate form for your Province. Acrobat Reader PDF files: These files are provided in Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF format in order to provide compatibility across all platforms, operating systems and browsers. The Acrobat Reader plug-in is freely available from Adobe Systems here. Click here if you would like Additional Downloading Instructions If for any reason you are unable to view these files or obtain the Acrobat Reader Plug-in, please Contact Us and we will be happy to forward whatever documents you need by fax or mail. Click on the icon to begin downloading. Program Information PDF Menuflex™ CIAA Program Flyer (Plan Overview & Details) 2 pages Overview of All Menuflex™ Programs (features of Individual, MDSA, SELECT, Disability, Expatriate) 2 pages  Frequently Asked Questions - Individual Program coming soon Menuflex™ Individual Program Application Kits: