Your HEPP COLA Benefit

The HEPP COLA Plan will pay an ad hoc COLA benefit to retired HEPP members each year, subject to approval by the HEPP COLA Plan Board of Trustees. The first COLA was paid in April 2018, and future COLAs, if granted, will be paid in January of each year.

If a COLA is granted, the benefit will be paid in a one-time taxable lump sum, not monthly. Your regular monthly HEPP pension payments will remain the same.

The maximum COLA Plan benefit that may be payable in a given year will be two-thirds of the increase in the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) from April to April.

Your COLA is always granted based on your monthly HEPP pension in payment. It does not compound based on any previous COLA amounts. See how your COLA benefit is calculated

The HEPP COLA Plan is registered as a supplemental plan under the Income Tax Act, but is not registered with the Pension Commission of Manitoba. This means it is not subject to all of the same rules as HEPP when it comes to such things as division of your pension if your marriage or common-law relationship breaks down. See the question list below for more information.

Expand all

Find answers to your HEPP COLA questions

When will I receive my COLA?

The first COLA was paid April 1, 2018. In future years, any COLAs will be paid January 1.

Each year the COLA is granted it will be paid as a lump sum in addition to your January monthly HEPP pension payment.
Will a COLA be granted every year?

A COLA is not guaranteed to be granted every year. If granted, the amount of the COLA will depend on the financial status of the respective COLA Plan Fund.
What happens if a COLA is not granted?

If the COLA Plan Funds do not have sufficient funds to grant a new COLA in any given year, your HEPP pension payments will continue as normal.

Depending on the funds available in the Plan, you might receive some or all of your previously granted COLAs as a cumulative prior COLA amount, even if a COLA is not granted to a given year.
Do I have to apply to receive a COLA?

No, you do not have to apply to receive a COLA.

If you have received a monthly pension payment from HEPP for at least 12 months when a COLA is granted, you will automatically receive a COLA benefit payment.
If I receive a COLA, will it affect my existing HEPP benefits in any way?

No. A COLA will not affect other HEPP benefits.
Will my spouse/common-law partner be eligible to receive my COLA Plan benefit if our relationship breaks down before I retire?

No. Only retired HEPP members are eligible to receive a HEPP COLA Plan benefit.
Will my spouse/common-law partner be eligible to receive my COLA if our relationship breaks down after I retire?

Because the COLA Plan is not registered with the Pension Commission of Manitoba it is not subject to all of the same rules as HEPP when it comes to division of your pension if your marriage or common-law relationship breaks down.

However, if your relationship breaks down after you retire, your spouse/common-law partner may be entitled to receive a portion of any COLA benefit you are receiving, depending on the agreement you negotiate with your spouse/common-law partner.
If a COLA is granted after I die, will my spouse/common-law partner or beneficiary receive the COLA?

Only retired HEPP members are eligible to receive a COLA. A COLA is not transferrable to a spouse/common-law partner or beneficiary when you die.

Disclaimer - This website provides a basic overview of the Healthcare Employees' Pension Plan (HEPP) and the Healthcare Employees' Benefits Plan (HEBP) (collectively the HEB Manitoba Pension and Benefit Plans). Not all employers participate in all Plans. Please check your eligibility for benefits with your employer.

HEB Manitoba is a name notation registered by the Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan – Manitoba and the Healthcare Employees’ Benefits Plan – Manitoba and under which each of their respective undertakings is carried out.

The information on this website is for convenience of reference only and has no official sanction. View our full disclaimer here.