Partial Retirement

Since July 1, 2014, employees have been offered the option of partial retirement. Under this arrangement, the employee receives an initial pension from the General Account. Later, at a date selected by the employee, he or she may apply for a second pension which comes from the Complementary Account and is added to the first pension.

An employee who has not retired and who joined the pension plan before 2005 is eligible for partial retirement when the following four conditions are met:

1. The employee has been credited with no less than 21,000 hours worked in the pension plan (excluding those that counted toward any benefit already received from the General Account).
2. The employee is eligible to receive a pension from the General Account.
3. The employee has accumulated a pension benefit of no less than $150/month in the General Account before the 12.5% supplement is added.
4. The employee has a Complementary Account with a value greater than $ 0 on the date of partial retirement.

The following terminology is in the text:

• An employee is fully retired when the employee is receiving all of the pension benefits to which he or she is entitled:
  • if the employee participated in both the General and Complementary accounts, full retirement is when the employee is receiving both pensions;
  • if the employee did not participate in the Complementary Account, full retirement is when the employee is receiving the pension from the General Account;
  • if the employee did not participate in the General Account, full retirement is when the employee is receiving the pension from the Complementary Account.
• An employee is partially retired when he or she is receiving a pension from the General Account but has not started receiving a pension from the Complementary Account (and has participated in the Complementary Account).