Privacy Policy (Updated Jan 1, 2004)

Introduction

At Benefits Interface, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our business. In the course of our business, it is necessary to collect, record, store, process, transmit, and otherwise handle Personal Information about individuals. We take these activities seriously and seek to provide fair, secure and appropriate methods for the handling of Personal Information. All such activities are intended to be consistent with both generally accepted privacy ethics and standard business practices.

If you have any questions or comments about Benefits Interface's Privacy Policy, you can contact our Privacy Officer (privacy@benefits.org).

We will obtain your consent

The purpose for which Personal Information is collected will be specified on or before the collection of the information, and any change of purpose will be communicated to you. This consent will be expressed in writing, given verbally, electronically, or through an authorized representative. In limited circumstances consent can also be implied.

Consent to collect, use and disclose Personal Information can be withdrawn at any time, subject to legal and contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

We will limit collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal information

Collection

Only required information for the purpose(s) identified will be collected.

Only lawful means will be used to collect personal information.

To the extent appropriate:

Personal Information will be obtained directly from you; and

Prior to collecting Personal Information from any other source, you will be notified or your written authorization will be obtained.

Use and disclosure

Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those specified to you, except:

Where required by law; or

Where reasonably necessary, to determine eligibility for a benefit; or

To protect the interests of Benefits Interface against criminal activity, fraud, and material misrepresentation in connection with a contract.

Retention of records

We will keep Personal Information only as long as it is necessary, including for the purposes of updating the product or services or as required by law. When the Personal Information is no longer required, it will be destroyed either by shredding or other approved destruction methods to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the information during and after the process.

We will safeguard information in our custody

We have developed and will maintain security procedures to safeguard Personal Information against loss, theft, copying, and unauthorized disclosure, use or modification. Access to Personal Information is restricted to employees and authorized service providers who need it to perform their work. While Benefits Interface endeavours to protect all information, the most sensitive information, receives the highest level of protection.

We will provide you access to your file

You have the right to be informed of the nature and source of Personal Information that Benefits Interface has on its records concerning you.

Should you wish to receive a copy of the documents Benefits Interface has on its records, minimal reproduction and handling fees may be asked. You will be informed of the charge before the documents are reproduced.

You also have the right to request the correction of inaccurate, incomplete or obsolete information in your file. If demonstrated to our satisfaction that the information held in our record is inaccurate or incomplete, we will make the necessary changes.

Any request to access or correct information held in our records should be made in writing to:
Privacy Officer
Benefits Interface, Inc.
LDC1, Box 337
Hamilton, ON L8L 7W2
Canada

If you are not satisfied as to how we have handled your personal information…

You may register a Privacy related complaint by contacting our Privacy Officer (privacy@benefits.org).

We will explain our complaints handling procedure and inform you of other complaint procedures that may be available to you.

If a complaint is justified, we will take appropriate action to resolve the situation and if necessary change our Policies, Procedures or Practices.

Internet Privacy Statement (Updated Jan 1, 2004)

Personally identifiable information is only collected when you provide feedback by email or response forms. This information may be used to provide a specific response as well as ongoing benefit communication.

Standard traffic statistics are captured by Internet servers and analyzed to make web-site development decisions. Cookies, client-side scripts and other techniques are not used to identify anything about you, your computer, or your navigation.

An e-mail subscription program is used to provide benefit information to Canadian employers. Requests to subscribe and unsubscribe are processed within two business days and remain in effect for five years unless changed by the respondent.

Claims Privacy Statement (Updated Jan 1, 2000)

The date of purchase, patient category (self, spouse, child, etc.), benefit category (drug, dental, vision, professional fees, etc.), claim amount and payment amount are considered financial information which your employer needs access to for audit purposes.

The medical details of your claim (diagnostic, type of drug, type of dental service, type of profession, etc.) are considered personal information which your employer should never have access to.