MyVSTA

RETIREMENT

Retiring this Year?  

  • Submit a letter to Employee Services – Vancouver Board of Education stating the following:  
  • Your full name, employee ID number, and school on the letter. 
  • That you are going to retire as of 2025 June 30.  
  • Contact VBE payroll to find out when your current health benefits end to ensure you have continuous coverage until the benefits associated with the Teachers’ Pension Plan begin. 
  • Please also note the following cancellation dates of your benefits when completing your benefit application forms with the Teachers Pension Plan:  
  • Medical Services Plan 2025 August 31  
  • Extended Health Benefits 2025 August 31  
  • Dental Benefits 2025 August 31  
  • Group Life 2025 August 31  
  • Voluntary Life Coverage 2025 August 31  
  • Information on Early Retirement Incentive Program is now on-line. Click here for a “How to Retire from the VBE” document to see if you qualify.  Click here for the VSB memo to Administrators. 
  • Contact the Teacher Regulation Branch of the Ministry of Education to see your options regarding maintaining your BC Teacher’s certificate if you intend to teach after retirement.  
  • If you do not intend to teach in BC after your retirement, please be sure to opt out of your payroll deduction by 2025 April 01 through PeopleSoft Employee Self Service. 
  • Members retiring in June or who retired earlier in the year are invited, along with one guest, to the annual VSTA Retirees’ Dinner in June. Contact the VSTA office to reserve a place.  Also invited are VSTA staff reps, standing committee reps and members of the Executive. Invitations are sent to schools early June. 
  • Attend a BC Retired Teachers’ Association (BCRTA) Pre-Retirement Workshop.  The BCRTA offers the Making Sense of Pensions & Benefits webinar for teachers across the province to help them plan for a successful transition to retirement.  Click here for dates and registration. 
  • Join the BC Retired Teachers’ Association. Contact the BCRTA re: starting/continuing Medoc travel health insurance. There are many advantages to membership, and you can have the annual $40 fee deducted directly from your pension.  
  • Join the Vancouver Retired Teachers’ Association (VRTA). Currently there is no cost for the first year for NEW members to join the BCRTA, Vancouver branch and R R Smith Foundation, as fees are waived for new members for one year.  
  • Consider converting your current group life insurance to an individual life insurance policy. 
  • Apply to the BCTF for Associate Membership. 
  • At age 60, if you are not working, consider applying for your Canada Pension Plan pension. For an application kit, visit the CPP website. 
  • At age 65, apply for Old Age Security (OAS). For an application kit, visit the OAS website.
  • Contact the BCTF Income Security Staff if you have questions related to any of the above.  Phone:  604-871-1921; toll-free 1-800-663-9163, ext. 1921. 

Teachers’ Pension Plan 

The Teachers Pension Corporation provides online services through “My account” http://www.pensionsbc.ca for you to elect retirement and begin collecting your pension. Please contact their office at 1-800-665-6770 if you have any difficulties with the service. The Pension Corporation requires you to make notification of your retirement to them. The Vancouver Board of Education cannot notify the Pension Corporation on your behalf.  

Free Teachers’ Pension Plan Member Education 

There’s still time to register for a free member education workshop! If you’re a new member, you can take our eLearning course. Wondering how being a member of the plan, returning from parental leave, getting divorced, transferring service or choosing a pension option could affect your future? Find answers to your pension questions. 

Members wondering how important events in their life can affect their future pension 

Making the Most of Your Pension is a 2–hour workshop that can help you maximize your pension by understanding how the decisions you make throughout your career affect your pension when you retire 

Members approaching retirement 

Approaching Retirement is a 2–hour workshop designed to help you understand the important decisions you need to make about your pension and make the transition easier.To make sure the workshops are interactive space is limited to 35 seats. They fill up quickly so register early to make sure you attend the date(s) of your choice. If the workshop is full, you can be put on a waitlist. Or, you could take a workshop at an alternative location. 

For more information and to register for a workshop, visit tpp.pensionsbc.ca > click Your pension > Pension basics or Planning for retirement. 

New and potential members 

Getting to Know Your Pension is a 15-minute eLearning course that will introduce you to the value and benefits of plan membership. To take this eLearning course anywhere, anytime, visit tpp.pensionsbc.ca > click Your pension > Pension basics. If you have taken the eLearning course and/or attended a workshop, share your experience with your colleagues so they can benefit from learning more about their pension.