July 2026 eNews

In this issue:

Men’s health webinar: A growing concern and opportunity for employers
Updated group life and disability claim forms*
Changes to group life and disability claims communications*
For EFAP clients: enhanced digital experience now available from Homewood Health*
*Indicates content we will share with your clients

Men’s health webinar: A growing concern and opportunity for employers

Men are less likely to seek care, more likely to delay treatment and often face barriers to accessing support. The result? Poorer health outcomes and a greater impact on workplace productivity, disability and benefits costs.

Join our free advisor webinar on Aug. 12 to explore the unique challenges affecting men’s health and learn how employers can help drive earlier intervention, better engagement and healthier outcomes.

Our presenters will share current trends, emerging risks and practical strategies you can bring to your clients. In this session, you’ll learn:

Key trends shaping men’s health in Canada.
Why delayed care and low engagement matter to employers.
Practical ways clients can support prevention, early intervention and long-term well-being.

CE credits will be available.

The webinar will be presented in English only.

Updated group life and disability claim forms

We’ve updated our group life and disability claim forms and processes to be simpler, faster and easier for clients to use.

Here’s what’s changed

Life claims

Simplified forms for dependant and plan member death claims
Fewer steps for dependant claims:
- No claimant form required from the plan member
- Only the Dependant Death - Plan Sponsor's Statement (form 209) and proof of death (provincial death certificate or funeral director’s certificate) are needed
New claim guides to help plan members, sponsors and beneficiaries every step of the way

Disability claims

One application for both short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD)
No transition form required for clients with both STD and LTD
Less paperwork for the health-related portion of maternity claims; no medical form needed
Clear, updated guides to support plan sponsors and members

The updated forms and guides will be available on Equitable.ca and EquitableHealth.ca by July 31, 2026. Plan members should use the updated forms for new claims submitted on or after Aug. 1, 2026. During the transition, we will continue to accept previous versions of the forms for claims already in progress.

If you have any questions, please contact your group account executive.

Changes to group life and disability claims communications

Starting in August, our group life and disability claim correspondence will no longer include the last name of the claim specialist handling the file. First names and contact information will continue to be provided.

This update helps protect employee privacy while maintaining the same level of service for clients.

Clients can continue to contact their claim specialist directly via phone or they can continue to email:

Emails will continue to be directed to their claim specialist. They’ll respond as soon as possible.

For EFAP clients: enhanced digital experience now available from Homewood Health

Homewood Health^® recently enhanced the digital platform for its employee and family assistance program (EFAP). The enhancements make it quicker and easier to navigate Homewood’s EFAP services, connect to the right supports and access personalized wellness resources.

The upgraded platform is available to Equitable clients who have added the EFAP to their group benefits plans.

The right support, faster

Homewood’s new Smart Care Navigation™ tool provides tailored recommendations to plan members and their dependants, based on the challenges they’re facing.

After logging in to Homeweb, plan members select Smart Care Navigation and answer a few questions. The tool will recommend support based on their needs, which may include a combination of counselling, coaching, articles, video and e-course resources or Sentio iCBT treatment plans.

Clinically guided care journeys

Plan members can access their recommended supports and resources anytime from their Homeweb dashboard. Under Active Plans, they can access any Smart Care Navigation recommendations they’ve received.

Client and plan member communication

Homewood has notified all EFAP clients of the enhanced platform and features. We will also be reminding clients of the enhanced platform and providing the following resources they can share with their plan members: