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1-800-267-3390As a nurse, you hope to never receive a complaint about your care. If you plan ahead and apply for Supplementary Protection, you can also be eligible for CNPS assistance in the event of a complaint to your nursing regulator.
What is the CNPS Supplementary Protection program?
As a CNPS beneficiary who is currently eligible for core services (which includes professional liability protection) you have the option to apply for the Supplementary Protection program, which expands the circumstances in which you can seek assistance from the CNPS.
With the CNPS Supplementary Protection program, you will be generally eligible for the following:
Legal assistance with complaints to your nursing regulator
As a registrant of the Supplementary Protection program, you will be eligible for legal assistance if you are the subject of an investigation as a result of a complaint filed against you with the College (or the provincial or territorial association that regulates nursing practice). A complaint is considered to be under investigation until it is dismissed, resolved on consent, resolved by way of a decision by a complaints committee or formally referred for a hearing before the Discipline Committee or a Fitness-to-Practice Committee. This legal assistance is discretionary and will be granted on a case-by-case-basis.
Legal assistance with disciplinary hearings
This assistance extends to complaints for which you have received assistance during the investigation stage from the CNPS and that have been formally referred to a Disciplinary Committee, Board of Inquiry, Fitness-to-Practice Committee or other equivalent tribunal for determination. It is made available through a partnership with an insurer. There is a limit of $50,000 for this assistance.
What’s generally included?
The Supplementary Protection program generally includes:
- Legal advice and legal representation
- The cost of expert evidence, if expert evidence is necessary
- The expenses that you have to reimburse to the nursing regulator, if this is ordered after a disciplinary hearing and included in the insurance policy
What’s generally excluded?
The Supplementary Protection program generally does not include:
- Assistance with quality assurance proceedings
- Assistance with appeals or applications for judicial review
- Fines that may be imposed as a result of the process
- Other expenses such as medical or any other professional assessments; remedies imposed on or agreed to by the nurse; courses or training; personal expenses to meet with your legal counsel, attend a meeting with the nursing regulator or a hearing
- CNPS Supplementary Protection does not act as a source of funding in excess to another provider of assistance with complaints to a nursing regulator or an appeal or judicial review of a regulatory matter
How much does Supplementary Protection cost?
The 2022 annual fee for CNPS Supplementary Protection is $130 plus applicable taxes (GST/HST).
NOTE: The protection period is based on a calendar year. The protection begins on or after the date of application, depending on your selected protection dates, and ends on December 31.
Are there any eligibility prerequisites?
There are prerequisites to your eligibility for assistance under the Supplementary Protection program:
- You must be a CNPS beneficiary
- You must have a valid nursing license in the jurisdiction where the complaint was filed at the time of the events giving rise to the complaint
- Your application for CNPS Supplementary Protection must have been accepted
- You must be or have been a registrant of the Supplementary Protection program at the time of the incident giving rise to the complaint or investigation; if the complaint or investigation pertains to more than one incident or to a continuous or repetitive course of conduct, you must be a registrant of the program when every incident took place or for the entire duration of the conduct giving rise to the complaint and/or investigation; and
- You must have maintained your registration with the Supplementary Protection program at the time when the complaint was filed by the complainant to the nursing regulator
Additional questions? Consult our frequently asked questions
Applying for CNPS Supplementary Protection
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Applying for the first time?
Interested in adding Supplementary Protection to an existing account? Unsure? Contact us directly to get more information on the Supplementary Protection program.