Green Shield Supplemental Insurance Plan (drug/dental) for Fall 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected all graduate students, including International Students, the GSS would like to update all graduate students in regards to the GSS Supplemental benefits plan (drug/dental plan) for fall 2020.
Back in February 2020, at the GSS AGM meeting, there was a proposal submitted to all members in attendance in regards to changes to the GSS Green Shield Insurance Policy.
Any full-time graduate student enrolled for the fall 2020 semester but not coming to Canada until winter 2021 for on-campus programs, is to be assessed for the drug/dental fee for Green Shield, whether you are in a 12-month program or 16-month program. Even though students will be taking courses online and in their home country, the GSS will still be activating students for the supplemental benefits plan for the fall semester. The reason being is that once the international travel restrictions have been lifted, many students as in the past, will be coming to Canada, whether in October, November or December 2020 and the first question most students contact the GSS about is when will they be activated for the supplemental benefits plan. You will already be activated so that when you arrive your plan will be ready to use from the moment you leave your home country. There will be no opt-outs or refunds allowed unless a student has a comparable benefits plan to that of the GSS or better. Travel insurance plans are not a comparable benefits plan whether from your country of origin or from North America and they will not be accepted. The GSS benefits plan for the 12 month and 16 month plans link is found below.
Many students are contacting the GSS and requesting to receive a refund of 4 months of coverage on their student account, since they won’t be in Canada to use the supplemental benefits plan and do not want to pay for the extra 4 months. Students will have 12 months of supplemental benefits coverage to use in 8 months instead of 12 months (depending on your program) or in the case of a student enrolled in a 16-month program, the student will only be assessed the drug/dental plan fee once for the 16 months and will have 12 months to use their full amount of benefits.
GSS Insurance Plan Policy changes
Below is more important information that you will also need to know in regards to the GSS Insurance Plan Policy changes effective May 1, 2020
- No Travel Insurance plans will be allowed to opt-out of the GSS drug/dental plan as it MUST be a comparable benefits plan.
- Any student that will be turning 26 during an academic year and decides to opt-out will not be eligible to opt back into the plan during a given academic year and must wait until the following academic year.
- Elimination of the 4 months plan.
- Elimination of the 8 months plan.
- Any student that opts out through another website (UWSA or OPUS) after the GSS sends out the mass email on the Friday following the beginning of classes with the correct link for opting out as a full-time graduate student, that student will NOT be eligible to opt-out even though they opted out by the deadline.
- Any student on a coop placement is to be assessed the GSS drug/dental plan.
- A student MUST opt-in their spouse and or family members during the semester that they do their intake in (i.e. May, September or January) only.
- There will be no refunds or partial refunds for either the 12 months or 16-month plans for any of the semesters as a student may have maximized their benefits plan.
- Opt-in and opt-out deadlines will be 3-4 weeks per semester and are to be done ONLY through the GSS website for both.
- The first 6 weeks of each semester is the “blackout period”. This means no student is activated during this time until the opt-in/opt-out and add drop deadlines are determined by the U. of Windsor. You will be activated after these deadlines have passed with activation occurring either in October, February or June depending on a student’s semester intake.
- For students that will be going to study abroad or out of the province, you MUST notify the GSS office one week before the end of a semester so that if your out of province coverage (OOP) is due to expire, the GSS will make sure that you are activated again effective May 1, September 1 or January 1 and you MUST provide an email to the GSS notifying them of you being out of the province and include the following information so that the GSS can notify GSC to make sure you are activated and continue with OOP coverage:
- Last Name
- First Name
- Student Number
- Date of Birth (yyyy/mm/dd)
- Gender (M, F, U are the only 3 categories that the Green Shield system accepts).
For International Students
If you have a spouse and your family members coming to Canada later during the semester that you first registered in (i.e. summer, fall or winter), you MUST contact the GSS office to let us know that your family members will be coming to Canada and the approximate date of their arrival and you MUST opt-in your family members on the GSS website so that we will be able to assess you the proper fee to add in your spouse and/or family members. You must first provide proof that you have paid for your spouse and/or family members that they have OHIP Equivalency (health) coverage through the International Student Centre.
You have 2 Green Shield benefits plans
- 1) GSS drug/dental plan which has a subscriber number (which is your UWindsor Student ID number followed by -00), but NO card and;
- 2) the OHIP Equivalency plan (health plan) which has a card and is administered by Marissa Bonasso of the International Student Centre or email at: gship@uwindsor.ca or Ext. 3937. You must contact Marissa for the OHIP Equivalency plan only.
If a graduate student has been granted a leave of absence (LOA), withdrawal or deferral of studies by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, please send an email to the GSS (with proof of your withdrawal, LOA or deferral) in regards to your payment for the GSS supplemental benefits plan which will be dealt with on an individual basis only.
