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Supplemental Benefits Plan

Supplemental Benefits Plan

The GSS Supplemental Benefits Plan (also known as the GSS Drug and Dental Plan) is a supplemental plan that ensures coverage for costs outside of Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP).

The supplemental plan covers portions of prescription drugs, hospital accommodations, custom footwear and orthotics, professional services from acupuncture, chiropractors, podiatrists, psychologists, speech therapists, naturopaths, registered massage therapists, physiotherapists, sports therapists, and homeopaths, accidental and basic dental, prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses, eye exams, tutors and out-of-province health coverage.

As part of the National Student Health Network, through the Canadian Federation of Students, our insurance provider is Green Shield Canada.

Who is Eligible for What

Full-time graduate students are automatically opted-into the GSS Drug and Dental Plan.

Part-time students are not automatically opted-into the plan, but have the option to opt-in, which must be done manually:

  • during the first semester of their program; and
  • before the opt-in deadline for that (first) semester, as determined and published by GSS.

A member student may only opt-in for this plan once they have one of the following:

  • Normal OHIP coverage (what most Ontario residents already have); or
  • OHIP Equivalency card and coverage (for international students). For more information about obtaining OHIP equivalency, see below.

As well, all students on the health plan may extend coverage to their spouse, common-law partner, or children.

If you are an international student and have inquiries about your Green Shield Health Plan or OHIP Equivalency plan and what coverage you have, please either call the administrator of the Health Plan or OHIP Equivalency Plan for all international students:

  • Contact: Marissa Bonasso
  • Phone: 519-253-3000 #3937
  • Email: gship@uwindsor.ca

IMPORTANT:

Just because you qualify, or are automatically enrolled, does not mean you are registered to make claims. All students must also complete a Registration form, creating a profile and online portal account with Green Shield Canada.

General Information

The dates and periods are the same regard less of your student status (full-time/part-time), tuition status (resident, non-resident, international), and scope of coverage (just you, spouse, children).

YearSemesterStart DateStart TimeEnd DateEnd Time
2023Fall2023-09-018:00 AM2023-10-0511:59 PM
2024Winter2024-01-038:00 AM2024-02-0511:59 PM
2024Summer2024-05-018:00 AM2024-06-0511:59 PM

Although the dates and periods are the same, the conditions are not. Pay careful attention to each of the following scenarios to ensure you are considering the right information.

Full-Time Domestic and International Graduate Students
Opt-Out Period for Student (including Spouse/Children)

No specific instructions.

See “Opt-Out Instructions” tab for details.

Part-Time Domestic and International Graduate Students
Opt-In Period for Student (including Spouse/Children)

These are the opt-in dates for all part-time graduate students, whether or not are including spouse/children to their benefits plan.

If the student also wants to include their spouse and/children on their benefits plan, this MUST be done during the same opt-in period for the student above. ﾠYou will not be eligible to opt-in your spouse and/or family members during subsequent intake periods after you, as the student, began your GSS Green Shield coverage during the first semester you are charged for benefits.

If you are an international student and know that your spouse is coming after the your opt-in deadline (when you are charged for your benefits), you must notify the GSS office before your opt-in deadline. You will then be required to complete the opt-in form for your spouse and/or family members. Once they arrive, please contact the GSS office to make payment arrangements.

Full-Time Domestic Graduate Students
Opt-In Period for Spouse/Children

These are the opt-in dates for domesticﾠfull-time graduate students that want to include their spouse and/children on their benefits plan and this MUST be done during the same opt-in period for the student above. ﾠYou will not be eligible to opt-in your spouse and/or family members during subsequent intake periods after you, as the student, began your GSS Green Shield coverage during the first semester you are charged for benefits.

Full-Time International Graduate Students
Opt-In Period for Spouse/Children

These are the opt-in dates for full-time international graduate students that want to include their spouse and/children on their benefits plan and this MUST be done during the same opt-in period for the student above.  You will not be eligible to opt-in your spouse and/or family members during subsequent intake periods after you, as the student, began your GSS Green Shield coverage during the first semester you are charged for benefits.

If you are an international student and know that your spouse is coming after the your opt-in deadline (when you are charged for your benefits), you must notify the GSS office before your opt-in deadline. You will then be required to complete the opt-in form for your spouse and/or family members. Once they arrive, please contact the GSS office to make payment arrangements.

See the "Registration and Benefits" tab on this page to download a copy of the form beforehand.

Determine the Plan for You

While all plans have similar benefits, the duration of the benefits changes  Make sure that you refer to the appropriate plan for you, based on your student status, which depends on full-time or part-time status, and whether you are a domestic or international student.

Use this table to determine which plans are applicable and best-suited for you:

PlanAcademic ProgramsNotePlan StartPlan End
12 MonthAll, except:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in

Renews after
12 months		2023-09-012024-08-31
12 MonthAll, except:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in

Renews after 12 months		2023-01-012023-12-31
16 MonthOnly for:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in2023-09-012024-12-31
16 MonthOnly for:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in2023-01-012024-04-30
12 MonthAll, except:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in

Renews after
12 months		2023-05-012024-04-30
16 MonthOnly for:
Management
Engineering - Auto.
Education
Applied Computing
Applied Economics
Medical Biotechnology		Auto-opt-in2023-05-012024-08-31

Specific Plan Details

View the details about each available plan. Make sure that you refer to the appropriate plan for you, which you can determine using the table above.

Cost

  • Single:  $557.76
  • Couple:  $1,047.71
  • Family:  $1,354.74

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    January 1
  • Coverage End:
    December 31 of same year

Application Form

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Cost

  • Single:  $735.90
  • Couple:  $1,387.87
  • Family:  $1,796.42

As a student you are only assessed the single rate.  However, for those student wanting couple coverage and/or family coverage, GSS charges you the difference between couple coverage and single coverage additionally, or to add your family (spouse and children), GSS charges you the difference between single coverage and family coverage.  You may pay by cheque made payable to GSS, money order or cash only.

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    January 1
  • Coverage End:
    April 30 of following year

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Note that the document of reference for this plan is the Plan Booklet for the most recent 12-Month plan.

Plan Eligibility

Please check your student account for the amount you paid for your Green Shield benefits plan in order to determine if this is your detailed benefits plan or not as the majority of students are activated in this 12 month plan.

Cost

  • Single:  $557.76
  • Couple:  $1,047.71
  • Family:  $1,354.74

As a student you are only assessed the single rate. ﾠHowever, for those student wanting couple coverage and/or family coverage, GSS charges you the difference between couple coverage and single coverage additionally, or to add your family (spouse and children), GSS charges you the difference between single coverage and family coverage. ﾠYou may pay by cheque made payable to GSS, money order or cash only.

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    May 1
  • Coverage End:
    April 30 of following year

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Cost

  • Single:  $735.90
  • Couple:  $1,387.87
  • Family:  $1,796.42

As a student you are only assessed the single rate. ﾠHowever, for those student wanting couple coverage and/or family coverage, GSS charges you the difference between couple coverage and single coverage additionally, or to add your family (spouse and children), GSS charges you the difference between single coverage and family coverage. ﾠYou may pay by cheque made payable to GSS, money order or cash only.

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    May 1
  • Coverage End:
    August 31 of following year

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Note that the document of reference for this plan is the Plan Booklet for the most recent 12-Month plan.

Plan Eligibility

Please check your student account for the amount you paid for your Green Shield benefits plan in order to determine if this is your detailed benefits plan or not as the majority of students are activated in this 12 month plan.

Cost

  • Single:  $557.76
  • Couple:  $1,047.71
  • Family:  $1,354.74

As a student you are only assessed the single rate.  However, for those student wanting couple coverage and/or family coverage, GSS charges you the difference between couple coverage and single coverage additionally, or to add your family (spouse and children), GSS charges you the difference between single coverage and family coverage.  You may pay by cheque made payable to GSS, money order or cash only.

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    September 1
  • Coverage End:
    August 31 of following year

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Cost

  • Single:  $735.90
  • Couple:  $1,387.87
  • Family:  $1,796.42

As a student you are only assessed the single rate.  However, for those student wanting couple coverage and/or family coverage, GSS charges you the difference between couple coverage and single coverage additionally, or to add your family (spouse and children), GSS charges you the difference between single coverage and family coverage.  You may pay by cheque made payable to GSS, money order or cash only.

Duration

  • Coverage Start:
    September 1
  • Coverage End:
    December 31 of following year

Benefits

Read all details and the Schedule of Benefits, as well as the maximums for each benefit and the co-pays for each benefit in the Benefit Plan Booklet.

Note that the document of reference for this plan is the Plan Booklet for the most recent 12-Month plan.

Plan Activation

The first 6 weeks of the fall semester intake, the first 6 weeks of the winter semester intake or during the first 6 weeks of the summer semester intake, this is known as the “blackout period”.

This means that until the opt-in, opt out and add/drop deadlines have passed, no full-time graduate student will be activated for Green Shield during this period, until GSS obtains a master list from the Registrar’s office and Green Shield (for the opt-out list) before being able to activate any graduate students.

How Registraton Works

Once you are activated for the Green Shield benefits plan through the GSS, you will receive an email with instructions. Then, follow these steps:

  • Read the welcome email very carefully and follow all steps to register your profile on the Green Shield Canada website.
  • Download the Green Shield phone app to submit claims from a mobile device.
  • Alternatively, you can submit claims through the portal website, by attaching scans of invoices and documents.

Opt-Out Eligibility

  • You must have a comparable benefits plan to that of the GSS or BETTER in order to be eligible to opt out, otherwise, your opt out request will be denied.
  • Your comparable benefits plan MUST be a North American insurance plan that is recognized.
  • Travel Insurance from another country is NOT a comparable benefits plan and will not be accepted so if you try to opt out with having only Travel Insurance, your request for opt out will be denied.
  • If you are a Canadian citizen with only OHIP, and apply to opt out, this is NOT a comparable benefits plan; your request to opt out will be denied as you must have a comparable benefits plan to that of the GSS or better.
  • The GSS benefits plan is “all inclusive” which means that it includes the following benefits:  drug, dental, vision examination, eye checkup, extended health services, out of province coverage and AD&D (Accidental Death and Dismemberment).
  • Therefore, if you only have dental coverage or you have Trillium coverage or ODSP and have none of the other benefits and maximums that are included in the GSS Green Shield benefits plan, these are NOT comparable benefits plan and your request to opt out will be denied. (For a complete list of GSS benefits and maximums, please refer to the GSS detailed benefits booklet based on your billing division or program as the GSS has 2 different plans, benefits and maximums for each of the plans).  You may also contact Green Shield customer service to clarify what benefits and maximums your GSS Green Shield benefits plan covers.
  • A member student may only be registered for this plan once they have one of the following:
    • Normal OHIP coverage; or
    • OHIP Equivalency card and coverage (for international students). For more information about obtaining OHIP equivalency, please contact Marissa Bonasso at the International Students Centre.

Instructions to Opt-Out

Affirmative action is required on the part of any student that wishes to opt-out of a plan, before the published deadline. Follow these instructions to opt-out:

  • Verify the opt-out period for your situation, on the “Dates and Periods” tab.
  • In your web browser, visit the Greenshield opt-out page at:
    https://uwindsorgss.ca/services/insurance/opt/
  • Complete the form and submit.
  • You will receive a confirmation email or on-screen message.
  • NOTE: All graduate and Master's students must use this online service to opt-in or opt-out - no other method is available, such as a paper form.

Incidental Charges Information

The latest published tuition drop dates are shown in the table below.

The refund drop date of any semester serves as the deadline to opt-out of incidental charges. Any course dropped after the drop date will be charged 100% of the base tuition charges (0% refund). Furthermore, following this deadline, no incidental charges can be reversed.

YearSemesterDrop Date
2023Summer2023-06-05
2023Fall2023-10-05
2024Winter2024-02-01
2024Summer2024-06-05

Subscriber Number

Your Subscriber number for the GSS Green Shield Benefits Plan is:  WGS followed by your student number for single coverage. (Example: WGS123456789-00).

For couple and or family coverage, your spouse’s subscriber would be:

  • WGS your student number-01.
  • Your first child would be WGS your student number-02 and so on.

Subscriber Card

There is no physical plastic card remitted to plan subscribers from Green Shield Canada for this program.

However, a card-equivalent may be downloaded as a PDF file, printed and either folded or cut to be kept in a wallet for reference.

GSC on the Go - Mobile App

We recommend plan subscribers download the Green Shield Canada mobile app instead. The mobile app not only provides you with your subscriber number and details, but the ability to capture documents with your camera and submit claims quickly from anywhere.

How to Make Claims

Claims can be made:

  • directly to GSC from the provider;
  • paper claims submitted by you through the post mail;
  • online claims submitted by you through the online portal, by uploading supporting documents; or
  • mobile claims submitted by you through the "GSC On the Go" mobile app, by taking photos of required supporting documents with your phone's camera, or uploading PDFs on the fly.

Explanatory Videos

General Help

Navigating this content can be complicated.

If you have questions not covered by this page, contact BFL Canada.

benefits@uwindsorgss.ca

Claims/Questions

Once registered, you must contact Green Shield Canada for all questions, or self-serve via the portal.

1-888-711-1119

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