Health & Dental Coverage

See the attached Studentcare Brochure on how to navigate your 2020-21 Plan!

For a detailed breakdown of what the plan covers, please come to the SOGS office (Middlesex College, room 8)  or visit Studentcare.ca. Use your Pay Direct card to fill your prescriptions at most Canadian pharmacies.

International students: please contact Diana Ostia (dostia@uwo.ca), HR Coordinator, UHIP, if you require information about the University Health Insurance Plan: (519)-661-2111 Ext. 85536.

Postdoctoral Scholars  at Western, international and domestic, fellows and associates, graduates of any institution, can opt into the Western Alumni Health Plan . 

Exchange and Visiting students at Western University are NOT eligible for the SOGS Health Plan.

*DISCLAIMER: International students can NOT submit claims to Desjardins for regularly covered health treatments received abroad or in their home countries. Desjardins will NOT reimburse these claims. Emergency medical coverage is only to be used outside of Canada and the home countries of international students.

• Family members (spouse/partner, child under the age of 25 years of age) of full-time students (studentcare.ca
• Part-time students + family members (spouse/partner + children under 25 years of age)
• Full-time Non-residential students + family members (spouse/partner + children under 25 years of age) 
• Leave of Absence students + family members (spouse/partner + children under 25 years of age)   

Full-time Students: How to opt-in your family

If you are a full-time student automatically enrolled in and billed for the SOGS health plan and/or have family members (partner and/or children under 21 years of age or 25 if a student) you wish to opt-in, you must:

1. Go to the Studentcare web portal (NOTE: This portal is open from Sept 1-30, January 1-31, and May 1-31).
2. You will need to create a profile/have your profile confirmed if you have not already done so (i.e., the website will ask you to enter your name and student number).
3. Then, you will need to enrol your family online. You will need to enter the name and date of birth of your family members.
4. Pay Studentcare electronically through their portal (instructions will be provided to you on the website).
5. Due to a black out period, which can take up to 8 weeks, your family members will not appear in the Studentcare system as soon as you enrol them.

Part-time students (plus family members):

1. Please go to the Studentcare web portal (NOTE: This portal is open from Sept 1-30, January 1-31, and May 1-31).
2. You will need to create a profile/have your profile confirmed if you have not already done so (i.e., the website will ask you to enter your name and student number).
3. Then, you will need to enrol your family online. NOTE: You will need to enter the name and date of birth of your family members.
4. Pay Studentcare electronically through their portal (instructions will be provided to you on their website).
5. Due to a black out period, which can take up to 8 weeks, your family members will not appear in the Studentcare system as soon as you enrol them. Therefore, keep all receipts for medical/dental expenses and claim them later.

Non-Residential Students (plus family members):

1. You will OPT-IN directly through SOGS!
2. You will need to complete our OPT-IN form (sogs.ca/documents/).
3. Email your completed form to sogs.accounting@uwo.ca.
4. Send payment to sogs.accounting@uwo.ca via e-transfer through online banking. Please be sure to make your student number your password for the transfer. 
5. Due to a black out period, which can take up to 8 weeks, you (and your family members) will not appear in the Studentcare system as soon as you enrol them. Therefore, keep all receipts for medical/dental expenses and claim them later.

Leave of Absence Students: How to Opt-in

Please contact the SOGS office directly at sogs@uwo.ca.

1. You will OPT-IN directly through SOGS!
2. You will need to complete our OPT-IN form (sogs.ca/documents/).
3. Email your completed form with proof of LOA status (i.e., and email from SGPS confirming approval of LOA status) to sogs.accounting@uwo.ca.
4. Send payment to sogs.accounting@uwo.ca via e-transfer through online banking. Please be sure to make your student number your password for the transfer. 
5. Due to a black out period, which can take up to 8 weeks, you (and your family members) will not appear in the Studentcare system as soon as you enrol them. Therefore, keep all receipts for medical/dental expenses and claim them later.

NOTE:  If you were full-time student who switched to Leave of Absence (“LOA”) status part way through that year, then you would not need to opt-in because you would have already been automatically billed for and enrolled in the SOGS health plan at the start of the academic year (i.e., September). If you are on LOA for the Fall term, then you would opt-in during the month of September. If you are returning from a medical, compassionate, or parental leave of absence, you are a “new” student and can opt-in/out within the same month as your return.

FULL-TIME STUDENTS! Full-time students who are already covered under another equivalent insurance plan (e.g. your parents’, spouse or employer’s). Once you opt-out, you will receive a refund for the premium on your tuition fee bill. Please be advised that a credit for the premium will appear on your tuition fee bill in mid-October. 

Opt-Out Schedule:

• • If you are enrolled in September (fall term), you can opt-out from September 1 – 30.
  • If you are first enrolled in January (winter term), you can opt-out from January 1 – 31.
  • If you are first enrolled in May (summer term), you can opt-out from May 1 – 31.

OPT-OUT HERE.

Click the above link and follow the instructions provided on the Studentcare website.

For your own reference, the Studentcare Group Number for your Health & Dental coverage is Q1109, and the insurer is Desjardins (carrier #51). Your personal account number is your student card number. All claim forms can be found here.

The fastest way to submit a claim is through the mobile app, but you can also drop them off at the SOGS Office (Middlesex College, Room 8) or mail them to Desjardins (the insurance provider) yourself.

For detailed information on how to submit a claim, see the Studentcare website.
To register for Direct Deposit, see here.
To check the status of your Claim, see here.

*DISCLAIMER: International students can NOT submit claims to Desjardins for regularly covered health treatments received abroad or in their home countries. Desjardins will NOT reimburse these claims. Emergency medical coverage is only to be used outside of Canada and the home countries of international students.

If you would like to see your CLAIMS HISTORY with Desjardins, please create a profile with the insurance company. Once you have completed your registration, you can login to the Desjardins site here. For example, you may want to submit additional expenses not covered by the insurance company (because you have already maxed out the allotted coverage for the year) to the PSAC Local 610 Extended Health Plan for TAs.

If you you submitted a claim and have a question or concern about that claim, call Studentcare Member Services Centre: 1 866 358-4435, Mon. – Fri. from 9 am to 5 pm.

For Travel, the Group Number is 97180, and the insurer is Blue Cross. Your personal account number is your student card number.
If you use any of your travel benefits, you must call CanAssistance (Canada and United States: 1-866-601-2583 *toll-free*/ Other Countries: 0-204-775-2583 *collect*) immediately to find out how and when to submit your claims. See the Travel Health Passport and detailed explanation of coverage for more information.

*DISCLAIMER: International students can NOT submit claims to Desjardins for regularly covered health treatments received abroad or in their home countries. Desjardins will NOT reimburse these claims. Emergency medical coverage is only to be used outside of Canada and the home countries of international students.

If you are an international student travelling outside Canada, and require a letter from us confirming you have emergency medical travel insurance for a travel visa application, please email the Membership Services Manager, Jessica Reilly, at sogs@uwo.ca.

*****NOTE: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, please be advised that it is strongly recommended that students submit their visa letter requests a minimum of two weeks prior to their travel dates.  Please note that a travel letter from SOGS cannot be guaranteed if a student fails to provide sufficient notice of travel or does not meet health plan eligibility requirements.

Please provide them with your: NAME as it appears on your passport, STUDENT NUMBER, and DATE OF BIRTH, as well as WHERE and WHEN you are travelling.

****Please give the Administrative Coordinator up to 2 weeks to complete this letter. A PDF letter will be emailed back to you once complete.

*DISCLAIMER: International students can NOT submit claims to Desjardins for regularly covered health treatments received abroad or in their home countries. Desjardins will NOT reimburse these claims. Emergency medical coverage is only to be used outside of Canada and the home countries of international students.

To make the most of your plan, take advantage of Studentcare’s Network where you can receive discounts on your medical and dental expenses with approved providers.

• Psychology and Psychiatry Network
• Dental Network
• Vision Network
• Chiropractic Network
• Physiotherapy Network
• Massage Therapy Network
• Pharmacy Network
• Full Network listing (PDF)

Studentcare also offers a Rexall Exclusive Savings Card (10% off prescription drugs, and 20% off regularly price items).

PSAC 610 Extended Health Plan (EHP)

If you are a Teaching Assistant (TA) and a member in good standing with PSAC 610, you will be able to apply for the Extended Health Plan (EHP), which you can use to increase your overall health care coverage. We recommended that you apply for your SOGS coverage first, and then submit your claims to PSAC 610.

To prove that you have maxed out your SOGS coverage, visit Desjardins and log in to your account. Under, “I want to”, click on “Consult my transaction history”. Click on “Details” next to the transaction history you wish to print the proof of claim for. Print this document and submit it to PSAC 610.