Don’t forget to reconfirm Student Status!

To ensure your dependent children, age 22 to 25, continue to receive uninterrupted Health and Dental coverage for the duration of their formal education, be sure to update their student status with Great-West Life each year.

Is your Dependent Child eligible?

If you have unmarried, natural, adopted or step children, under the age of 22 and not working more than 30 hours a week, unless they are full-time students, they are eligible for coverage through your group benefits plan with Great-West Life. If your child is age 22 or over, they must be a full-time student to maintain coverage until age 25.

Is your Dependent Child considered a fill-time student?

A child is considered a full-time student if they have registered in an educational institution for 15 hours a week or more; sometime in the last 6 months. Your child is no longer deemed a dependent if they are being paid to attend an educational institution.

Does my dependent child have coverage while out-of-country?

If your child is considered an eligible dependent, they will be covered for unexpected emergency medical situation while out-of-country. An emergency is defined as a sudden, unexpected injury or an acute episode of disease. If your dependent child has a medical issue, the condition must be stable and controlled for 3 months prior to their departure from Canada in order to be eligible for coverage. Check with your doctor and Great-West Life if you are unsure. For a dependent who is not a student, no benefits will be paid for expenses incurred more than 90 days after the date of departure from Canada in the event of a medical emergency.

Is your child covered while studying abroad?

Your dependent child will remain on your Health and Dental plan for the duration of their education, or until they reach age 25 as long as approval is given by the student’s provincial health plan. For more information on your provincial health plan, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.html.

Keep in mind, any routine or non-emergency services or expenses such as chiropractic care or prescription drugs incurred out-of-country will be reimbursed at the reasonable and customary amount charged in your home province of residence.

If you feel your dependent’s coverage is inadequate and require additional individual coverage, plans purchased in Canada for students abroad can be significantly less expensive than plans available through post-secondary institutions. Red River College Employees have access to HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting Individual Health Dental and Travel service which provides information and assistance in obtaining individual coverage. Contact HUB STRATA at 1-866-756-3281 or e-mail emerge@hubinternational.com for more information.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

Resources are available to help you resolve conflict and build strong relationships. This month the recommended Podcast is:

• Workplace Manners

STRATA Select Travel Discount Program

Through our affiliation with HUB International STRATA Benefits Consulting, we are able to offer our employees products and services at discounted or preferred rates through the Voluntary STRATA Select Program.

One of these products provides access to below-market hotel and car rental discounts while you travel. Hotel discounts are available for over 120,000 hotel properties worldwide with car rental discounts for over 800 car rental suppliers across 175 countries. For more information on these discounts or the Voluntary STRATA Select Program, please visit your STRATA Select website.

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