The Health Care Spending Account, or HCSA, is designed to cover health-care related expenses that are approved by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and can be used to supplement items, procedures, and services that are either not covered or not fully covered by your SunLife plan. (Click here to see the list of types of authorized medical practitioners whose services are eligible according to the CRA.)
In 2016, your union secured a $25,000/yr healthcare spending account for unionized post-doctoral fellows in through collective bargaining. We have since bargained for further increases to this fund and as of 2023 the Health Care Spending Account is now at $70,000 per year, with a further increase to $80,000 per year in 2024.
Effective September 1, 2023, the maximum amount has increased to $450 per Unit 3 member per academic year (subject to the availability of funds). Your benefits committee voted to increase the maximum amount as a result of recent gains at the bargaining table in 2023. This means that each postdoc has up to $450 to spend on approved health care expenses each academic year (ie/between September 1 and August 31). Your individual entitlement ‘resets’ each September 1st and any unused money from the $450 entitlement does not carry over from one year to the next.
To apply, you must fill out and sign the claim form, attach original receipts, and drop off the claim to our office at KTH B111. Eligible claims will be paid via cheque to the address you provide on the form.
HCSA application forms are available by CLICKING HERE
For additional information, please contact administrator@cupe3906.org
In addition to the union-administered health care spending account, CUPE has also negotiated access to a more traditional benefits plan through Sunlife. This plan covers many paramedical benefits, and you can use your HCSA to secure reimbursement for items that are either not covered by the Sunlife plan or not fully covered by the Sunlife plan. The Sunlife plan is administered directly through Sunlife, so any querries about the plan should go through them. For your reference, the Sunlife Postdoc benefit booklet is available here.
Please note that we have returned to our on-campus office in Kenneth Taylor Hall B111. Paper claims may be dropped off in our office in KTH B111, or in our mailbox to the left of our doors.
Our Third Party Administrator is also continuing to honour claims submitted via email until further notice. You can now submit your Health Care Spending Account claims via email to claims@prosure-group.com. Please note that you must fill out and sign the form, and submit a clear scan or image of the form and your supporting documentation. Please mention that you are a CUPE 3906 member in your email. Also, please make sure to hold on to your original form and receipts for at least 1 year if you submit claims via email.
You can also submit forms via mail directly to the Prosure Group, although processing hard copies submitted by mail might result in delays during the office closure period. Please make sure that you sign your form with pen-and-ink, and include original receipts. Claims can be mailed to:
THE PROSURE GROUP
2255 Sheppard Avenue East
SUITE 202, Atria 1
Toronto, ON M2J 4Y1
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is covered?
The Health Spending Account is meant to help members with the cost of medical, dental and pharmaceutical costs that are not adequately covered by OHIP, UHIP or the GSA plan. Eligible expenses included, but are not limited to: prescription drugs, glasses, contact lenses, eye exams, dental procedures such as crowns or bridges, casts, crutches, etc. A full list of eligible expenses is available on the Revenue Canada website here. Most members use the HCSA to cover vision-related costs that are not covered by the OHIP, UHIP, GSA or MSU plans (e.g., prescription eye wear, eye exams).
Psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and Registered Social Workers are eligible expenses to claim via our Health Care Spending Accounts, as long as they are registered/licensed.
Not sure if an expense will qualify? Email: administrator@cupe3906.org