Health Plan, Dental Plan, and Legal Protection Program

Opt-ins/opt-outs for Health Plan, Dental Plan, and Legal Protection Program are managed by Studentcare and more information about their opt-out program can be found on their website.

You must opt out of services during the  Change-of-Coverage Period from January 9 – 27, 2023. Opt-outs cannot be processed after the deadline. 

Health Plan 

If you are already covered by an equivalent health plan, you can opt out and receive a refund for the Health Plan through Studentcare. You must be able to provide proof of coverage by an equivalent health plan. Your provincial health care does not provide coverage equivalent to the GSA Health Plan. You cannot opt out of the GSA Health Plan if you are only covered by OHIP (or a plan similar to OHIP).

Dental Plan

You may opt out of the Dental Plan through Studentcare and receive a refund for the dental portion of the Plan without submitting proof of equivalent dental coverage.

Legal Protection Plan

Full-time and part-time UW graduate students may opt out of the Legal Protection Program through Studentcare and receive a refund for this portion of the Plan without providing proof of alternative coverage.

GRT & ION UPass Transit – Refund Program

The GRT & ION UPass program supports graduate students in the region. Since this is a Universal pass, it only works when all members pay their fees (this was approved by referendum when we started the program). As such, the GRT fees will be collected each term to support running the service. As agreed upon in GSA-UW and GRT contract negotiations, eligible graduate students at UWaterloo are able to opt out of the service and request a refund for a term.

All UPass refund requests must be completed between January 9 – 27, 2023 (overlapping the Change-of-coverage period with our other services). 

An online form to process UPass refund requests will be made available to all graduate students starting January 9, 2023. 

To complete the GRT & ION UPass Refund Form, please visit our website: https://gsauw.ca/services/upass/.

The following are the eligibility criteria/acceptable reasons for UPass refund request:

(A)  You are a UW student who retains a valid Canadian National Institute for the Blind (“CNIB”) registration during the Winter 2023 term.

(B)  You are a UW student who pays fees to UW, but is taking a majority of academic courses at an out-of-region (outside Waterloo Region) University in the Winter 2023 term.

(C)  You are a UW student who holds a valid Accessible Parking Permit issued by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, and are registered with UW Parking Services and UW AccessAbility Services at the beginning of the Winter 2023 term.

(D)  You are a UW student who pays fees to UW, but are considered on professional or academic placement outside the Waterloo Region as part of your degree, which is not considered part of co-operative education.

(E)  You are registered in a research program, have completed your program’s required coursework, and are not taking courses in the Winter 2023 term. *Note: You can only apply for option E once per school year (September 1 – August 31).

(F)  You are registered in a course-based program and are not taking a full course load in the Winter 2023 term. *Note: You can only apply for option F once per school year (September 1 – August 31).

Eligible students who drop out of UW or change their enrollment status at UW after the Drop Deadline per the UW Graduate Calendar shall NOT be eligible for a refund of the UPass. In such cases, eligible students who are not refunded shall continue to have access to UPass.

After submitting your refund application, you will receive a “Thank You” message that you can screen capture for your records. Please be assured that we have received your refund request. We kindly ask that you do not contact the GSA office to confirm receipt of your submission for a refund due to the high volume of emails we receive during this period. The GSA will process refunds after the submission deadline has closed. You will be notified in a few weeks by email if your refund request has been approved. The GSA Office will aim to process verified refunds by the middle of March 2023.

Accommodation to Opt In to the GRT & ION UPass Service

Graduate Students at UWaterloo who were previously not given the option to pay the GRT & ION UPass and would like to pay the fee to make use of the UPass for the current Term to be able to do so if they fulfill ONE of the following accommodation criteria:

• (A) A Student Councillor, Director, or Officer of the GSA, or other student representative determined in accordance with the Policies & Procedures of the GSA who would otherwise be eligible for the UPass had they not adjusted their status to take on their current role.
• (B) A Full-Time Student who is undertaking a reduced course schedule as a result of an accommodation as defined in UW Graduate Calendar or as otherwise defined by the University of Waterloo.
• (C) A Full-Time Student that has been advised/ accommodated by the University of Waterloo to undertake a reduced course schedule based on International Visa considerations (or similar) and who would otherwise be eligible for the U-Pass had they not adjusted their status.
• (D) A Co-op Student (student currently engaged in a co-operative work term who would otherwise be eligible for the U-Pass) that may not have been assessed the U-Pass fee.
• (E) Graduate students enrolled at University of Waterloo Satellite campuses that may not have been assessed the UPass fee.
• (F) Graduate students in the region of Waterloo who are on maternity leave or medical leave.

The Accommodation Process:

If you meet one of the accommodation criteria and are interested in opting in to the UPass, please complete the GRT UPass Accommodation Application. GSA-UW will then assess the application and will email the graduate student to let them know if they are eligible to opt in based on the request.

If approved, the student will send a cheque for the cost of the current UPass fee of $107.61 to the GSA to have the GRT UPass added to the student’s Watcard. Once the payment for GRT UPass Fee is accepted, GSA-UW will contact the WATCARD office, which will make the change of status within one week of the request.

Please note: GSA-UW will be accepting submissions for accommodations effective immediately.

To complete the GRT UPass Accommodation Application, please visit our website: https://gsauw.ca/services/upass/.

Questions?

Should you have any further questions about GSA Services and opt out/opt in options, please contact our office.

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© Graduate Student Association-University of Waterloo, 2023