You will automatically be signed up for the graduate student health and dental plan. You can opt out of this by filling out a form with in a few weeks of your start date (check the website for more details). Due to this option to opt out there is a black out periods in September and January. When I was a student I was still able to go to the doctor etc during the black out period but I would be charged the full amount. Then after the blackout period I would submit it for reimbursement. A bit more hassle but it is doable.

Check out the GSS Health and Dental website for more details. You can pick up your health care card (with your policy numbers) from the GSS office (same place as the Grad House).

One good thing to know is that your coverage is always paid for for a full year. So say if you had a start date of Sept 1 but then you defend in April - you still have your graduate student health care until August 31st.

Do you have MSP? That is the first step.

Then if you would like to get on UVic extended health benefits (summary, extended health plan, dental plan; note that the extended health is all that can start right away - everything else won’t start after 1 year) you will have to first talk to Julia. In some cases, extended benefits can not be charge to the grant your salary is coming from so it will have to come from one of Julia’s other grants. That is a discussion for you and her to have. But as you will see in the summary packet that it will cost Julia $86.76/year for your extended health and then $146.16 for dental. Those would be more if you wanted to add a partner to it.

Once you talk to Julia, then you will contact benefits@uvic.ca to get the forms to fill out and get signed up.

The insurance is through Pacific Blue Cross.

In 2024, UVic made benefits mandatory in policy. This means that it can be covered by most grants (some grants don’t allow non-mandatory benefits). You can of course opt out if you don’t want it/get better coverage through a spouse etc.

For more information check out this page. Contact either the PDF administrator or the benefits office to get signed up or have more questions.