If you are travelling for work or a holiday, it’s important to know about your medical benefits coverage while you are out of the province.

This section provides important information and links to resources to help you understand your benefit coverage (including what’s not covered) while travelling outside of BC. You will also find details on who to contact for assistance in the event of a medical emergency.

Click on one of the following links for information about your benefits coverage when travelling:

• Being Prepared Before, During, and After Your Trip
• Emergency Medical Coverage
• Benefits Coverage While Travelling for Leisure or Work
• Travel Advisory Information
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Benefits Coverage for Dependent Children Studying Outside BC or Canada

Travel benefits disclaimer

Disclaimer: This outline is for information purposes only and is a descriptive outline of the plans described; it is not a contract. UBC does not warrant the completeness, timeliness or accuracy of any of the information contained in this web site. Plan terms and conditions are governed by policy contract numbers 025205, 023218, 050555-G, 100328, 100768 and 51075 with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada and Policy #920137 with AXA Insurance Inc. In the event of a discrepancy between the information provided on this web site and these policy contracts, benefits will be paid in accordance with the policy contracts.

Any information on the Medical Service Plan of BC (MSP) is a descriptive outline only; UBC is not responsible for the terms and provisions of this plan as it is administered by Health Insurance BC (BC Provincial Government). UBC does not warrant the completeness, timeliness or accuracy of any of the information contained in this web site. For further information, please refer to MSP website.

You must be registered and enrolled the benefit plans to receive the coverage under the plans. Coverage under some of the UBC benefit plans is not automatic. It is the sole responsibility of the traveller to ensure that they are enrolled in the UBC plans and have appropriate coverage in place based on their personal circumstances and their travel destination.

UBC offers many different types of paid and unpaid leaves – from time off for professional development to a leave to look after a critically or terminally ill family member. The links below provide information about the leaves available to you and how you can request the time off.

Depending on your UBC employee group and the type of leave, your UBC benefits might be affected. On some leaves, you continue to receive your UBC benefits, while for other leaves, you will need to pay both your cost and UBC’s cost to maintain your benefits. See Benefits Coverage while on a Leave for more information.

Types of leaves

• Administrative leave
• Compassionate care and family caregiving leave, to look after a terminally or critically ill family member, and bereavement leave in the case of a death of a family member
• Domestic violence leave
• Faculty: Tenure clock extension
• Faculty: Study leave
• General leave
• Indigenous leave for ceremonial, cultural and spiritual events
• Learning and professional leaves such as study leave and sabbaticals
• Leave between appointments for Sessional Lecturers
• Leave for university and union business, including:
  • Administrative leave
  • University committee leave
  • Leave at the request of the University
  • Exchange leave
  • Union business
  • Negotiations and grievance pay provisions
  • Full-time union or public duties
• Legislative sick leave, applies to certain employees at UBC
• Maternity, parental and adoption leave, including pre-placement adoption leave
• Paid sick leave, including time off for medical/dental appointments and looking after a sick family member
• Personal leaves, including:
  • Jury duty or court witness duty
  • Special leave
  • Personal emergency leave
  • Citizenship leave
  • Military leave
  • Leave to take political office
  • Public Duties
  • Religious and Cultural Observance
• Unpaid sick leave, if you use up all of your paid sick leave days and are unable to return to work
• Serious illness/injury protected unpaid medical leave
• Vacation, including long service recognition
• Winter leave, Some employees are eligible for paid leave over the Winter holidays, between Christmas/Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

If you are on short-term sick leave and unable to work for more than a four- or six-month period (depending on your employee group) due to illness or injury, you may qualify for long-term disability, which will provide you with a monthly income based on a percentage of your pre-disability gross monthly salary.

For faculty, the long-term disability plan is called the Income Replacement Plan. For staff employees, the long-term disability plan is called the Disability Benefit Plan. Sun Life is the University’s insurer of the Income Replacement and Disability Benefit plans.

If you are in the third month of your absence from work due to illness or injury and it does not seem that you will be able to make a full return to work, you should apply for long-term disability. Start the process by sending an email to disabilityclaims.info@ubc.ca (or contact the Benefits team to discuss) to learn how to apply for benefits and to obtain the application forms you’ll need.

If you apply for benefits, you need to provide proof that you became disabled while you were covered by the plan and that you have been following appropriate medical treatment for your disability since its onset.

For information on short-term sick leave or unpaid medical leave, please visit the Leaves section.

Need help understanding your sick leave and applying for long-term disability? Read our claims process guide:

• UBC Income Replacement Plan Claims Process: Guide for Faculty, Academic Executives & Staff High Earners Enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan
• UBC Disability Benefit Plan Claims Process: Guide for Staff

Learn more about your long-term disability plan

There are some differences between the plans for each of UBC’s employee groups, so please review the section that applies specifically to your group and check the Sun Life benefits booklet for further details.

• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2950
• Faculty, Academic Executive, Administrative Executive and Staff High Earners enrolled in the Faculty Pension Plan
• Management & Professional, Service Unit Director, CUPE 2278 and Administrative Executives enrolled in the Staff Pension Plan
• BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care), BCGEU Okanagan, Executive Administrative, Farm Workers, IUOE 115 and Non-Union Technicians & Research Assistants

Your UBC Life Insurance Plans include the following mandatory and optional life insurance plans:

Open All Accordions

How do I make a change to my life insurance policies?

You can make the following changes to you and your spouse’s life insurance policies in Workday:

• Changing your Basic Life beneficiary (employee only)
• Changing your Optional Life beneficiary
• Applying for Optional Life/AD&D for the first time, or increasing coverage
• Cancelling Optional Life/AD&D, reducing coverage or change in smoker/non-smoker status

Visit Making enrolment changes for more information on how to make a change to your life insurance policies. 

How do I submit a life insurance claim?

If you die, your beneficiary or executor must contact UBC Human Resources to submit a life insurance claim. We can only communicate directly with the designated beneficiary, beneficiaries or trustees that are on file. They will be asked to provide all of the following information in writing:

• name of deceased
• date of death
• a copy of the death certificate certified by a lawyer, notary or Commissioner of Oaths

UBC Human Resources will then provide the necessary claim forms and help with the claim submission process.

If your spouse or dependent child dies and was covered for Optional Life Insurance, please contact UBC Human Resources to initiate a claim.

Please contact Janet McHugh at 604-822-6823 or janet.mchugh@ubc.ca to submit a life insurance claim.

How do I apply for a loan against my life insurance?

If you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and are expected to live less than 24 months, you may be eligible to apply for a Living Benefits loan, which can provide some financial relief.

For more information about Living Benefits loans, including details about the application and approval process, contact UBC Benefits.

For more information

The outline above is a descriptive summary of the plan and is not a contract. All terms and conditions are governed by Contract Number 050555 with Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. In the event of a discrepancy, benefits will be paid according to the official document and applicable legislation.

For complete details about your Life Insurance Plans, refer to the Sun Life benefits booklet for your employee group.

• BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care)
• BCGEU Okanagan
• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2278 (English Language Instructors)
• CUPE 2950
• IUOE 115
• Faculty: includes Faculty and Academic Executive
• Management and Professional: includes Management & Professional and Administrative Executive
• Non-union: includes Executive Administrative, Farm Workers and Non-Union Technicians and Research Assistants

The Health Spending Account (HSA) benefit is available for some employee groups at UBC.

If you are eligible for this benefit, the HSA provides you with an annual credit to pay for certain expenses that are not covered by UBC’s Extended Health and Dental plans. These expenses could include the cost of deductibles or amounts over plan maximums. The HSA credit is allocated to you and you may use it to pay for claims for your eligible dependents.

The HSA benefit is available to employees who are members of the BCGEU Okanagan, BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care), CUPE 116, CUPE 2278 (English Language Instructors), CUPE 2950, Executive Administrative, Faculty (includes Academic Executives and Postdoctoral Fellows), Farm Workers, IUOE 115, Management & Professional and Non-union Technician/Research Assistants employee groups who are also enrolled in the UBC Extended Health Plan.

Eligible CUPE 2278 (Teaching Assistants) learn more about your Health Spending Account

Eligibility

You are eligible for the Health Spending Account (HSA) benefit if you are a member of one of the following employee groups and you are enrolled in the UBC Extended Health Plan:

• BCGEU Okanagan
• BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care)
• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2278 (English Language Instructors)
• CUPE 2950
• Executive Administrative
• Faculty (includes Academic Executives and Postdoctoral Fellows)
• Farm Workers
• IUOE 115
• Management & Professional (Paymaster and TRIUMF M&P employees are not eligible for the HSA benefit)
• Non-union Technician/Research Assistants.

Eligibility for new hires

If you have just joined UBC, you are eligible for the HSA benefit as of the date you are enrolled in the Extended Health Plan. This benefit is not pro-rated, so even if you enroll partway through the year, you are still eligible for the full annual amount of the HSA benefit.

How the HSA benefit works

You will receive a credit on January 1 of each year. The Health Spending Account (HSA) credit is valued at:

• $200 per year if you are a member of BCGEU Okanagan,
• $200 per year if you are a member of BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care),
• $500 per year if you are a member of CUPE 116,
• $200 per year if you are a member of CUPE 2278 (English Language Instructors),
• $375 per year if you are a member of CUPE 2950,
• $200 per year if you are a member of Executive Administrative,
• $400 per year if you are a member of the Faculty (includes Academic Executives and Postdoctoral Fellows),
• $200 per year if you are a member of Farm Workers,
• $1,000 per year if you are a member of IUOE 115,
• $400 per year if you are a member of the Management & Professional employee group (includes Management & Professional, Excluded Management & Professional, Service Unit Director and Administrative Executive), or
• $200 per year if you are a member of Non-union Technician/Research Assistants employee group.

The HSA is a non-taxable benefit and it must be used within a certain time frame. You can carry forward unused portions of the credit for one year, but if you do not use the carried-forward amount by the end of the second year, you will lose the carried-forward amount.

Deadlines for submitting claims

There is a deadline to submit HSA claims. You have 90 days from the end of the benefit year (December 31) to submit an HSA claim for expenses incurred during that year. For example, at the end of December 31, 2025, you have 90 days (until March 31, 2026) to submit claims for 2025. After March 31, 2026, you are no longer able to submit 2025 claims to your HSA. Please note, it is recommended you submit your claims prior to the last claiming deadline day as Sun Life’s e-claims system is unavailable overnight during Eastern Standard Time.

Here is an example of how the HSA works for employee groups with a $200 credit per year.

2025

2026

If you have questions about making HSA claims, you can contact Sun Life via secure message at mysunlife.ca, or phone them directly at 1-800-661-7334 or 1-800-361-6212.

Eligible expenses

What does the HSA cover?

Your Health Spending Account (HSA) benefit can be used for many expenses that are either not covered or are only partially covered by UBC’s Extended Health and Dental plans. These include:

• deductibles; amounts over plan maximums (for example, if you’ve reached your annual maximum for physiotherapy, then you can claim your extra expense);
• amounts over plan maximums (for example, if you’ve reached your annual maximum for physiotherapy, then you can claim your extra expense);
• unpaid portions of prescription drugs, dental (including orthodontics) and paramedical services;
• unpaid amounts from your spouse’s plan (if you are covered under your spouse’s plan);
• unpaid amounts for out-of-country claims;
• unpaid amounts for laser eye surgery;
• physician fees for completing forms/reports; and
• insurance premiums for private health or dental care coverage.

For a complete list of eligible expenses, refer to the Sun Life HSA List of Eligible Expenses, Canada Revenue List of Common Medical Expenses You Can Claim or visit the Sun Life Members website. This list is subject to any changes that are made to the list of items qualifying as medical expenses under the Income Tax Act (Canada).

What is not covered by the HSA?

Your HSA does not cover the following expenses:

• provincial health plan premiums,
• non-prescription medication,
• fitness club fees,
• home gym equipment, or
• books about health and wellness.

For more information on ineligible expenses, refer to the Canada Revenue List of Common Medical Expenses You Cannot Claim.

HSA claims for dependents

The HSA credit can also be used towards dependent’s claims as well.

Eligible dependent(s) include your:

• spouse or partner,
• dependent children (age 18 or younger, or age 19 to 24 if in full-time attendance at a school or university), and
• disabled children of any age who are financially dependent on you

The following dependents are also eligible if they are financially dependent on you in accordance with the Canadian Income Tax Act and they reside in Canada:

• dependent children age 25 and over,
• grandchildren,
• parents,
• grandparents,
• brothers and sisters,
• aunts and uncles, and
• nieces and nephews.

When you submit your claim online or sign your paper claim form, you are acknowledging that the dependent you are claiming for is financially dependent on you.

How to submit your HSA claim

As with most UBC Extended Health and UBC Dental expenses, you can submit HSA claims online or by mail. We’ve outlined the process below, and have included information about how to coordinate your claim with another group plan.

Campus-wide onboarding resources for faculty and staff. 

Welcome to UBC, one of the world's top universities and one of Canada's top employers. To help you get oriented to your new role and to the UBC community, these campus-wide onboarding resources provide you with curated information and the essentials to get started. 

Your UBC onboarding journey

This onboarding journey map is designed to highlight the various orientation sessions and supports available to you to help you navigate UBC. This resource includes key details about each session and topics covered, as well as helpful websites and contacts. Your Faculty/Department may offer additional sessions to support you in your first few months. 

View the UBC Vancouver onboarding journey map

View the UBC Okanagan onboarding journey map

The essentials to get started

This new hire onboarding checklist is designed to help you during your onboarding and includes onboarding fundamentals, how to gain a clear understanding of your role, and suggestions for how to connect with your new team. Your manager or local administrator may offer a more customized plan that will be relevant to you, your role, and your work arrangement.

View the new hire onboarding checklist (PDF)

Download the new hire onboarding checklist (docx)

Additional guides for new faculty and new managers/supervisors are available further below.

The New to UBC Orientation Course is a self-directed resource and learning space filled with informative and interactive content curated specifically to support new faculty and staff as you navigate the university community during your first couple of months and beyond. 

• Learn about the resources, services and support available to you as you navigate your career journey at UBC, now and beyond your onboarding.
• Develop a foundational understanding of how we are shaping the future of research, teaching and work, and how you can contribute to UBC's mission and priorities.
• Learn about the unique opportunities to explore and get involved in our community, and why we are consistently recognized as one of Canada’s Top Employers. 

Faculty and staff orientation events offered by the university will expand on the content in this course and provide additional networking and engagement opportunities with the UBC community.

Take the New to UBC Vancouver Orientation Course  

Take the New to UBC Okanagan Orientation Course

Faculty and staff orientation events at UBC 

Whether you are new to the university or looking to deepen your engagement with the UBC community, these campus-wide events for faculty and staff are designed to help you feel welcomed, supported, and part of the vibrant UBC community. Explore opportunities to learn, connect, and participate in the life of the university. 

Explore UBC orientation and community events

Learn about your UBC benefits

The Benefits Tree resource is designed to support you in better understanding the wide range of benefits available at UBC. Learn which benefits you are eligible for and how to access them, including Extended Health and Dental Care, Life Insurance, Employee and Family Assistance Program, Tuition Waivers and more.  

Explore the Benefits Tree

Workday training

UBC Workplace Learning (WPL) offers a wide range of online self‑paced courses to help you get oriented to Workday and learn core functions that support success in your role. It is recommended for all faculty and staff to complete the general Workday Basics training and the Workday Essentials training(s) specific to their role.

Browse all Workday training courses

Wayfinding at UBC

Experience what makes UBC unique and learn what’s available to you on our two stunning campuses – all without leaving your home. Explore the Vancouver campus and Okanagan campus by taking a self-guided tour. Guided tours may also be offered to new faculty and staff through the campus-wide orientations program.

Access the resource guide for new managers (CWL login required)

Questions? 

If you have questions or need help in your first days and weeks at UBC, questions around your onboarding experience, or resources available to you, contact the Orientations & Onboarding team at workplace.orientations@ubc.ca. 

Who to contact for specific issues:

• For Workday issues or questions: submit a support request through the UBC Self Service Portal or call 604-822-8200 for UBC Vancouver or 250-807-8163 for UBC Okanagan
   
• For questions about your benefits coverage, visit hr.ubc.ca/benefits, or connect with a benefits specialist.
   
• For workplace accommodation and accessibility support, contact the Centre for Workplace Accessibility and speak confidentially with a Workplace Accessibility Specialist at 604-822-8139 or workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca. 

​​​​​

The Medical Services Plan (MSP) is the BC provincial government’s medical insurance plan and is administered by Health Insurance BC.

All eligible BC residents and their dependents must enrol in MSP, which pays for the medically required services of physicians and surgeons, hospital services, as well as dental and oral surgery when it is medically required to be performed in a hospital.

To be eligible to enrol in UBC’s Extended Health Plan, you must be eligible and enrolled in the Medical Services Plan of BC or another Canadian public health plan. UBC’s Extended Health Plan, provides you with coverage for medical services and expenses that are not covered by MSP, such as prescription drugs, vision care and more.

You can make changes to your UBC Benefit plan, including: updating your personal information, changing or adding beneficiaries and dependents, and changing the amount of coverage you carry for optional benefits.

To do so, you will need to login to your Workday account. Any changes you make to your benefit details may take 5-7 business days to be reflected in your Sun Life profile.  

Login to Workday

Updating your personal information

If you move, change your name, or change your bank or account number for direct deposit of your payroll and benefit reimbursements, you will need to update this information through your Workday account.

Adding or removing a spouse or child from your health benefits

To add or remove a dependent from your benefits coverage, you will need to update this information through your Workday account. This can be prompted by entering a common-law relationship, marriage, divorce or separation, the birth or adoption of a child, or the death of a spouse or dependent. For example, some life changes may affect who will be your pension and/or basic life insurance beneficiary.

Updating your beneficiary for your life insurance and changing your optional coverage

Updating your beneficiary

It is important to keep your Life Insurance beneficiary up to date to ensure that the intended person receives the sum of money (benefit) in the event of your death (or in the event of your spouse’s death if you have Spouse Optional Life Insurance). This can be prompted by entering a common-law relationship, marriage, divorce or separation, the birth or adoption of a child, or the death of a spouse or dependent.

You can nominate a beneficiary for Basic Life, and if you are enrolled in it, your Optional Life and Spouse Optional Life Insurance.

To update your beneficiary for your life insurance, please login to your Workday account. 

If you are enrolled in Optional AD&D Insurance, the beneficiary of your Optional AD&D Insurance is the same beneficiary as is listed on your Optional Life Insurance. This also applies to the beneficiary named by your spouse if they are covered by Optional Life and Optional AD&D insurance.

Changing your Optional Life Insurance coverage

You can change the coverage amount for your Optional Life Insurance as long as you don’t exceed the maximum allowed on your plan. Changes in insurance coverage must be in blocks of $25,000.

To increase, decrease or waive your Optional Life Insurance coverage or to update your answer to the Tobacco Use question, please login to Workday. 

Require assistance?

For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.

As a new hire at UBC, you may be eligible for a number of benefits plans.

If eligible, you can select or waive plans, add your dependents and beneficiaries, and make changes to your coverage. You are unable to waive plans that are mandatory.

Through Workday, you can complete all your required enrolments in one sitting, in a secure, web-based environment. Carefully review the guidelines below to learn more about the information you need to have on hand to complete the process.

If you have already completed the benefits enrolment task in Workday, please see the After you enrol in benefits page for the final steps to get the most out of your benefits.

Before you begin

There are a few steps to take before you begin the online enrolment process. 

1. Review your benefits package and decide which optional benefits you want to be covered for

Before you enrol online, review the benefit package available to you as a UBC employee. There are both mandatory and optional benefits, and some benefits are paid for by you and others are paid by UBC. You need to decide which of the optional benefits you wish to be covered for.

You are not automatically enrolled for all benefits. It is important to understand what UBC benefits you are eligible for and when you will be covered for these benefits. The Workday system will determine the benefits you are eligible for based on your appointment details and age at the date of hire. You can choose to elect or waive some benefit plans and also add your dependents and beneficiaries. You are unable to Waive plans that are mandatory.

If you are a resident of British Columbia, you must enrol in MSP. By law, MSP is mandatory for all eligible residents and their dependents. If you hold a valid work or study permit, you are also eligible.

UBC Extended Health and Dental plans allow for double coverage. This means that if you are covered under your spouse’s plan, you can also enrol in the UBC Extended Health and Dental plans if your spouse’s plan also allows for double coverage. If your spouse’s plan does not allow for double coverage, you must decide which plan you and your family would like to enrol in.

2. Gather the following information

You need to know the following before you begin:

• Social insurance number (SIN): You must provide your social insurance number and the social insurance number of your spouse if you are applying for optional life insurance.
• Personal health number (PHN) found on your BC Services Card: The personal health number is proof of your BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) enrolment and is required if you are planning to enrol in the Extended Health plan through UBC. You must provide your own personal health number, as well as the numbers of your dependents (spouse and/or children). If you are new to BC but have coverage under another Canadian provincial health plan, please provide your provincial health number. If you do not have a valid provincial health number (for example, you are new to Canada) click on Submit to skip this step. Once you receive your number from the government, be sure to update it in Workday. Learn more about enrolling in the MSP.
• Dependent information: You will need to provide full names, dates of birth, and addresses of your dependents.
• Proof of birth date for you and your spouse: If you are applying for the UBC Staff Pension Plan, you will need to provide proof of your birth date and the birth date of your spouse, if applicable. This proof can be provided through a copy of a birth certificate, Canadian citizenship card or passport.

Log in to Workday and get started

When you have received a notification that your Benefits Election task is now available in Workday, you can start your enrolment process. You can expect to spend between 15 and 30 minutes completing your enrolments.

Login to Workday

Helpful hints and tips

• Resource: Need help? We have pulled together all the best resources into one Benefits Enrolment Guide. This guide includes helpful links and answers to the most common benefits enrolment questions for this complex process.
• Video: For a step-by-step guide to the benefits enrolment process instructions view our Benefits enrolment how-to video (CWL required). This 15-minute video will guide you through the Workday process with on-screen prompts and additional explanations.
• Pay close attention to the optional benefits. The costs associated with optional benefits may be paid by you, UBC or a combination of both. Before you begin, fully understand the benefits and any associated costs.
• Adding dependents. Depending on your eligibility, you can add dependents to some or all of the following benefits: Extended Health, Dental and the Employee Family and Assistance Program.

After you've enrolled: Sign up to Sun Life, Finalize Pharmacare, and check your details

Once you have completed your enrolment in Workday, you can now start using your benefits. There are a few more steps to take in order for you to get the most out of your benefits -- including signing up to the Sun Life member portal and reviewing your benefits for accuracy. You can find this information on the After you enrol in benefits page.

Next steps to set up your benefits

Require assistance?

Contact one of our helpful Benefits Associates, if you have further questions or need assistance with benefits coverage. For Workday resources and help visit the Integrated Service Centre.

The benefits you are eligible for depend on your employment status at UBC.

If you are a new hire, it is important to know when your coverage for specific UBC benefits becomes effective. This will allow you to ensure the continuity of your coverage between what is provided by UBC and what is provided by the group plan you hold with your former employer or your own individual coverage.

Your dependents, including your spouse, parents and children, may also be eligible for benefits through your employment at UBC. To learn about which benefit programs your dependents qualify for, please visit our Dependents page.

For complete details about your plan, please refer to your extended health and dental plan booklet for your employee group. 

Benefits by employee group

You can also learn about the benefits you are eligible for when your coverage becomes effective and the cost of these benefits, please review the details in your employee group below.

• Academic Executives
• Administrative Executive
• BCGEU Vancouver (Child Care)
• BCGEU Okanagan
• CUPE 116
• CUPE 2278 (English Language Instructors)
• CUPE 2950
• Executive Administrative
• Faculty & Postdoctoral Fellows (Award Recipients and Employees)
• Farm Workers & Non-Union Technicians/Research Assistants
• IUOE 115
• Management & Professional (includes Management & Professional, Excluded Management & Professional, Service Unit Director and Administrative Executive)