About the program 

Every year, hundreds of new staff and faculty join UBC, a workplace of over 18,000 people. While each person's onboarding experience is unique, there has always been a shared interest for opportunities to connect with others in the UBC community.  

That’s where the New to UBC Vancouver Connections Program comes in – this self-directed, cohort-based program was developed especially for new faculty and staff who are in their first year of employment at UBC Vancouver. This program is a great way for you to connect with people outside of your team or department who may be in a similar role as you or share similar professional interests. 

If you are eligible for this benefit, the HSA provides you with an annual credit to pay for various health expenses.

Eligibility

You are eligible for the Health Spending Account (HSA) benefit if you are a member of CUPE 2278 and classified as a Senior Teaching Assistant (STA), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA - 1&2), and Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA - 1&2). You must have an active appointment with UBC to be enrolled in the HSA plan. Once your appointment is processed in Workday, you are automatically enrolled in the CUPE 2278 HSA plan.

How the HSA benefit works

You will receive a $100 annual credit on September 1 each year if you have an active appointment. If your appointment starts after September 1, you will receive your annual credit on the date of your appointment when you are enrolled in the plan. This benefit is not pro-rated, so even if you are enrolled partway through the year, you are still eligible for the full annual amount of the HSA benefit.

The HSA is a non-taxable benefit and it must be used within a certain time frame. The HSA benefit year is from September 1 to August 31. You cannot carry forward unused portions of the credit from one benefit year to the next. If your active appointment continues into the next benefit year and you have an unused credit amount you cannot carry over the unused amount. To receive the full benefits of your HSA, make sure you submit claims while your appointment is active and before August 31 each year.

When your active appointment ends, your HSA benefit ends. 

More details are in the CUPE 2278 Teaching Assistant HSA booklet.

Deadlines for submitting claims

There is a deadline to submit HSA claims. You have 90 days from the end of the calendar year (December 31) to submit an HSA claim for expenses incurred during that year. For example, at the end of December 31, 2024, you have 90 days (until March 31, 2025) to submit claims for 2024. After March 31, 2025, you are no longer able to submit 2024 claims to your HSA.

When your appointment ends, your HSA benefit terminates and you have 90 days to submit eligible claims that were incurred during the benefits year and before your appointment end date.

Here is an example of how the HSA works:

2024/2025

Eligible expenses

What does the HSA cover?

Your HSA benefit can be used for many health care expenses. Examples of some common expenses include:

• insurance premiums for private health or dental care coverage;
• Deductibles or co-payments not covered under an extended health or dental plan that you may be covered under such as your student health plans
• Medical and dental expenses not covered or not fully covered under another plan such as expenses for eyeglasses, eye exams, physiotherapists, etc; and
• physician fees for completing forms/reports.

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:

• 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 toward your 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, you are acknowledging that the dependent you are claiming for is financially dependent on you.

How to submit your HSA claim

You can submit HSA claims online, by mobile app or by mail. We’ve outlined the process below.  However, before you can submit a claim electronically, you must set up your plan member account with Sun Life.

If your CUPE 2278 TA position has ended and your coverage under the Health Spending Account has ended, you have 90 days from your coverage ending to submit any outstanding claims for reimbursement. Claims submitted after your coverage has ended must be submitted to Sun Life using a paper claim form. Please see instructions below.

Set up your access to the Sun Life member website 

After your enrolment has been processed in Workday, you will need to set up an account on the Sun Life member website.

Go to mysunlife.ca once Sun Life receives your enrolment and their system is updated with your enrolment information — this can take up to 5-7 days. Use the "Register" button on the mySunlife.ca website and follow the steps to set up your account. Sun Life administers your Extended Health and Dental plans, by setting up access to your account you can now sign up for direct deposit, submit claims, and view details about your HSA benefit.

For more detailed steps, please see this Sun Life member portal enrolment guide. 

Your feedback shapes our workplace 

Faculty and staff feedback in the Workplace Experiences Survey (WES) is used to shape priorities at the university that complement unit-level actions around engagement. The survey offers insights into the progress of efforts being made to ensure UBC is a diverse, inclusive, safe and vibrant workplace. 

Insights from the 2024 WES help inform priorities and actions, with themes spanning from advancing inclusion and enhancing financial support and sustainability to promoting excellence in research, innovation, teaching and learning. 

This comprehensive survey is offered every three years and considers various workplace engagement topics, including leadership, inclusion, and career development. Survey results also support leaders, managers, and support offices with identifying areas of opportunity for improvement at all levels of the university.

Learn about the 2024 WES results

WES reports

Portfolio-level and unit-level insights reports have been distributed to the Vice-President or Dean, and senior HR leaders of each respective Faculty or Administrative Portfolio. A unit-level report is generated for any unit with 5 or more responses. 

Curious about your unit’s results? Please connect with your unit head or manager to learn about your results. Leaders can connect with their local HR representative for assistance in discussing the results. 

Action planning conversations

It is recommended that unit-level reports be shared with faculty and/or staff in your Faculty or Administrative Portfolio to support team conversations around action planning. 

Managers and Administrators can access WES action planning toolkits, conversation guides, and briefing presentations to support you with results sharing and action planning discussions with your team/department.

View resources for managers and administrators. (CWL required)

The following Conversation Guide worksheet includes helpful discussion prompts to focus your team's conversations around unit-level WES results and priority areas for action. 

View the 2-page Action Planning Conversation Guide (PDF)

Impact stories from previous workplace experiences surveys

The WES survey has had a direct impact on the UBC community. Below are some examples of actions UBC teams have taken to enhance engagement as a result of WES.   

Survey administration and confidentiality