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Benefit Enrolment

Support Staff

Benefit Enrolment Process

The provision of the benefit plan is subject to negotiations between the Governors of the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà and the AUPE as outlined in the Collective Agreement for Support Staff employees. To be eligible for benefits under the Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà group plans, you must have valid Canadian provincial health care. Follow these steps to enrol and explore more information below.

Acquire Employee ID (UCID) Number

After you accept an offer of employment and you are entered into the system, your employee ID (UCID) will be emailed to you.Ìý Some of the links on this page require a login to access and will only be available once you receive your UCID.

Complete Benefit Enrolment

Soon after your start date, you will receive an email notification which provides instructions to navigate the myUCalgary Portal Self-Service Benefit Enrolment tool. YouÌýmustÌýcomplete the self-service benefits enrolment withinÌý14 calendar days of your date of hire in a benefit eligible position. Benefit ID cards will be mailed to your home address within 4-6 weeks of your completed enrolment. Be sure your home address with the university is correct. Any eligible expenses incurred prior to receiving your ID card can be claimed for reimbursement once your account is set up. During the enrolment process, click on the links to explore all benefit information.

Once you receive the Benefits Enrolment email fromÌýDoNotReply@ucalgary.ca, navigate to:Ìý> All about me > My benefits > Benefit details > Benefits Enrolment.

Watch for this email notification as it will be sent to yourÌýprimary email account, which may either be your personal email account or your new Áù¾ÅÉ«Ìà email account.

For assistance with your enrollment,Ìýrefer to theÌýGroup Benefits Enrolment Reference Guide.

You must enrol your spouse and all of your eligible dependents, allocate your Flexible Spending Account (FSA)ÌýCredits and designate your beneficiaries as required.ÌýRemember, if you have a spousal benefit plan, it is more advantageous to enrol in both plans so that coverage is .

You can only waive health and dental coverage if you haveÌýbenefits through another plan such as your spouse's plan. You will only be permitted back into the UCalgaryÌýplan if your spouse loses coverage and proof will be required within 31 days of loss of coverage.

Failure to complete self-service enrollment withinÌý14Ìýcalendar days of your hire dateÌýwill result in Health and Dental coverage defaulting to single coverage and Flexible Spending Account credits defaulting to the Health Spending Account.

Once Flexible Spending Account credits have been processed whether it be by default, Canada Revenue Agency rules prevent any changes to allocations.Ìý Flexible Spending Account allocation is irrevocable until allocation opens for the following benefit year.Ìý You will receive an email notification when the FSA allocation opens.Ìý

Complete All Beneficiary and Voluntary Coverage Forms

While you can view your designated beneficiaries in PeopleSoft, the paper Group Benefits - Beneficiary Designation Form on file with Human Resources will be the binding beneficiary designation in the event of any Life Insurance or Optional Life Insurance claim. Complete all beneficiary and voluntary coverage forms andÌýsubmit signed originals to Human Resources.Ìý

Alberta Blue Cross Identification (ID) Cards for health and dental expenses are typically mailed 2-3 weeks after you finalize your benefit enrolment.ÌýIf it has been at least 2 weeks since you have completed your event, you can contactÌýÌýat 1-800-661-6995 to request their support to electronically obtain access to your Alberta Blue Cross account and print temporary ID cards.Ìý You will be required to verify your identity with Alberta Blue Cross prior to them providing you your policy and ID numbers. For reference, all UCalgary plans have the Group/Policy Number: 18953.Ìý Once you have access to their member site you can print temporary cards and make online claims.    

If Alberta Blue Cross cannot find record of your enrolmentÌýin their system or if you have any other benefit questions, please contactÌýUService.Ìý

Support Staff Benefits Video

Get to know your benefits.

  1. 0-2 Weeks

    • Health coverage begins
    • Flexible Spending Credits allocated
    • Public Service Pension Plan contributions begin

    Watch for email from donotreply@ucalgary.ca and complete online enrolment.

  2. 2-4 Weeks

    Alberta Blue Cross Identification (ID) Cards for health and dental expenses are typically mailed 2-3 weeks after you finalize your benefit enrolment.ÌýIf it has been at least 2 weeks since you have completed your event, you can contactÌýÌýat 1-800-661-6995 to request their support to electronically obtain access to your Alberta Blue Cross account and print temporary ID cards.Ìý You will be required to verify your identity with Alberta Blue Cross prior to them providing you your policy and ID numbers. For reference, all UCalgary plans have the Group/Policy Number: 18953.Ìý Once you have access to their member site you can print temporary cards and make online claims.Ìý

    If Alberta Blue Cross cannot find record of your enrolmentÌýin their system or if you have any other benefit questions, please contactÌýUService.

  3. 4 Weeks

    • Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) package mailed

  4. 6 Months

    • Alberta Blue Cross ID dental card mailed
    • Dental, life, and LTD coverage begins
    • Employee is eligible for tuition support

  5. 1 Year

    • Dependents eligible for academic tuition support

Flexible Spending Account Allocation

Each staff member is provided Flexible Spending credits to allocate to either a Health Spending Account and/or Wellness Spending Account. To learn the difference between the two types of spending accountsÌýaccess theÌýÌýpage for Support Staff.

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit year is from July 1 to June 30.Ìý Support Staff receive $850 in FSA credits annually. Credits are pro-rated for part-time appointments and those eligible staff who start employment after July 1.ÌýYou must indicate how you want to allocate your flexible spending credits between the Health Spending and/or Wellness Spending accounts during the benefit enrolment process.

Failure to complete the Flexible Spending allocation process in the benefit self service enrolment tool will result in all spending credits defaulting to the Health Spending Account.

Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)

If your position is eligible to participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP), you will be automatically enrolled from your date of hire, unless participation is optional.ÌýFor optional participation, the staff member must select the pension option during the online benefits self-service enrolment. Participation can also be made after the enrolment period by informingÌýbenefits@ucalgary.ca.Ìý

A PSPP welcome package will be mailed from the PSPP plan administrator, Alberta Pensions Services Corporation (APS), to your home address within 4-6 weeks of enrolment.ÌýComplete the Pension Partner Information and Designation of Beneficiary forms included in the welcome package and return them directly to APS.ÌýYou may set up your online account on theÌýÌýsecure website at any time to view future annual statements, manage your account details and beneficiary designations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions about benefit enrolment.

Failure to complete your self-service benefits enrolment within the specified time frame will result in health and dental coverage defaulting to single coverage and FSA credits defaulting to the Health Spending Account:

  • Addition of family members will be processed on a go-forward basis only (i.e. cannot backdate coverage).

  • Once FSA credits have defaulted to the Health Spending Account, the selection is irrevocable until allocation opens for the following benefit year (approximately May of each year).

  • Each year, you will receive an email notification when the annual allocation period begins and you will new credits are deposited in July.

Following your enrolment in the group benefits plan, you will receive Alberta Blue Cross ID cards in the mail. To register for Alberta Blue Cross secure access you will need your group policy number (18953), your Alberta Blue Cross ID number, and your date of birth.

The Alberta Blue Cross secure member service site and MyBenefits AppÌýallows you to:

  • submit or track claims
  • view your FSA balances
  • set up direct deposit.
  • view a summary of your completed benefit claims
  • find out the status of the claims you’ve sent in recently
  • check coverage levels and when you are next eligible for vision and dental services
  • arrange to have your claim payments deposited directly into your bank account
  • sign up for paperless claim statements
  • print claim forms and ID cards
  • submit claims for eligible drug, vision and health products or services

If you have coverage through another benefit plan, such as a spousal benefit plan, you may waive your health and dental coverage. However, you will only be permitted back into the plan if your spouse loses the coverage. If your spouse does not lose their coverage, you will not be permitted back into the plan.