Health Care Spending Account (HCSA)

The HCSA is an individual employee account with GreenShield, funded by the University of Waterloo, that can help reduce out-of-pocket extended health and dental costs by reimbursing eligible expenses not fully covered under the benefits plan (or your provincial health plan).

Good to know: 

• The HCSA provides an annual amount of $300 per benefit policy year (May 1 to April 30) 
• A second allocation of $300 is provided in year two. 
• The maximum fund in your account will not exceed $600 as HCSA balances from the previous year are forfeited if unused in a two-year period. 
• You can set up your HCSA to automatically pay for selected eligible expenses if you choose. 

Eligible HCSA expenses include all expenses that qualify for medical expense tax credits under the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) Income Tax Guidelines, such as:

• Eyeglasses and contact lenses
• Payments to medical practitioners, hospitals, orthodontics, and other medical services
• Rehabilitative therapy
• Artificial limbs, aids, and other medical equipment
• Dentures
• and more

Accessing HCSA Features in GreenShield+ Go to Coverage > Health Coverage > Health Care Spending Account.

• View Your HCSA Balance
• Check Eligible Expenses
• Set Up Automatic Coordination.
  • This allows you to automatically apply any portion of a claim not covered by your group benefits plan to your HCSA; No separate HCSA claim forms are needed.
  • To set it up, select the benefit types you want automatically coordinated and click Save. You can update your selections at any time.

Important: If you have other coverage (e.g., through a spouse’s plan), it’s usually best to coordinate your claim with that plan first, as it may be covered. After their plan processes the claim, you can submit the remaining amount to your HCSA.