About the HCSA
A HCSA is an individual employee account with GreenShield, that can be used for extended health and dental costs that are not fully covered under the benefits plan or your provincial health plan.
How it works:
- The HCSA provides an annual amount of $300 per benefit policy year (which runs from May 1 to April 30)
- The maximum fund in your account will not exceed $600, as HCSA balances from the previous year are forfeited if unused within a two-year period.
- You can set up your HCSA to automatically pay for selected eligible expenses if you choose.
Eligible HCSA Expenses
Eligible HCSA expenses include all expenses that qualify for medical expense tax credits under the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) Income Tax Guidelines, such as the following:
- 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 your HCSA
To access your HCSA features in GreenShield+, go to Coverage > Health Coverage > Health Care Spending Account.
Here you can see helpful information:
- Your HCSA Balance
- Eligible Expenses
- How to set up automatic coordination:
- You can 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 under those benefits. After their plan processes the claim, you can submit the remaining amount to your HCSA.
HCSA resources
The frequently asked questions quickly address common inquiries about the HCSA, eligibility, yearly amounts, and more.
How to submit an HCSA Claim
HCSA balances are tracked by GreenShield and eligible claims can be submitted directly through GreenShield+ for reimbursement.* It’s quick and easy.
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Sign in, and then click Coverage on the menu.
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Under Spending Accounts, click Health Care Spending Account.
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Click Start a Claim. You can also submit a paper claim by mail by using a pre-filled personalized claim form through the GreenShield+ portal or by calling GreenShield’s Customer Service Centre at 1.888.711.1119 to receive a claim form.
Submission Period:
- HCSA claims must be submitted during the May to April Benefit Year in which they are incurred. There is a 60-day grace period.
- If you are no longer participating in the University of Waterloo’s benefits program, you need to submit any HCSA claims to GreenShield within 30 days from your last date of coverage.
* Note: Web and Mobile App instructions may differ.
Contact GreenShield
Phone (Mon to Fri, 8:30 a.m. — 8:30 p.m. ET):
- 1-888-525-7587, select “Option 1”, or
- 1-888-711-1119
Online:
- customer.service@greenshield.ca
- GreenShield contact form
- GreenShield Support Centre: an online hub with answers to commonly asked questions