On October 31, 2023, the Board of Governors approved the recommendation from the Pension & Benefits Committee for a plan design amendment to the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage of our extended health benefit. This announcement follows a review of fertility-related coverage by the Pension & Benefits Committee’s IVF working group to allow for improved access to fertility services for University employees. The amendment enhances the coverage available to those seeking to expand their families through revisions to the IVF coverage, as outlined in the following table.
| Introduced IVF coverage effective May 1, 2021 | Changes to IVF coverage effective October 31, 2023 |
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A $30,000 lifetime maximum per member. Patient must be age 43 and under. Limited to two attempts (two 30-day cycles). Proof that the provincial coverage has been exhausted must be provided before any claims may be considered under this plan. Eligible expenses include anesthetist fees; cycle monitoring fee; 1 ultrasound and blood test once the in-vitro procedure has begun; embryo freezing – initial process, preparation, and annual storage limit of 1 year; embryo thawing; in vitro fertilization procedure; sperm thawing; sperm washing; transfer of frozen embryo Ineligible expenses: embryo donation program; donation to a sperm bank; egg freezing; donor’s fee or cost; medical expenses or services incurred by the surrogate mother; surrogate agency fee; surrogate mother’s fee and adoption |
Removal of the two-cycle limit (while maintaining the $30,000 lifetime maximum per member as well as the age limit). Exhaustion of the provincial coverage requirement is removed. Eligibility is extended to individuals who are acting as surrogates for members of the benefit plan (to be administered via Surrogacy Agreement submitted directly to GreenShield); expenses need to be incurred by a surrogate within a fertility clinic in Canada* |
* To obtain reimbursement for these expenses, a copy of the legal surrogacy agreement must be submitted to GreenShield with the first claim. Surrogacy claims are reimbursed to the plan member and subject to plan limitations and maximums.
Information on in vitro fertilization (referred to by GreenShield as the Family Building Benefit) can be found on the Human Resources website. The GreenShield benefits booklet will be updated to reflect this coverage in the near future. In the meantime, GreenShield’s systems have been updated to reflect this plan design change, and individuals with questions can contact GreenShield directly to discuss the coverage and claims process.