Your Group Insurance Claim Centres Have a Name!
Your new claim centres are now
called Desjardins Financial Security Claims Service Centre.
Congratulations to Ms. Wendy Martin of St-John's, the lucky winner
of the "Name That Claim Centre" contest.
Ms. Martin who works in the Workplace Health Safety and Compensation
Commission agency submitted a single entry on June 14. Her prize is
a trip for (2) to Toronto or Montreal, tickets to a hockey game and
an overnight stay in a hotel. She also gets $500 in cash to spend on
shopping and great dining!!
Desjardins Financial Security would like to thank everyone who sent
in their suggestions.
If you need information about your group insurance plan, contact
your dedicated call centre at 1-877-838-7763 or visit
www.dfs.ca
Important Information on Your Group Insurance Plan
This memo
provides additional information about the change over of the Group
Insurance Plan from Medavie Blue Cross to Desjardins Financial
effective August 1, 2006. It also lists some items you should keep
in mind.
Prescription Drug Cards
- Members will soon receive a new Desjardins prescription drug
card; depending on where you work you may already have received
your card(s). You should hold on to your Blue Cross card until
you receive the new card and only begin using the new card after
July 31, 2006. The Medavie Blue Cross card will not be effective
after July 31, 2006. The new cards look different than the old
Blue Cross cards. For example, they do not show your dependents;
however the dependents are kept on file by the insurer,
Desjardins. If you need to make changes in your dependent
information, simply notify your usual contact at your place of
work.
- If you have any questions you can call 1 – 877-838-7763
(after July 31st) or visit the website at
www.dfs.ca. The local
service office will also have a contact number after July 31st.
Mail in Claims Submitted to Medavie Blue Cross
- Medavie Blue Cross has stated they will not process mail
in claims during the last 10 days of July.
- Mail in claims will be sent by Blue Cross to Desjardins
Financial for processing, therefore a delay in receiving
reimbursement for these claims should be expected.
- Desjardins Financial will open claims offices in St. John’s
and Corner Brook. They are located at:
St. John’s*
The Village Mall
430 Topsail Road
(Top East Entrance – old Shoppers’ entrance) |
Corner Brook*
Corner Brook Plaza
44 Maple Valley Road |
*construction is
underway at these locations and phone lines are not yet set up –
they will be made available in the near future.
Claims History
- The claims records maintained by Medavie Blue Cross will be
transferred to Desjardins Financial. If you have reached your
maximum, for example, with Visioncare with Medavie Blue Cross,
that information will be transferred from Blue Cross to
Desjardins Financial. For example, if you submitted a claim for
Visioncare in 2005 and were not eligible for a new pair of
glasses until 2008, you will still not be eligible for
Visioncare until 2008.
Coordination of Benefits
- If your spouse has group insurance coverage with another
employer and you have been submitting claims to both plans using
the Coordination of Benefits provision, you will continue to be
eligible to do so. Medavie Blue Cross is working on the transfer
of these records to Desjardins Financial however, in the short
term, you could be asked by a provider such as a pharmacist to
reconfirm your spouse’s coverage.
Direct Deposit
- The claims offices in St. John’s and Corner Brook will no
longer issue actual cheques. However, if you prefer to receive a
cheque you can still submit your claim to the claims office and
your reimbursement cheque will be mailed to you. Staff will
process claims given to them and deposit the payment directly to
your bank account. For most banks and trust companies, this
direct deposit process will take between 2 days and 4 days once
the direct deposit feature is set up. You can set up this
feature by going to the website at
www.dfs.ca to obtain the form or you can obtain the form at
the claims office in St. John’s or Corner Brook at the address
noted above.
News on Your Group Insurance Plan
Effective August 1, 2006 the administration and underwriting of the
employee benefits plan sponsored by Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador will move from Medavie Blue Cross to Desjardins Financial
Security (DFS). This includes all benefits (Group Life and AD&D,
Long Term Disability, Health, Dental, etc.).
The Plan provider is reviewed approximately every five years through
a request for proposals process. The process is designed to ensure
that employees are provided with quality service while keeping
premiums as low as possible.
The Group Insurance Committee which is comprised of employers,
unions (NAPE, CUPE, Allied Health, NLNU), managers and pensioner
representatives oversees the various group insurance programs.
The change to DFS as service provider will not impact any of the
current coverages or premiums. You will receive a new drug card in
late July, and claims for drugs currently covered by the plan will
be paid by DFS as of August 1st. DFS is working with Government’s
consultant, Mercer Human Resource Consulting and the Group Insurance
Committee, to ensure the most seamless transition possible. At this
point, employees don’t need to do anything.
On August 1, DFS will open
offices in St. John’s and Corner Brook to process claims. These
centres will operate in a manner similar to the existing Quickpay
centres.
DFS has clients all over Canada including the Ottawa/Carlton
Teachers Association, Quebec Nurses’ Union, information technology
firm CGI and the City of St. John’s. They are a well-known insurance
and securities company with a solid national reputation for
excellent service.
For more information on DFS, visit their website at
www.dfs.ca.
Updates to the Group Insurance Plan - Q & A
The Public Service Secreteriat, and the Group Insurance Committee
are working closely with Government's new group insurer, Desjardins
Financial Services (DFS) to ensure a smooth transition of insurance
coverages.
DFS has prepared a brief "Question and Answer" below for circulation
to all employeees who are members to keep you informed of the
process as it unfolds.
DFS has committed their expertise and resources to help manage the
Group Insurance Program. As the process continues, DFS asks members
for patience and cooperation.
Who is "Desjardins"?
top
DFS is owned by the largest financial Co-Operative in Canada and it
is also the 4th largest insurance provider of group insurance
benefits in the country. The Group Insurance Committee has
confidence in their ability to partner with you and the Government.
Our benefits consultants (Mercer Human Resource Consulting) also
have many years of proven experience with DFS.
Will my benefits be affected?
top
NO - The change in carriers does not affect your benefits. Although
there may be some changes in procedure, one of the factors in
deciding who the new insurance carrier would be was their ability to
match the existing benefits program for our employees and
pensioners.
Is the change effective immediately?
top
NO - The change to DFS will be effective on August 1st; until then
Medavie Blue Cross will continue to serve the plan
Do I need to fill out a new enrolment form?
top
NO - DFS will use your existing member information (on file with
Medavie Blue Cross) to transfer your coverage.
Will I receive a new Drug Card and/or
Certificate?
top
YES - Although we will use your existing employee information, a new
card with DFS name will be provided to you prior to the changeover
on August 1st. To keep the change to a minimum, the ID number (or
certificate number) used will be a variation of your existing plan
ID number.
Will my pharmacist be aware of the
change? top
YES - DFS will notify all pharmacists across the province of the
change. We are also aware that there a number of retirees living
outside the province so notices will go out to ALL pharmacy
associations.
What happens if I submit a claim during
the transition?
top
We’ll keep it simple - It doesn’t matter what the date of service
was. Any claims to be submitted prior to August 1st should be
submitted to Medavie Blue Cross and any claims to be submitted after
August 1st should be submitted to DFS.
Will there be any disruption of service?
top
NO
Will there still be local claims payment
centres? top
Yes, the claims payment offices will continue to be located in St.
John's and Corner Brook but in new, convenient locations (to be
announced in the upcoming weeks) and under a new name.
Who do I call if I have a question?
top
There will be a dedicated 1-800 number for members to call beginning
on August 1st. Over the next few weeks, HR Administrators will
receive information that will help them answer your questions. Also,
information will continue to be posted via PSN.
I am currently approved for / am taking a
medication which requires special authorization. Do I need to
re-apply for authorization?
top
NO - DFS is being provided with a list of all members currently
approved for special authorization along with the effective date and
termination dates of that approval.
I am currently receiving Long-Term Disability
(LTD) benefits with Medavie Blue Cross. How will my benefits be
affected? top
Your LTD benefits will continue to be paid on an on-going basis by
Medavie Blue Cross. LTD benefits continue to be the responsibility
of the insurer that was in place when the claim was incurred.
I am currently on maternity leave or
authorized leave of absence. What happens to me?
top
If you have elected to continue any benefits during this period,
those same benefits will be extended as per the current arrangement
with Medavie Blue Cross and the plan sponsor.
Watch for further updates on this process and a chance to win a
great prize….all coming up soon.
Deborah Pennell
Director of Communications
Department of Finance and Public Service Secretariat
(709) 729-6830
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