Health care, dental and employee assistance programs
The Commonwealth of Virginia provides options for health benefits coverage for eligible VCU employees and their eligible family members (see 2022 Benefits at a glance). Participants choose plans based on coverage needs and geographical location. Salaried faculty members, Classified staff, University and Academic Professionals, and Postdoctoral Scholar employees who work:
- 20 or more hours a week are eligible to participate in health coverage;
- 30 or more hours a week are eligible for the employer-paid contribution toward their 2022-2021 employee premiums (PDF).
- COVA Care and COVA HealthAware participants are eligible to earn premium rewards for the plan year July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023. For information and instructions, see the Premium Reward Requirements (PDF) and Premium Reward FAQ (PDF).
Need verification of your state health benefits coverage through VCU? Print a copy of your benefits confirmation from Cardinal.
Notice & contact
The State and Local Health Benefits Programs of the Department of Human Resource Management (the "Health Plan"), sponsored by the Commonwealth of Virginia (the “Commonwealth”) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. The Plan does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. See the full Health Plan non-discrimination notice (PDF).
For assistance accessing this notice, please contact VCU Human Resources
COVA Care Plan
Eligible faculty and staff can participate in COVA Care plans.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield: Medical, vision and hearing benefits, and prescription drug program.
Member services: (804) 355-8506 in Richmond; (800) 552-2682 outside Richmond
www.anthem.com/cova
Delta Dental Plan of Virginia: Dental benefits
Member services: (888) 335-8296
www.deltadentalva.com
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Member services: (855) 223-9277
www.anthemeap.com (see access information here)
COVA HealthAware Plan
Eligible faculty and staff can participate in COVA HealthAware plans.
Aetna: Medical, behavioral health, vision, and hearing
Member services: (855) 414-1901
www.aetna.com
Anthem Pharmacy/IngenioRX: Pharmacy benefits
Member services: (833) 267-3108
www.anthem.com
Delta Dental Plan of Virginia: Dental benefits
Member services: (888) 335-8296
www.deltadentalva.com
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Member services: (888) 238-6232
www.mylifevalues.com (see access information here)
COVA High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
Eligible faculty and staff can participate in COVA HDHP plans.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield: All services; except dental
Member services: (804) 355-8506 in Richmond; (800) 552-2682 outside Richmond
www.anthem.com/cova
Delta Dental Plan of Virginia: Dental benefits
Member services: (888) 335-8296
www.deltadentalva.com
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Member services: (855) 223-9277
www.anthemeap.com (see access information here)
Kasier Permanente HMO Plan
Available only to eligible faculty and staff who live or work in the plan’s service areas: Northern Virginia; Fredericksburg, VA.; Maryland; and the District of Columbia.
Kaiser Permanente: Medical, behavioral health and vision benefits
Member services: (301) 468-6000 in service areas; (800) 777-7902 outside service areas
my.kp.org/commonwealthofvirginia/
Dominion Dental Services, Inc.: Dental benefits
Member services: (888) 518-5338
www.dominiondental.com/kaiserdentists/
Beacon Health Options: Behavioral health and employee assistance program (EAP)
Member services: (866) 517-7042
www.achievesolutions.net/kaiser
Optima Health Vantage HMO Plan
Available only to eligible faculty and staff who live or work in the service area, which is defined by the zip code. The service area includes Chesapeake, Franklin, Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City County, Mathews, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and York County.
Optima Health: Medical, behavioral health and vision benefits
Member services: (866) 846-2682
www.optimahealth.com/group-pages/cova/
Dominion National: Dental benefits
Member services: (877) 847-5754
DominionNational.com
Optima EAP: Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Member services: (800) 899-8175
optimaeap.personaladvantage.com/
TRICARE Supplement Plan
The TRICARE Supplement Plan is available to eligible faculty and staff who are military retirees or spouses/surviving spouses of military retirees. This plan requires that participants have TRICARE Standard/Extra or TRICARE Prime as their primary coverage.
SelmanCo ASI: All services
Member services: (866) 637-9911
All current Premium Rewards expire with the June, 2022 premium (final paycheck deduction on July 1, 2022).
To qualify for Premium Rewards for the 2022-2023 health plan year (July 2022 - June 2023) employees must complete or update a health assessment on or after May 2, 2022. Employees who participate in a COVA Care or COVA HealthAware health plan can earn a $17 per month ($8.50 per paycheck) discount on health plan premiums. Spouses enrolled on a plan can earn an additional $17 monthly discount by completing the assessment, making the total monthly discount $34 ($17 per paycheck).
After completing your Health Assessment, keep a copy of the completion confirmation for your records. It does not need to be returned to VCU HR. Your health plan company will report your completion of the activity directly to the State Health Benefits Program. Review the status of your Premium Reward in Cardinal ESS on or after the expected effective date, and check your paystub to confirm that the correct premium is charged. VCU deducts the amount billed by the State Health Benefits Program.
For full instructions on how to complete the health assessment, see Premium Rewards 2022-2023 (PDF).
If you and/or your enrolled spouse do not complete the health assessment by May 16, it can still be completed later but the premium reward(s) will also start later in the plan year. Completing the health assessment is voluntary. If you decide not to participate, you will pay the regular premium for your plan with no discount.
Health benefits coverage is not automatic upon employment.
- Eligible faculty and staff may enroll in the plan on a pre-tax basis within 30 days of employment. If the enrollment request is received within this 30-day period, coverage is effective on the first of the month coinciding with or following the date of employment. Once the 30-day period expires, coverage is considered waived.
- If you waive health benefits coverage as a new employee, you cannot elect coverage after the 30-day period unless you have a live event change (qualifying mid-year event) or until the next open enrollment period.
- Coverage ceases at the end of the month in which you terminate employment or if you are delinquent in paying your health insurance premiums following the end of the month in which you pay your last full premium.
- Eligible faculty and staff who wish to elect dependent coverage must provide documentation verifying dependent eligibility along with the enrollment form. For details, see Eligibility Definitions and Required Documentation for Health Coverage (PDF), a publication of the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM).
Open enrollment
The Commonwealth of Virginia holds an annual health benefits open enrollment period in the spring of each year, during which time eligible participants can change their health plan options (for example, add or drop expanded coverage) or membership levels (for example, add or drop dependents). Documentation verifying dependent eligibility is required whenever adding or reinstating dependents to coverage.
Qualifying mid-year event
Faculty and staff may make certain changes to their benefits — such as adding or dropping dependents — within 60 days of a qualifying mid-year event. Documentation verifying dependent eligibility must be provided when adding any dependent.
VCU requires J-1 scholars to have health insurance that meets Federal requirements described in 22 CFR 62.14. J-1 scholars must provide evidence of coverage to the Global Education Office The health plans available to employees meet some, but not all, of the J-1 requirements:
- The state employee COVA Care plans (available statewide) and Kaiser Permanente HMO (available to employees who live or work in the plan’s service area) offered by VCU meet the J-1 medical coverage and deductible requirements. J-1 scholars who enroll any other plan offered by VCU must obtain additional coverage outside of VCU to satisfy these requirements, and provide evidence to the Global Education Office. Once you enroll in a plan through VCU, you cannot change your plan selection or cancel coverage until the annual open enrollment period in May or unless you experience a qualifying mid-year event that permits changes during the year.
- None of the state employee health plans offered by VCU include the required medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. J-1 scholars must obtain additional coverage for these items outside of VCU, and provide evidence to the Global Education Office. Many providers offer low cost coverage on the commercial market. VCU Human Resources does not endorse or recommend any particular provider for these products.
- Employees are not required to enroll in coverage through VCU. Those who obtain coverage outside of VCU to meet the requirements must provide evidence to the Global Education Office.
- Employees with further questions should contact the Global Education Office.
If you are a COVA health plan participant, your health plan member identification number is based on your Cardinal ID number. See more information on Cardinal.
- COVA Care and COVA High Deductible Health Plan participants: Replace the first two zeroes in your Cardinal ID number with FVI and the last two zeroes in your Cardinal ID number with XU. For example, if your Cardinal ID number is 00123456700 your Anthem health plan ID number is FVI1234567XU. For your Delta Dental ID, remove the FVI prefix.
- COVA HealthAware participants: Remove the last two zeroes from your Cardinal ID number. For example, if your Cardinal ID number is 00123456700, your ID number is 001234567 for Aetna, Delta Dental, and Anthem Pharmacy/IngenioRX.
If you participate in Kaiser Permanente, Optima Health, or the TRICARE Supplement Plan, your health plan ID is assigned by the insurance company. Contact your insurance company using the information under "Kaiser, Optima Health, and TRICARE contact information" above.
On April 7, 1986, the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) was enacted. COBRA requires employers that sponsor group health plans to offer employees and their families the opportunity to temporarily extend their health coverage at group rates in certain instances where plan coverage otherwise would end.
The group health continuation coverage under COBRA notice includes information for you and your spouse about your rights and obligations under the COBRA provision and provides answers to several frequently asked questions. COBRA election notices are mailed to the home addresses of eligible qualified beneficiaries. Enrollment forms are not available online.
Medicare
Read FAQ to learn more about how your health plan works when you or any of your covered dependents become eligible for Medicare.
Additional resources
The following resources are available for additional information on health care in Virginia:
State Health Benefits Program Military Leave Fact Sheet for Employees (PDF)
VCU's Work/Life program is committed to the health and wellness of employees. We offer a variety of programs focused on healthy lifestyles and balancing the responsibilities of work and personal life.
If you are getting married or adding a new addition to the family, there are so many things to do that we've put together some resources to help with planning for these life changes. Learn more about our family resources like parenting and childcare under work/life and well-being.