Before You Travel | Home | Virginia Commonwealth University

Insurance Coverage

For all VCU Employees
Emergency assistance services — evacuation and travel assistance coverage

Effective April 1, 2021, Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) is the provider of emergency assistance services for Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System. VCU employee business travelers are automatically covered for evacuation and travel assistance services in the event of an emergency while traveling outside of their home country or country of permanent residence.

Though not required, travelers should enroll their itinerary on the CISI Portal (at no cost) in order to receive updates on emerging conditions specific to their destination. Travelers should review the medical evacuation, repatriation and security evacuation brochure for a complete list of the benefits and travel assistance services available through CISI, as well as the business traveler ID card. You can also download the myCISI mobile app so that you have access to your policy details anytime, anywhere.

If you have questions regarding provider referrals and eligibility verification, contact CISI at:

1-800-303-8120

claimhelp@mycisi.com

In case of an emergency, call ON CALL INTERNATIONAL at:

877-714-8179 (within the U.S.)

603-952-2660 (call collect from outside the U.S.)

mail@oncallinternational.com

Optional travel health insurance coverage

VCU business travelers have the option, at their personal expense, to purchase travel health insurance through CISI for their international travel. The premium is offered at a discounted employee rate of $1.55 per day for $500,000 of coverage, with no deductible. Travelers are encouraged to review the travel health insurance brochure to understand the coverage benefits and exclusions before making the decision to purchase.

Travelers must self-enroll if they wish to purchase this optional coverage, and this is not a VCU-reimbursable travel expense. Enrollment can be completed on the CISI Portal. You can also download the myCISI mobile app so that you have access to your policy details anytime, anywhere.

Students participating in an educational program administered by the VCU Global Education Office are enrolled automatically in the CISI plan. All other student travelers will be prompted by GEO to self-enroll. Visit the Education Abroad website for details.

Faculty who choose not to purchase the optional CISI plan should contact their primary health insurance provider in the U.S. prior to traveling abroad to determine the extent of its coverage overseas. Below are resources for plans administered by VCU that are operated by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) for all participating state employees.

Employees who subscribe to the university’s Anthem plan can visit this site to learn more about the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core Program which provides guidance on health care and coverage abroad for Anthem subscribers.
Employees who subscribe to the university’s Aetna COVA HealthAware plan can learn about “Services While Traveling Abroad” on page 24 of the member handbook.
Employees who subscribe to the university’s Optima Health plan can learn about Emergency Travel Assistance coverage in the case of an emergency (see page four for specific definition of emergency).
Employees who subscribe to the university’s Kaiser Permanente plan can learn about Emergency and urgent care away from home coverage.

Liability insurance and auto liability coverage for faculty and staff

The liability insurance afforded the university by the state and administered by the state Division of Risk Management covers faculty, staff and students while performing authorized activities on behalf of the university in foreign countries. It covers third-party liability for claims for bodily injury and/or property damage and professional liability. It covers VCU faculty for acts arising within the scope of their employment (meaning those acts undertaken as part of their jobs in furtherance of the educational objectives of the university, as opposed to their strictly personal conduct). Acts outside the scope of employment, or criminal in nature, are not covered.

The State’s Auto Liability is excess over any valid and collectible Primary Auto Liability Insurance provided by a rental car company. Always purchase the insurance offered by a rental car company when in a foreign country.

For more information on liability insurance and auto liability, please contact VCU Safety & Risk Management.

Auto insurance coverage

When leasing a vehicle in a foreign country, you MUST purchase the collision damage waiver and liability coverage from the leasing company. Coverage will facilitate the handling of your claim and the purchase is a reimbursable travel expense. The collision damage waiver and liability protection offered by foreign leasing companies are the only optional coverages that will be reimbursed. The Office of Procurement Services offers more information regarding rental vehicles.

Note: Coverage for vehicles leased in the United States or U.S. Territories and possessions is provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Division of Risk Management. Therefore, when leasing a vehicle in the United States or a U.S. territory, the only optional coverage that is considered a reimbursable expense is the collision damage waiver associated with Enterprise/National account number XZ21184.

For GEO Short-Term Faculty-Led Education Abroad Program Leaders

GEO will provide international health insurance from Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) for students and faculty. Once it is confirmed that your program will run, VCU Education Abroad will register you, along with your students, in the VCU CISI policy for the duration of your scheduled program. The cost of your insurance coverage is included in student program fees. If you wish to extend your coverage for personal travel, CISI offers add-on plans beyond VCU’s policy (please contact CISI directly to enroll and pay for such an add-on).

This insurance plan covers health care costs incurred during university-sponsored international travel and provides emergency assistance, including medical or security evacuations and repatriation of remains. Here are the full plan details; see the Schedule of Benefits below. Instructions on how to file a claim are included in the previously linked plan details. These coverage details and claims instructions are the same for both you and your students.

Prior to departure, we encourage you to download the MyCISI Mobile App. This will quickly allow you to:

access your VCU insurance policy including your travel insurance documents
see country-specific travel alerts and personal security assistance information
search for medical providers worldwide
input additional travel plans
check-in to communicate with VCU is safe if an incident occurs near you

Schedule of Benefits
Coverage and Services	Maximum Limits
Accidental Death and Dismemberment Per Insured Person	$20,000
Medical expenses (per Covered Accident or Sickness):
Deductible	zero
Benefit Maximum	$500,000 at 100%
Extension of Benefits	30 days
Emergency Medical Reunion	(incl. hotel/meals, max $300/day)
Home Country Coverage Limit	$10,000
Trip Delay	$5,000
Trip Interruption	$1,000
Emergency Medical Evacuation	$250,000
Repatriation/Return of Mortal Remains	$100,000
Security Evacuation (Comprehensive)*	$250,000
*Aggregate of $1M
Team Assist Plan (TAP): 24/7 medical, travel, technical assistance

Note: GEO will no longer be issuing ISIC/ITIC cards. This is a change from previous years.

International Travel at VCU

Traveler’s Fiduciary Responsibility

Mandatory Travel Agency Contract