J-1 Insurance Requirement

All J-1 scholars, student interns, and their J-2 dependents must have health insurance that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of State during their entire stay in the U.S.    The insurance requirements are briefly outlined below:

• Major medical benefits per accident or illness: $100,000
• Medical evacuation: $50,000
• Repatriation of remains to home country: $25,000
• Deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness
• Coinsurance not to exceed 25% of the covered benefits per accident or illness.

To meet the requirement:

1. If you are a benefit-eligible employee of VT:
   • Your host department needs to schedule an employee orientation with HR, during which you will receive instructions on how to enroll in the employee health insurance plan. Please note the only plan that meets the J-1 requirements is Anthem COVA Care.
   • After enrolling in the Anthem COVA Care plan, please access the plan enrollment document which contains your name and plan details, through the Cardinal website https://www.hr.vt.edu/benefits/health-insurance/cardinal.html.
   • Anthem COVA Care doesn’t include the medical evacuation and repatriation, which are required by J-1 regulations. You will need to purchase additional one of the following additional plans:
     • http://www.nriol.net/evacuation-insurance/ 
     • http://www.betins.com/Products/Evacuation/Evacuation.aspx (Under this link, you will see three options.  Only the first two options meet the requirements- Beta Scholastic and Beta Public for J-1 Exchange Visitors and their J-2 dependents.) 
   • Submit both the Anthem COVA Care enrollment document, along with the accident insurance proof, in IntlHokies portal – “J-1 Scholar Services” – “J-1 Health Insurance.”
      
2. If you are funded by a foreign entity and have insurance coverage through that entity, please submit the insurance plan document in the IntlHokies portal. The document must include your name, specific coverages, and coverage date. We will evaluate whether the plan meets the J-1 requirements.
   
   
3. If you don’t fall under either of the scenarios above, please refer to the initial DS-2019 approval email sent from vtgss@vt.edu, which includes a list of the options for you to choose from.