Free International Travel Medical and Evacuation Coverage Now Available to Employee Travelers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2015) — A new international travel medical insurance and evacuation coverage is now available at no cost to faculty and staff members engaging in University of Kentucky business overseas.

The new travel medical insurance coverage greatly increases faculty and staff protections while traveling internationally, and brings UK in line with best practices at many of its peer institutions. In order to facilitate this coverage and to help UK liaise with travelers in case of an emergency, the International Center’s new division of International Health, Safety and Security has launched a new international travel registry for faculty and staff.

The system is easy and quick to use, and attempts to make the process as simple as possible for the traveler, requiring no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Registering will be of utmost importance since it will provide UK with the information on travelers that is needed to provide the best possible service and protections while abroad.

This information will be used to connect with the health insurance company in case medical services are needed overseas, and will allow the UK International Center to quickly liaise with faculty or staff members if there is a major incident or emergency in the region in which they are traveling.

The IHSS website also includes information for individual students traveling under UK auspices and not earning academic credit, and for faculty or staff members who may be leading non-credit groups of students overseas. These students and groups must register with the International Center in order to be in compliance with UK Administrative Regulation 4:9. By registering, non-credit students are covered under the same protections and insurance as faculty and staff.

In addition to the faculty and staff registry, the newly created IHSS website includes information technology security tips as well as other resources useful to international travelers.

For questions about the protections or how the insurance and evacuation coverage works, or for more information on non-credit student registration, please visit https://ihss.uky.edu/ or contact Jason Hope, UK’s manager of International Health, Safety and Security at jasonhope@uky.edu.

More information on the international travel medical insurance and evacuation coverage can be found below.

Where do I register?

The registry can be found at https://ihss.uky.edu. Please note that a faculty or staff traveler can register him or herself, or that a proxy (e.g. department staff assistant) can do it on his or her behalf.  Student travelers must register themselves. It is recommended this process be integrated into the travel approval process for each college and unit.

When should I register?

• Any non-credit students, faculty or staff traveling internationally should attempt to register their travel at least two weeks prior to departure.
• Individuals traveling internationally for purely personal reasons (e.g., vacations) should not register, as these trips are not included in the terms of the insurance coverage.

How much will it cost?

• UK faculty and staff will not be charged for this coverage.
• All students covered by this required insurance will be charged $10.50 per week (billed in weekly increments) for this coverage. Graduate students working as graduate assistants, teaching assistants, etc., are considered students for the purposes of the insurance coverage and fee mechanism. This charge will be reflected on each student’s account statement, but departments may reimburse students traveling on their behalf if so desired.

MEDIA CONTACT: Blair Hoover, (859) 257-6398; blair.hoover@uky.edu