Dental Fund
HGSU-UAW Dental Fund Summary and FAQs
The contract between Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate Student Union (HGSU-UAW) establishes a fund of $595,000 to help defray the cost of premiums and copays under the Harvard University student dental insurance plan, and dental expenses in general. Visit the Benefits Overview page to learn about upcoming deadlines.
All applications will open at least 6 weeks before the deadline. Student workers may submit their application for reimbursements here.
Eligibility and Coverage
To be eligible to receive a reimbursement from this Fund, a person must:
- be a student enrolled in a Harvard University degree program at the time the expense is incurred (note that a person on involuntary leave is not considered enrolled for the purposes of this fund); and
- be employed (i.e., have a current appointment covered by the HGSU contract) as a salaried Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, Instructional Fellow, Pedagogical Fellow, or Course Assistant within the 6-month window in which the expense occurred (January 1-June 30 OR July 1-December 31). If the appointment is for 6 months or less and straddles the two six months windows, the SW is only eligible for reimbursement during the 6-month window during which the appointment starts (January 1-June 30 OR July 1-December 31) (e.g., an FAS TF with an appointment from 08/11/2024-01/04/2025 would only be eligible for reimbursement for expenses incurred during the July 1-December 31 window because of the 8/11/2024 start date);
OR
have been employed as an hourly Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, or Course Assistant and worked at least 280 hours during the preceding six-month period from when the expense is incurred (i.e., worked at least 280 hours from July 1 through December 31 if the expense is incurred during the following January 1 through June 30 period, or worked at least 280 hours from January 1 through June 30 if the expense is incurred during the following July 1 through December 31 period);
OR
in the six-month period (July 1 through December 31 or January 1 through June 30) in which a student graduates and the expense is incurred, they are employed as an hourly Research Assistant (but not an undergraduate Research Assistant), Teaching Fellow, or Course Assistant and worked at least 280 hours prior to graduation.
If you are enrolled in the Dental Blue Comprehensive Plan, the premium, deductible, and all out-of-pocket expenses are covered and eligible for reimbursement. If you are enrolled in the Dental Blue Preventative Plan, the premium, deductible, and 60% of all out-of-pocket expenses are covered and eligible for reimbursement.
If you are uninsured, 100% of preventative expenses and 40% of non-preventative expenses are eligible for reimbursement. Applicants enrolled as dependents on a parent or partner’s insurance are eligible for up to 40% reimbursement of non-preventative expenses. Expenses and premiums for dependents enrolled on workers’ Dental Blue insurance are eligible for reimbursement.
The average reimbursement from last year was $537. We do not expect any drastic changes this year since we are now in the second year of GSAS subsidies ($222 for eligible Dental Blue enrollees in FY2024) and two options for Dental Blue plans (Comprehensive and Preventive).
In accordance with our contract, Harvard is subsidizing 75% of the cost of the Dental Blue Preventative Plan, which comes out to $222, for all PhD students who purchase EITHER the Comprehensive or Preventative Dental Blue Plans AND have a financial guarantee of tuition and the health fee from Harvard. (E.g. if you are a PhD student who does not have to pay your own tuition and health fee, you should receive this subsidy). Harvard’s Office of Labor and Employee Relations has informed us that the subsidy will be provided as a supplementary stipend (aka via paycheck) after your Dental Blue enrollment is approved. The rest of the premium will be eligible for reimbursement from the Dental Fund, so apply to the fund if you want the rest of your premium reimbursed! We automatically account for the subsidy you may receive from Harvard.
Application Questions
No. For simplicity of administration, household income is self-reported.
Include any income earned by yourself as well as a spouse or committed partner. You do not need to report financial information of extended family members or roommates unless they contribute significantly to household expenses.
At the November deadline, complete the form as an hourly worker newly eligible for Spring 2023 expenses. You can submit a new application at the May deadline as a salaried worker for this year’s expenses.
If you are unable to log in to our application to apply via HarvardKey, that means that you have not worked in an HGSU-UAW eligible position in the relevant time period (July 1, 2023–present) according to the records Harvard has shared with us. If you are planning to teach this semester, try accessing the fund the first week after your class meets; you should appear in our records by then. If you have worked in an HGSU-UAW eligible position and still can’t access the application, email hgsu.benefits@gmail.com with your HGSU-UAW appointment letter and we will help you get access to the application.
Fund Rules - In Plain English
Section
Dental
Scope
Dental care premiums (Harvard SHIP only), copays, and out-of-pocket expenses for student worker and eligible dependents
Eligibility
Appointed to an eligible position in the bargaining unit at one point in the contract year covered by application; can be enrolled in Harvard SHIP, another insurance, or no insurance
Application Timeline
Salaried workers: expenses April 15 to date at the November deadline; expenses July to date at the May deadline
Hourly workers who became eligible in the previous spring semester can get the previous year’s expenses covered at the November deadline
Benefit Structure
Pool
Determination of Benefit Amounts
Are there fixed costs/grants?
Yes—SHIP premium
Are there variable costs?
Yes—reimbursable proportion of covered expenses depends on insurance status and whether care is preventive (e.g. cleaning) or non-preventive (e.g. fillings)
When does household income affect reimbursement?
When eligible expenses exceed available fund amount
Maximum annual payout
$3,500
Typical documentation
Screenshot of enrollment (SHIP premium only), receipts (all other expenses)
Applications
SmarterSelect, open from 6 weeks before next deadline
January Review; Fund Governance
Minor changes made by vote of FBC; major changes are subject to HGSU membership vote
Full Rules
For full (legalese) version of the rules, please go here. For the most granular information on expenses we cover, refer to bullet point 1 of the Section entitled “Determination of Benefit Amounts.”
