PSHCP Bulletin 51

22 September 2025

Did You Know?

Acupuncture services provided by a registered acupuncturist are eligible under the Public Service Health Care Plan. No prescription is required.
Read more about the Medical Practitioners Benefit

Contents

Member and dependant information verification reminder

If you have not updated your personal information recently as a member of the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP), Canada Life will contact you shortly using your preferred communication method to provide instructions on how to review and update your positive enrolment information. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your personal information is up to date. This will help to avoid unnecessary delays to the processing and reimbursement of your or your eligible dependant(s) claims. 

You can update your personal information and your banking information digitally at any time by signing in to your PSHCP Member Services account, or by paper by completing a PSHCP Positive Enrolment form and PSHCP Direct Deposit form and mailing both to Canada Life. Both forms can be found on the Your forms page of the PSHCP Member Services website or you can call Canada Life to request that a form be sent to you by mail.

Note: Your personal information must be maintained separately under the PSHCP and your dental plan, as applicable.

PSHCP Member Satisfaction Survey

To continue to improve our services, a PSHCP Member Satisfaction Survey will be distributed to select PSHCP members to gather feedback about your experience with Canada Life and MSH International (MSH), the sub-contractor providing emergency travel assistance and Comprehensive Coverage.

This feedback will guide our efforts to improve your overall member experience and our services.

You may hear from Canada Life through your preferred communication method in the coming weeks. The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete, and your responses are confidential.

Use your PSHCP benefit card

Your PSHCP benefit card includes your plan number and certificate number, as well as important contact information for both Canada Life and MSH. When picking up prescription drugs, drug supplies and other eligible medical supplies at your pharmacy in Canada, make sure to present your PSHCP benefit card so that the pharmacy can submit your claim directly to Canada Life on your behalf. Your claim can then be processed in real-time. You are responsible for any ineligible expenses. You will also be responsible for the co-payment amount, unless you have coordinated your benefits with your spouse or common-law partner. For more information on how to access your benefit card, visit the PSHCP Member Services website.

Why you might be out of pocket if you do not present your PSHCP benefit card at the pharmacy

Using your PSHCP benefit card is more than a matter of convenience – it can also save you money. When you use your PSHCP benefit card at the pharmacy, the pharmacy submits the claim on your behalf using established pricing set by the plan administrator for eligible prescription drugs and medical supplies. If you choose not to use your PSHCP benefit card and then submit the claim yourself afterwards, you may be charged more than the established pricing and be out of pocket as a result. Therefore, we encourage you to use your PSHCP benefit card when buying eligible pharmacy expenses.

Is your pharmacy having trouble submitting your claims?

If your pharmacy is experiencing difficulty submitting claims on your behalf, please advise them to contact the TELUS Health Solutions Pharmacy Support Centre for assistance at 1-800-263-5876.

Reminder: How to submit claims to Canada Life

How to submit a claim digitally (for expenses incurred in Canada)

Once you have completed positive enrolment and registered for a PSHCP Member Services account, you can submit claims digitally or on the My Canada Life at Work mobile app. 

To submit a claim digitally: 

  1. Sign in to your PSHCP Member Services account or the My Canada Life at Work mobile app. 
  2. Select Make a claim. 
  3. Choose the appropriate claim type and follow the steps to complete the claim.

How to submit a paper claim

To submit a paper claim: 

  1. Print, complete legibly and sign the In-Canada Expenses Claim Form (M635D) or the Non-Emergency Out of Country Expenses Claim Form M7518 found on the Your forms page of the PSHCP Member Services website or call Canada Life to request that a form be sent to you by mail. If your form is incomplete, illegible or unsigned, it will be returned to you by mail, within three weeks, and a new form will need to be submitted to Canada Life. 
  2. Mail the form to the address indicated on the form along with the originals of the supporting documentation (original receipts, bills, invoices, physician or practitioner statements, and/or questionnaires, etc.). Keep a copy for your own files, Canada Life will not return original receipts after claims are processed. 

If you are co-ordinating benefits with another health plan, you must also include any claim statements received from the other benefit plan, when submitting your PSHCP claim with Canada Life.

If you require a paper copy of a blank claim form, please contact Canada Life to request that one be sent to you by mail. A blank claim form is also always included with your explanation of benefits statement when received by mail.

How to determine your coverage maximums
As some PSHCP benefits have a maximum claim amount per period, it is important to check your coverage and remaining balances for common expenses. To do this, sign in to your PSHCP Member Services account or the My Canada Life at Work mobile app, select Benefits, then Coverage and balances. Alternatively, you can contact the PSHCP Member Contact Centre for assistance. For full coverage details, see your PSHCP Member Booklet.

Travelling outside of Canada? Here is what you need to know

If you are travelling out of your province or territory of residence, make sure you are familiar with the coverage available to you and your eligible dependant(s). As a PSHCP member residing in Canada you have access to the Emergency Benefit While Travelling and the Emergency Travel Assistance Services provisions. Both provisions are administered by MSH, on behalf of Canada Life.

Emergency Benefit While Travelling

As a PSHCP member residing in Canada, you and your eligible dependant(s) are each covered for up to $1,000,000 (Canadian), reimbursed at 100%, in eligible medical expenses incurred due to an emergency while travelling on vacation or on business. 

Reimbursement is based on Reasonable and Customary Charges in excess of the amount payable by a provincial or territorial health insurance plan, if required for emergency treatment of an injury or disease which occurs within 40 days from the date of departure from the province or territory of residence. This excludes any time out of the province or territory for official travel status. Benefits are limited to your initial emergency treatment. Any further care or treatment is not eligible under the PSHCP.

Emergency Travel Assistance Services

If emergency assistance is required, you and your eligible dependant(s) can access the MSH world-wide network any time, contact MSH in North America at 1-833-774-2700 (toll-free) or internationally at 1-365-337-7427 (collect). 

MSH will assist with: 

  • transportation arrangements to the nearest hospital that provides the appropriate care or back to Canada 
  • medical referrals, consultation and monitoring 
  • legal referrals 
  • a telephone interpretation service 
  • a message collection service for family and business associates (messages will be held for up to 15 days) 
  • advance payment on behalf of you and your eligible dependant(s) for the payment of hospital and medical expenses 

To arrange for advance payment of hospital and medical expenses, you must sign an authorization form allowing MSH to recover payment from your provincial or territorial health insurance plan. Further, you will be responsible for reimbursing MSH for any payment made on your behalf that is in excess of the eligible reimbursement amount under your provincial or territorial health insurance plan and the PSHCP. Failure to provide the signed authorization form will result in delayed payments.

Day supply limit

The day supply limit for prescription drugs under the PSHCP is 100 days for both acute and maintenance prescription drugs. If you require an exception to the 100-day supply limit for a prescription drug due to travelling for an extended period, you may request up to a 200-day supply from your pharmacist.

How to request additional day supply from your pharmacist

  1. Contact your pharmacy to find out how far in advance you need to order your prescriptions. 
  2. Provide your PSHCP benefit card and applicable travel dates to your pharmacist to submit your request. Your pharmacist has instructions available on how to submit your vacation supply claims.

You do not need to contact Canada Life for approval of this exception for travel purposes. 

To request up to a 200-day supply for reasons other than travel, such as transitioning to retirement, you must contact Canada Life.

Reminder: Some paramedical services no longer require prescriptions
Paramedical services include massage therapy, physiotherapy, etc. and do not require a prescription in order to be eligible for reimbursement under the PSHCP. For a complete list of services that do not need a prescription, see your PSHCP Member Booklet.

Claim submission deadlines

Reminder, that claims must be received by Canada Life and MSH no later than December 31 of the year following the calendar year in which the expenses were incurred. For example, if you incurred expenses in July 2024, you have until December 31, 2025, to submit your claim. Some exceptions may apply, see the PSHCP Directive.