New to the UN
New to the UN
Onboarding Timeline
Week 1 to Week 4
Visit the different Health Plan Pages available on this website to get a better understanding of the plan you are eligible for and that is most applicable to your needs. To further prepare for your enrollment in one of the UNHQ-administered health plans, we kindly refer you to the below available guidance and policy material:
- Onboarding Brochure for UNHQ-administered health plans
- Onboarding Brochure for UN MIP
- UNHQ-administered plans: ST/IC/2023/11
- MIP: ST/AI/2015/3
- MIP: ST/IC/2015/8
Week 4
Important Deadline - Enroll in a health insurance plan within 31 days of your “Entry on Duty” (EOD) date
The UN offers comprehensive self-funded plans for medical, dental and life coverage to eligible staff members, retirees and dependants. Staff members have 31 days from their first day of employment to sign up for health insurance, and changes can be made each year in June, during the annual enrollment campaign. Please review the details relevant for you and enroll now through Umoja ESS (UN Secretariat), Quantum (UNDP), SAP (UNICEF) or oneUNOPS (UNOPS). For other UN organizations, please contact your HR Officer directly and he/she will guide you through the enrollment process.
All staff in the US or planning to seek care in the US frequently have one dental plan and two medical coverage options that ought to be reviewed carefully before making a selection:
- Empire Blue Cross PPO
- Aetna PPO
- Cigna Dental PPO (dental coverage)
Internationally recruited staff outside the US can opt for medical and dental coverage with the UN Worldwide Plan
Locally recruited staff outside the US are automatically enrolled in UN MIP and may decide to enroll eligible family members now. Enrollment in UN MIP is mandatory for staff and provides medical and dental coverage.
Week 8
Important Deadline - Enroll in life insurance plan within 60 days of your “Entry on Duty” EOD date
The Group Life Insurance plan for UN staff is insured by The Hartford. Staff members have 60 days from the EOD of their qualifying letter of appointment, received medical clearance and a minimum 6-month contract, to sign-up for life insurance without having to worry about submitting The Hartford’s "Evidence of Insurability" form. After your 60th day of employment, life insurance coverage is not guaranteed.
If you are interested in The Hartford Group Life Insurance plan, we kindly advise you to complete and submit the following forms to the HLIS before the deadline:
Week 9
At this point, you should have enrolled in one of the voluntary UNHQ-administered health plans (despite UN MIP for which enrollment is mandatory and automatic) and the optional Life Insurance plan, if desired. To effectively use your plan and safeguard the sustainability of the self-funded UNHQ-administered health insurance programme, we kindly invite you to browse the additional guidance material available on the Active staff page to gain important insights into how to differentiate between in-network and out-of-network providers, how to avoid and detect plan fraud, waste and abuse and many more.
Interactive Elements
FAQs
Does HLIS provide walk-in client services?
The UN Heath and Life Insurance Section is located on the 3rd floor of the FF building (304 E 45th St, New York, Ny 10017), where we welcome walk-in clients on Tuesday from 9 am to 12:30 pm and Thursday from 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm from May 2nd, 2023 onwards. Clients will be seen on a first come first serve basis. Please have your UN index number handy as you will need it to register with the UN HLIS Client Services.
How can retirees contact HLIS via mail?
To guarantee access to excellent client service, we are pleased to inform you that staff members can reach HLIS through email at hlisi@un.org.
Can I enroll secondary dependants (parents or siblings)?
No, “eligible family members” do not include secondary dependants, family members of temporary staff members with appointments of less than three months or family members of occasional workers. The term “eligible family members” refers to a recognized spouse and one or more dependent children.
What are eligible dependants?
The United Nations health insurance programme recognizes only one eligible spouse for coverage. A dependent child is one who meets the definition according to staff rules and is considered to be a household member in the organization’s ERP system (Umoja, Atlas, SAP, oneUNOPS, etc.).
What is the maximum age for my child to be covered?
Your child is eligible to be covered under the programme until the end of the calendar year in which he or she attains the age of 25, provided that he or she is not married or employed full time between 21 and 25. Children with disabilities may be eligible for continued coverage beyond the age of 25 provided that they are certified disabled by the Division of Health-Care Management and Occupational Safety and Health, if you are an active staff member, or by the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, if you are a retiree.
What are the effective commencement and termination dates of my health insurance coverage?
Provided that enrollment is completed within the prescribed 31-day time frame, your coverage begins on the first day of a qualifying contract or the first day of the following month. When a contract terminates before the last day of a month, coverage will remain in place until the last day of that month.
When can I expect my ID card?
Cards are shipped by the Third-Party Administrators to subscribers’ mailing addresses on average 10 business days after the upload of the Insurance Eligibility file which is transmitted to the Insurance carriers, start of month and mid-month. Please allow for 1 month upon enrollment.
I am new to Insurance plans and I am feeling rather lost and overwhelmed. Is there a guideline to help me with selecting the right policy?
You can find all relevant information on this page. In addition, the HLIS’ benefits assistants can provide additional guidance if needed. They can be reached via hlis@un.org.
As we are telecommuting, is there a way to enroll/make changes to health & life insurance remotely?
The annual enrollment campaign begins on 1st June and runs through 30th June for staff members to enroll and/or make changes to their health insurance status. UNHQ staff members can make changes through Umoja ESS. Staff members of other organizations should contact their HR offices to find out how to make changes to their insurance status during the annual campaign period.
Please define the range of a "plan year".
The Plan Year ranges from 1st July to 30th June of each year.
Before we enroll, is there a way to see if a particular provider is in-network with Aetna or Empire Blue Cross?
The provider should be able to confirm if he/she is in Aetna or Empire Blue Cross network. Additionally, you may find information on the carrier website. However, we kindly advise you to also check with the respective TPA in order to avoid any miscommunication that might lead to additional out-of-pocket costs.