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Medical Travel Assistance

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Medical travel assistance is granted for travel from any community for non-elective medical treatment.  The coverage is for you, your spouse and dependent children.  Reimbursement will be determined on a trip-by-trip basis subject to the following provisions.

Payment will not exceed:

  • return transportation from the employee’s residence in the NWT to the nearest place where adequate treatment is available;
  • 25 days hotel accommodation and meal costs, at duty travel rates. Reimbursement of these costs are not applicable to periods spent in a treatment facility;
  • up to a maximum of $50 per day for accommodation, meals and ground transportation (i.e. taxis to and from appointments) expenses for any periods beyond 25 days and not to exceed 40 days; and
  • the lesser of return taxi or shuttle bus fare between the airport and the treatment centre.

You will be reimbursed for overnight hotel accommodation en route when travel to the treatment centre is interrupted by weather or other circumstances beyond your control.

When you travel in a privately owned car and the total cost of the trip, including the per diem rate for meals, incidentals and lodging expenses, exceed the cost of the same journey by ordinary commercial means, reimbursement will be limited to the commercial cost.

Your claim must be supported by a form completed by a qualified medical practitioner certifying that medical travel is necessary as the treatment was non-elective, required for the health of the patient, and could not be provided by the facilities or services available in your community of residence.  The medical practitioner submits the form to Stanton Territorial Hospital for approval.

Medical travel assistance will not be provided if a similar benefit is available through another employer.  Double coverage is not available if more than one family member is employed by the Government.  Every effort must be made to schedule medical appointments/procedures while on other forms of leave.

Medical Travel - Dental

The GNWT provides Medical Travel Assistance for some dental procedures; the requirements for approval for medical travel for dental procedures are narrow.

Your claim must be supported by a qualified healthcare professional or practitioner which can include a dentist, a licensed medical doctor, nurse practitioner, community health nurse or midwife stating that:

  • the treatment is non-elective;
  • the urgent treatment is needed immediately or the patient’s health could be jeopardized; and
  • the treatment could not be provided by the facilities or services available in your community.

In addition, the claim must also be approved by Green Shield, the GNWT’s dental coverage provider.

Medical travel will not be covered for the following procedures:

  • Routine Extraction of Wisdom Teeth
  • Routine Root Canals
  • Periodontal (soft tissue work, e.g., dentures)

Each medical travel claim for dental procedure must be assessed by a healthcare professional before Medical Travel is approved.

Escort

The travel expenses of a non-medical escort may be reimbursed.  A qualified medical practitioner must certify that it is necessary for the patient to be accompanied by some other person.

The escort must be 19 years of age or older.

If you are the non-medical escort for an immediate family member, you may be granted special leave. 

Medical Travel Leave

If you receive medical travel assistance, you may be granted medical travel leave for the lesser of three days or the actual time spent away from work.

If you opt to drive rather than travel by air, medical travel leave will be limited to the time required to travel had you travelled by air.

Travel leave will not be granted for escort duty.