APM 430 FAQs

A. No! Except for Fulbright scholars, exceptions to the insurance requirement cannot be made for those who fall under the policy.

A. No! Exceptions to the insurance requirement cannot be made for those who fall under the policy. UCSF requires that departments purchase SMHW-vetted insurance on behalf of international APM 430 students who will be at UCSF for 90 days or longer.

A. Yes - UCSF requires that departments purchase SMHW-vetted insurance on behalf of international APM 430 students who will be at UCSF for 90 days or longer.

1. Encourage international APM 430 students to access care using the trusted services provided by UCSF's Student Mental Health and Wellbeing (SMHW). Furthermore, when acute healthcare and mental health needs arise, UCSF staff will be able to provide referrals and "warm handoffs" between their respective units and SMHW.
2. Allow access to preventative primary and mental health coverage to ensure that non-catastrophic care is provided through insurance plans vetted by Student Mental Health and Wellbeing (SMHW).

International APM 430 students are an especially vulnerable population, which has experienced quite a few crises over the years this policy is intended to better support these visitors.

A. An initial appointment that began before September 1, 2021 does not carry the insurance requirement; however, if the appointment is renewed/extended, the international student will be required to carry this new insurance if the extension is three months or longer.

A. This policy applies only to those students in the following APM 430 title codes who are starting or renewing their appointment on or after September 1, 2021:

• Title code: 3731 - Visitor (undergraduate)
• Title code: 3730 - Visitor (graduate)

A. If the scholar has ACA-compliant insurance, then they'd be considered domestic and can use the insurance provided by their home (U.S.) institution. In this case, the host program/unit at UCSF is not required to purchase additional insurance.

A. No. Fulbright scholars are exempt from the supplemental insurance and fee policy.

A. Insurance should be purchased by the host department/PI via BearBuy. As per policy, this insurance cost should not be placed on the student. Please see the separate enrollment procedure pages for Student Medicover and PSI.

A. The host department/PI will use BearBuy to make these purchases. Please see the separate enrollment procedure pages for Student Medicover and PSI.

A. Departmental P-Cards are not eligible to be used for insurance purchases. Please see the separate enrollment procedure pages for Student Medicover and PSI.

A. Yes. As per page 3, step 2 of the supplemental insurance and fee form, proof of purchase for the insurance is required and is supplied by the insurer, either Student Medicover or PSI. See examples of this proof of purchase.

• This proof of purchase should be attached to your packet to HR.
• Digital insurance cards do not qualify as proof of purchase.
• Insurance quotes do not qualify as proof of purchase.
• If there is a case where the PO is still pending (payment has been submitted and is processing), either insurer above can provide a letter indicating that a PO is pending. This should be attached to the packet in the meantime. The appointment will be provisionally approved during this time (provided all other required documents have also been submitted).
• Once payment has been made in full, the program should obtain the proof of purchase from the insurer and forward this to the HR generalist assigned to the case. The APM appointment will then be fully approved.

A. APM 430 students must fit into one of these title codes:

• Title Code 3731: Visitor (undergraduate) - A student enrolled in an accredited degree-granting undergraduate program
• Title code 3730: Visitor (graduate) - A student enrolled in an accredited degree-granting graduate program
• Title Code 3299: Visiting Scholar** - A person on leave from an academic appointment or other employment at a home institution or other entity

If a student is not currently enrolled in an accredited degree-granting program, or on leave from an academic appointment, they are not eligible to be placed into the APM 430 category.

It is advisable to reach out to HR to discuss the responsibilities/duties of such students in order to find a more suitable alternative title code.

**The Visiting Scholar title does not fall under the APM430 Supplemental Insurance/Fees policy outlined on this related pages. Only title codes 3731 and 3730 fall under the insurance policy.

A. Yes! Visiting scholars can be appointed for up to one year per appointment (365 days). Extensions are permitted, upon approval, for up to one additional year - two years total per scholar. If additional time is required, please reach out to your HR generalist to discuss a more appropriate HR title.

A. No. The supplemental insurance and fee policy applies only to APM 430 Undergraduates and Graduates. Scholars are not eligible under this policy.

Please see more information on the APM430 Insurance and Fee Policy page.

A. Effective March 2025,  Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs will no longer consider or approve requests for remote or hybrid APM430 appointments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an exception was made to allow visiting students to complete research experiences remotely for health and safety reasons. However, with the resumption of on-campus activities, Undergraduate and Graduate Student Visitor appointments will also return to on-campus settings. This change aims to provide the highest quality research experience for both students and labs, aligning with the spirit of the APM430 policy to disseminate knowledge, establish intellectual relationships, and foster international exchanges.

Key Points:

• No New Remote/Hybrid Requests: All pending or future remote work requests will not be considered.
• Existing Remote Appointments: Active, existing remote appointments may request one additional extension if applicable. This extension is only valid if there is no break in work between the two appointments, and the preceding appointment was previously approved as remote.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we transition back to on-campus activities to enhance the research experience for all involved.

A. The chartstring section on the supplemental form is for payment of the student services fee only. Insurance payment is handled separately, and coordinated between the department and the visiting scholar. For applicable students, the proof of purchased insurance (either from PSI or MediCover) should be attached to the final APM430 packet submitted to HR.

A. Once the insurance has been purchased, the insurer can provide proof of insurance, which must include the insurance tier/level purchased and the insurance start/end dates. This document must be appended to the supplemental form and be included in the packet to HR.

A. The supplemental form is designed so that anyone can place electronic signatures using Adobe Acrobat, which is available free of charge. The supplemental form should NOT be printed and hand typed.