Health & Counseling Services

Student Health and Counseling Services does not write medical excuse notes.

Students who are not able to attend classes due to illness should notify their instructors and, for conditions requiring an extended absence from classes, their Academic Advisor. For academic accommodations due to physical or mental health, please see Disability Resources.

Absences due to illness are not excused; students who are ill should not provide doctor’s notes to faculty members, nor should a faculty member accept such documentation from a student. This is also noted in the SVA Student Handbook.

Students that take a Medical Leave of Absence from SVA must submit a completed Physician's Verification of Medical Condition form to Student Health and Counseling Services no later than 30 days from the date of withdrawal for tuition consideration. Download the form at the bottom of this page under “Resources.”

Students that took a Medical of Absence from SVA and want to request a return must submit a Certificate of Readiness Form, available at the bottom of this page under “Resources,” to Student Health and Counseling Services at least 1–2 months from the date of the anticipated semester’s start.

The 2018–2019 SVA-sponsored student health insurance plan Cigna PPO expired on August 24, 2019.

The following information is not intended to be exhaustive of all health plans available, nor should it be regarded as a recommendation or endorsement of the health plans by SVA Student Health & Counseling Services. Contact the companies directly for more information:

• SVA Alumni Health Insurance Exchange: Affordable health insurance programs from JLBG Health
• New York State of Health Marketplace
• NY State Essential Plan
• Freelancers Union: Available to independent workers/freelancers in 30 states. Review the aforementioned hyperlink for more information and eligibility requirements.

International Students - OPT

• International Student Organization
• Atlas America Visitors Insurance: Coverage for students living or studying abroad for longer than one year.
• Students with J1 and F1 visas (even in OPT) may review the Student Secure plan
• If you are a student with dependents there is also a plan called the Atlas Travel:
• internationalstudentinsurance.com/brochures/pdf/atlas-doc.pdf

Free emotional support

• Confidential emotional support is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week - you can text HOME to 741-741 (crisistextline.org) or call 1-888-NYC-WELL (or text WELL to 65173).

Purpose of IRS Form 1095-B: Health Coverage

Form 1095-B is used to report certain information to the IRS and to taxpayers about individuals who are covered by minimum essential coverage and therefore are not liable for the individual shared responsibility payment. Students enrolled in the SVA sponsored health insurance plan for the 2019 year should check their mailbox at the end of January 2020.

If you recently changed addresses, email 1095B@chpemail.com to obtain a copy.

International Students: You only need to keep this form for your records and no action is required.

The Spring 2020 health insurance fee waiver deadline has passed (February 10, 2020).

Students may submit a one-time waiver appeal no later than April 6, 2020.

If a student has completed a waiver appeal in the past, they may not submit an appeal again.

The insurance plan that a student requests to waive with must meet SVA's requirements for insurance (please review the requirements at sva.edu/uhp):

• Affordable Care Act compliant
• Insurance company is owned, based and operated in the United States

Students may already be enrolled in an insurance plan through their family, spouse or themselves.

In order to request to have the insurance fee removed from the tuition bill, a waiver must be completed online before the waiver deadline of October 1.

The online waiver for Fall 2020 will be available beginning June 1, 2020.

Important items to remember:

• You cannot request to remove the insurance plan over the phone.
• You cannot request to remove the insurance plan on paper.
• You cannot verbally request to remove the insurance fee in-person with any SVA administrative staff member.
• Crossing out the insurance fee on your printed tuition bill does not remove the insurance fee.
• Submitting a waiver in your first year of college does not automatically remove the insurance fee for your second, third or fourth year. A new waiver request must be submitted every Fall semester.

If you missed the information session during Orientation Week about Cigna PPO, the SVA sponsored health insurance plan, please review the PDF by University Health Plans, available at the bottom of this page under “Resources.”

Students may request their submitted immunization records (SVA Student Health Form) by completing the Immunization Record Release form at the bottom of this page under “Resources.”

A list of therapists and psychiatrists outside of SVA is available for download at the bottom of this page under “Resources.”

Approximately one month before registering for the semester of a student’s intended return, a Certificate of Readiness Form (available at the bottom of this page under “Resources”) must be completed by the treating healthcare provider and signed by the student.