Compare dates before treating two lines as a duplicate
Texas A&M ISSS explains that a newly arriving international student may see separate August and fall SSHIP fees. Later enrollment in the Grad Plan does not by itself remove the August coverage requirement. ISSS identifies SSHIP premiums on the student bill and Grad Plan premiums through payroll.
Make a small comparison with the plan name, amount, coverage start and end, billing location and payment status for each line. If a statement does not show the coverage dates, ask the office responsible for that statement. A charge date is not necessarily the first day of coverage. This comparison helps distinguish two periods from a potential overlap within one period.
Sources: Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance
Ask department HR to check the employee and waiver record
The university’s graduate assistant waiver instructions link the waiver report to benefit-eligible employment, plan enrollment and Workday visa information. The current instructions also distinguish an employee’s enrollment from coverage as another person’s dependent.
Ask your department HR contact to confirm the employment record, plan effective date and whether the applicable waiver-report requirements were met. If information is missing, ask who is responsible for correcting it and how you will know the update was completed. Use the current semester’s instructions. The public pages contain different summer timing details, so obtain the applicable deadline from HR and ISSS rather than borrowing a date from another term.
Sources: Texas A&M International Graduate Assistant Insurance Waiver Process Guidelines; Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance
Submit the overlap question through the ISSS route
For a double charge covering a single period, ISSS directs students to its Health Insurance Questions/Concerns form under General Student Services in the ISSS Portal. Start from the official health insurance page to reach that route.
Prepare a brief timeline: when employment began, when coverage became effective, which bill contains the SSHIP fee and which payroll record contains the other premium. Ask what documentation to submit through the approved portal. Keep the case confirmation and the office’s response. Do not include unrelated medical records in a billing eligibility question, and do not assume that an inquiry itself pauses a payment deadline.
Sources: Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance
Keep the billing review separate from active benefits
While a waiver or charge is being reviewed, ask the insurer which coverage is active for the date of any planned appointment. If two plans appear active, ask the insurer and billing office how the claim should be handled; the student fee question alone does not answer that.
Ask the university office when and where to look for its determination, and what to do if the expected account update does not appear. Record the actual resolution rather than assuming a refund amount or processing time. If the response addresses a different semester, reply with the coverage-period comparison so the remaining issue is clear.
Sources: Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance; Texas A&M International Graduate Assistant Insurance Waiver Process Guidelines
Your next-step checklist
- Compare coverage dates, not only charge dates.
- Identify whether each premium appears on the student account or payroll.
- Ask department HR about enrollment, Workday information and the applicable waiver report.
- Use the ISSS insurance question form for a same-period overlap.
- Keep the case confirmation and verify active benefits separately.
Keep personal, insurance and medical information in the appropriate organization’s approved secure channel.
Common questions
Does Grad Plan enrollment automatically erase an August SSHIP fee?
ISSS distinguishes the early-arrival August period from fall coverage. A later Grad Plan start is not by itself enough to remove the August requirement. Ask ISSS which coverage evidence and waiver process apply to that period.
Sources: Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance
Can I assume a refund once I submit the form?
No. The form starts the university’s review. Ask which records it needs and how it will communicate the determination. Confirm payment deadlines with the responsible office instead of assuming the inquiry changes them.
Sources: Texas A&M ISSS Health Insurance; Texas A&M International Graduate Assistant Insurance Waiver Process Guidelines
Sources and verification
The sources below support the administrative information in this guide. Follow the responsible organization’s current instructions when requirements, forms or contact routes change.