General Info

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NASA Civil Service employees on official travel are afforded emergency medical evacuation insurance through an Agency-wide contract with International SOS.

When the NASA traveler obtains initial medical clearance from their occupational health clinic prior to international travel, information on the SOS will be provided and a card issued to access International SOS. Some NASA travelers work in areas of the world where Western medical standards are not available. In the event of an on-duty injury or medical emergency, when medical opinion indicates, the employee may be medically evacuated to the closest medical facility in another area or nation where definitive care is available.

Before leaving on your trip, you should access the International SOS website, http://www.intsos.com. It has specific country by country information, which is available to NASA civil service travelers by using the access code provided on the International SOS card.

Important facts to remember:

Emergency medical evacuation insurance is only available to Civil Service employees on official NASA business to foreign nations where Western medical standards are not available.
Family members traveling with NASA employees on foreign TDY cannot be covered by NASA insurance.
Personal excursions are not covered by this insurance. For these circumstances, personal travel insurance is most suitable and very inexpensive as compared to the cost of a trip cut short due to a medical emergency.

Please read the International Travel Frequently Asked Questions below.

NASA contractors traveling on NASA Official Travel Orders are responsible for arranging for emergency medical evacuation from designated medically underserved areas per NASA FAR Supplement, Clause 1852.242.78. See NPR 1810.1 for further information.

Is NASA medical clearance required for foreign travel?
Can my private physician provide clearance?
Can approvals be granted for more than one trip?
What is International SOS?
What does International SOS provide?
Which employees are covered by the NASA International SOS contract?
If I am injured on TDY and need to be medically evacuated, will International SOS bring me back to my home center in the United States?
Will I be billed for the air evacuation?
Who determines the approval for medical evacuation?
Does the approval process cause a delay in treatment?
What would be some of the reasons a NASA employee is denied International SOS evacuation?
Am I covered by Federal Workers' Compensation if I am injured as a direct result of my official travel?
Does this contract cover me if I am injured on TDY in the United States?

Answers

1. Is NASA medical clearance required for foreign travel?: Yes. Whether Canada, Antarctica or anywhere in between, all foreign travel must have NASA occupational medical clearance approval.

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2. Can my private physician provide clearance?: No. An employee's private physician may provide a determination as to the health of the traveler. The occupational health physician will review the documentation and may approve or require an on site evaluation.

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3. Can approvals be granted for more than one trip?: Travel clearances may be granted by the occupational health physician for up to one year. For those travellers going to various destinations, the occupational health physician will approve each new location.

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4. What is International SOS?: International SOS is a worldwide network which provides traveling employees with emergency assistance services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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5. What does International SOS provide?: 24-hour access to International SOS physicians who provide both routine and emergency medical advice, 24-hour access to International SOS for medical information, referrals and emergency assistance and emergency medical evacuations.

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6. Which employees are covered by the NASA International SOS contract?: NASA Civil Service employees.

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7. If I am injured on TDY and need to be medically evacuated, will International SOS bring me back to my home center in the United States?: Generally no, the medical evacuation is intended to most expeditiously get the traveler to definitive medical care, most often in another country.

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8. Will I be billed for the air evacuation?: No. When an authorized NASA physician initiates International SOS air evacuation of the injured/ill employee, NASA will pay for the evacuation by charging your center organization with the cost.

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9. Who determines the approval for medical evacuation?: An authorized NASA physician. Once the call is placed to International SOS by the injured/ill employee or the attending physician, an International SOS physician will make an initial evaluation of the need for medical evacuation and relay the necessary information to one of several NASA physicians who can authorize evacuations.

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10. Does the approval process cause a delay in treatment?: No, the approval process is rapid. International SOS places the calls to the approving NASA physician while the injured is stabilized for evacuation, so no delay occurs in the process.

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11. What would be some of the reasons a NASA employee is denied International SOS evacuation?: If medical care can be provided locally, or if the employee is to medically unstable to travel by air.

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12. Am I covered by Federal Workers' Compensation if I am injured as a direct result of my official travel?: Federal Workers' Compensation covers Civil Service employees for on-duty injuries and illness no matter the location of the TDY. Federal Workers' Compensation covers the work day and reasonable travel associated with the TDY. An injury going/coming to dinner at a restaurant or at the hotel while on TDY would probably be covered. An injury sustained on a weekend trip to the beach would not. Jogging injuries, as not job required, would be an example of an activity not covered by Federal Workers' Compensation.

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13. Does this contract cover me if I am injured on TDY in the United States?: No.

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