3 COVID Test Options for Faculty and Staff

With the closure of the University’s on-site Testing Center, faculty and staff seeking a COVID-19 test are encouraged to use a community provider, visit their primary care physician or obtain an at-home COVID test should the need to be tested arise.

Here are a few ways to obtain an at-home test kit.

1. A supply of at-home tests were distributed to schools, colleges and administrative units at the beginning of the fall semester. Four at-home tests were allocated for each member of the faculty and staff working in-person on campus, including those in our New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles locations. If you have not received your tests yet, contact your dean, unit leader or supervisor.
2. At-home tests are available at a highly subsidized cost of $1/test kit in dedicated vending machines located across campus. Visit the COVID Testing page for locations.
3. Employees and dependents who are covered under the University’s employee health plan can access FDA-approved COVID-19 testing related services at no cost through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) and Optum Rx.
   

   Coverage Through Excellus BCBS

   Your cost for FDA-approved COVID-19 testing related services will be waived when you use your Excellus BCBS insurance card. This generally includes diagnostic tests, as well as in-network provider office visits, in-network urgent care visits and emergency room visits necessary to obtain a COVID-19 diagnosis. If an in-network provider is not available, the health plan will cover testing through an out-of-network provider at no cost to the member. Any questions can be directed to the University’s dedicated customer care team at Excellus BCBS at 800.493.0318 (TTY: 800.662.1220).

   Coverage Through Optum Rx

   When using your Optum Rx insurance card, qualifying COVID-19 at-home tests can be acquired for free from Optum Rx’s preferred retail partners: Kinney Drugs, Rite Aid, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and Walmart. Additionally, members of the health plan are eligible to be reimbursed for up to $12 toward the cost of a qualifying test purchased by submitting a manual claim request. Each covered member can be reimbursed for up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests per month (without a prescription). For more information and to request a claim reimbursement visit optumrx.com/testinfo or contact Optum Rx at 866.854.2945 (TTY:711).

General questions about COVID-19 testing? Please contact Human Resources Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or hrservice@syr.edu.