An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a health and wellness service paid for by an employer. It is designed to provide assessment and referral, as well as a brief counseling intervention for members and/or their families.
Using your EAP on Headway
Clients can use Optum or Cigna EAPs nationwide.
Providers you can see with an EAP
Insurance companies have some restrictions put in place when it comes to using EAPs.
For Optum, master's level providers (i.e. master’s level Psychologist, LCSW, LPC, LMHCs) can accept EAPs. Optum does not allow doctoral level Psychologists (i.e. PhD, PsyD), Nurse Practitioners, or Psychiatrists (i.e. MD, DO) to accept EAPs through Headway.
For Cigna, doctoral level Psychologists or master’s level clinicians can accept these EAPs. Cigna does not allow Nurse Practitioners or Psychiatrists to accept Cigna EAPs.
Adding EAP sessions to your Headway account
Headway can add your EAP sessions into the system for you. You can share your EAP information with us whenever you have it.
What we need to add your EAP sessions
We'll need you to reach out to your EAP program and obtain the following information in the form of a letter from their insurance company, or a screenshot taken from the insurance portal. Samples of acceptable documents can be found below, and must include all of the following:
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- Authorization number
- Effective date
- Expiration date
- Valid sessions
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Other information to send when reaching out, includes:
- EAP sponsor (if not clear in the letter)
- EAP Member ID if different from the primary ID (if encrypted / not visible on the letter)
- Number of sessions used, if any
- Please note: For Cigna, if used sessions are with a different provider, a new authorization must be obtained
- Please note: For Cigna, if used sessions are with a different provider, a new authorization must be obtained
A note on adding EAPs
We do not obtain EAP information as part of a general benefits verification. Therefore, the above information must be shared with Headway (either directly from you, or by way of your provider) ahead of time to ensure accurate billing.
Sharing EAP sessions
A single EAP is authorized for use for one specific member. The EAP authorization may not be used for multiple family members, even if they are on the same plan.
How billing works while an EAP is active
Even though you won't be charged for sessions covered by your EAP, we require a payment method on file in the event of a late cancellation, which is not covered by insurance.
After all EAP sessions are used, your regular insurance benefits will process automatically, and you will be charged the client responsibility associated with your plan. You can always find an estimate on your Benefits page.
If you do not have general benefits beyond your EAP coverage, you will need to reach out to your insurance carrier to obtain a new authorization number in order to continue using Headway.