The Use of Overseas Student Safety Management Assistance (OSSMA)

The University of Osaka asks students who study abroad to join the Overseas Student Safety Management Assistance (OSSMA).

What is OSSMA?

OSSMA is a service for students being in trouble and need of assistance when traveling abroad available in English, Chinese or Japanese in a 24/7/365 environment.

Before going abroad

  • Providing country safety information such as riots
  • Counseling about overseas travel insurance
  • Assisting OSSMA users to utilize the service

While traveling abroad

1. Personal support

If a flight delays, applicants left phone on a plane, or passport, flight ticket, or credit card is stolen, consultation services will be available. In these cases, OSSMA may support applicants to communicate with relevant institutions or re-issue passport.

2. Medical support

If applicants get sick or injured, the following services will be available over the phone in English, Chinese or Japanese.

  1. Introduction to and/or reservations for doctors or medical services
  2. Interpretation services over the phone when applicants used medical service overseas
  3. Advice on overseas travel insurance medical claims
  4. Dispatching doctors, transferring of a patient in emergent situation to a local hospital, arranging of flight to Japan, and arranging a hospital in Japan that accepts the patient.

3. Safety confirmation

By request from families or UOsaka, the service provider (OSSMA) will check applicant’s safety. If safety cannot be confirmed, the service provider will confirm it by communicating with the embassy and police or by sending an investigator to the location with university’s assistance.

In the case of an incident, such as when natural disaster occurs, the service provider will confirm the safety.

4. Mental healthcare

Consultation services about a mental health are available.

5. Support for family members visiting applicants during their hospital stay abroad

The provider will support family members or university staff visiting applicants to provide assistance. The provider will help the visitors so that they can get their emergency passports, visas, and make reservations of flights and accommodations. The provider will temporary make a payment for applicants to be refunded afterwards.

6. Introduction of lawyers

When applicants need legal advice, regardless of whether it is about civil or criminal case, the provider will introduce applicants to a lawyer.

After returning to Japan

Supporting the applicants to make claims for incurred costs (to insurance companies)

Note: OSSMA is a membership-based risk management support service provider for students who are studying abroad and not an insurance company. Medical costs such as expenses for hospitalization, treatment, tests, and counseling should be borne by students, so they must purchase overseas travel insurance additionally.

Make sure to register on the Overseas Travel Registration System.

Eligibility

Students who are going abroad to participate in the following programs

As a general rule, participants participating the programs below must register for OSSMA.

  1. Exchange student programs based on university-wide and faculty-wide agreements with the University of Osaka
  2. Short-term study abroad programs hosted by the university, such as language programs and internships
  3. Study abroad with financial aid such as scholarships through the University of Osaka.

For travel abroad for purposes other than those mentioned above, applicants are not required to join OSSMA, but based on students decision, students may join OSSMA (the membership fee should be borne by applicants.) Students are not allowed to join OSSMA for sightseeing purpose, but registration of the Overseas Travel Registration System is mandatory.)

Procedures

If a program coordinator gives an instruction, applicants should follow it.

If any instructions are not given from a coordinator or a travel is personally planed, applicants can take a procedure which the description follows.

The service application will be available after the membership registration.

Fee is charged during the service application. (Fee will not be charged at the time of membership registration. Once they apply OSSMA service for their potential travel, fee will be charged.)

1. Member Registration

Download an App from the App Store or Google Play.

Applicant will be required to enter an “Affiliation Password”.

The Affiliation Password of The University of Osaka is posted here (The University of Osaka Members Only).

*It may take time to process application during spring and summer season when many high number of students travel abroad. A prompt application will be highly recommended.

*Medical costs such as expenses for hospitalization, treatment, tests, and counseling should be borne by students, so they must purchase overseas travel insurance.

2. Service Application

Service application is available on the Service Application menu in the App.

An announcement email about the service charge will be sent to applicants once they completed to enter the necessary items.

Service Application will be completed after the payment.

1. Payment Methods

Payment at convenience store or by credit card

(Once you register for your account, payment should be done earlier.)

2. Service Charges

Period overseas

Individual membership fees (¥, tax included)

1 month

3,630

2 months

6,050

3 months

12,100

4 months

16,335

5 months

20,570

6 months

24,200

7 ~ 9 months

29,040

10 ~ 12 months

32,670

3. Refunds due to shortening/cancellation of period overseas after registration/payment of membership fees

The cancellation policy can be found below. If necessary, please contact the OSSMA Office directly by email at students<at>emergency.co.jp.

<If period of travel changes BEFORE departure...>

Membership fees will be refunded to applicants by the OSSMA Office minus the processing fees listed on the table below.

*The following processing fees for this refund must be borne by students.

Timing of report of itinerary changes to OSSMA

If period overseas is less than 6 months (¥)

If period overseas is more than 6 months (¥)

(1) By the 25th day of the month preceding your departure date

1,000

1,000

(2) Between (1) and the day before your departure date

1,000

4,000

(Not including tax)

<If period of travel changes AFTER their departure...>

If the difference between the membership fees accounting for the decrease in the number of months abroad and the membership fees applicants paid is greater than ¥ 10,000 (not including tax), OSSMA will refund membership fees minus the processing fees listed on the table below.

*The following processing fees for this refund must be borne by students.

Timing of report of itinerary changes to OSSMA

If period overseas is less than 6 months (¥)

If period overseas is more than 6 months (¥)

After departure

1,000

4,000

(Not including tax)

Handling of personal information

OSSMA's underwriting company Emergency Assistance Japan Co., Ltd. (EAJ) will not use OSSMA clients’ personal information that The University of Osaka has provided or that EAJ obtained in their work beyond the scope that is necessary to achieve the purposes of use.

Any personal information EAJ obtained will not be disclosed or provided to third parties except when: client consent has been obtained, its disclosure is required by law, or its disclosure is required for protecting the life and assets of OSSMA clients.

In addition, The University of Osaka will not provide personal information to third parties except when: information must be shared with a related school/institute, individual consent has been obtained, or its disclosure is required by law.

Applicants are deemed to have agreed to accept this when applying online.

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