In many cases, companies will reimburse the cost, however, they will not ask for any information on the results of the exams. This will allow the company to cancel the assignment for other reasons without concern that the employee could claim that the medical results were part of the company's decision. For those companies that require medical exams regardless of whether the host country requires it, policies will vary in regards to who within the accompanying family is covered. As shown in Table 7-3, more than 50 percent of the companies require, if not strongly encourage, a medical exam for all accompanying family members. The reimbursement of medical expenses can take many forms.
Some companies reimburse all expenses, including vaccinations, without a maximum.
Others will ask that the employee submit the expenses to the medical insurance plan, and the company will reimburse any deductible and excess payment. Virtually all countries require a work permit or visa before a non-citizen can live and work in the country for an extended period of time. Securing a work permit is a time-consuming process that may take four to six weeks. The company policy should cover who is responsible for obtaining and preparing the required forms and paperwork needed for such applications. Normally the assignee is responsible for preparing the documents, and the company will initiate the application process.