Under UA's standard refund policy, the waiver is applicable only if traveler cannot travel due to medical reasons. Unless you can get a physician to write a note confirming that the traveler cannot travel, it's not going to work under this situation. Plus there's a $50 fee IIRC.
The best ways to avoid fees are:
* You can use miles, but you'll still need to pay $200 miles redeposit fee if you don't have status. How long before you know when you need to book your own flights? Might need to do a last minute booking using miles.
* Book Southwest, where there is no cancellation fee.