This page is to help answer common question that employees may have about Flexible Spending Accounts.
 | How often can I be reimbursed? |
| | Claims are considered for payment by our office on a daily basis. We strive to adjudicate claims within 48 hours of our receipt. Incomplete request forms, as well as issues involving clarification of expenses submitted for payment consideration, will impact the timely processing of those claims. |
| How do I complete the request form for reimbursement? |
| | Each request form has an example on the left hand side of the page. Please follow that example COMPLETELY. Make sure to list ALL dates of service (date ranges are only acceptable in the case of an unreimbursed dependent care claim), the name(s) of the person(s) receiving the service(s), the actual amount of the expense(s), the amount(s) reimbursed by insurance or other third party providers (if this amount is "0", you MUST enter "0") and the reimbursement requested amount(s). Then proceed to the right hand side of the page and place the TOTAL of all of the reimbursement requested line item amounts. Lastly, sign and date the request form and attach all applicable third party documentation. As a helpful reminder, please carefully review your request form to confirm all of the appropriate sections have been fully completed before submitting the request form for payment consideration. Secondly, please confirm the expenses you are submitting for payment consideration have not already been submitted on a prior date. Thirdly, a copy of the request form(s) should be retained for your records. |
| What do you mean by "incurred" expenses? |
| | Generally, expenses are considered incurred on the date medical or child care services are rendered and NOT the date the expenses were paid. Please refer to your Summary Plan Description for the definition of an "Eligible Expense". |
| Can I submit cash register receipts in lieu of pharmacy receipts? |
| | No, we must have the actual pharmacy receipt that is provided any time a prescription is filled. The pharmacy receipt identifies the name of the prescription so we can determine that it is a reimbursable expense under the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. If you have misplaced your pharmacy receipt, the pharmacist should be able to provide you with a computer generated itemized breakdown of your prescriptions. |
| My child is going to the orthodontist and I am making monthly payments. Can I submit a claim for reimbursement every time I make a payment? |
| | Yes, you may submit a claim for reimbursement based on when you make a payment for orthodontic work. |
| What about eyeglasses, contact lenses or radial keratotomy? |
| | Eyeglasses, contact lenses, contact lens solution or radial keratotomy/lasik surgery is reimbursable through the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. However, breakage protection plans, replacement lens insurance plans and sunglass clips are NOT reimbursable expenses. |
| My child, under the age of 13, is in day care. If I pay for the full month at the beginning of the month, can I submit a claim for reimbursement and be paid right away? |
| | You can submit the request form to our office assuming the expenses meet all the qualified Unreimbursed Dependent Plan criteria outlined in your Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. However, the request form will NOT be considered for payment until all dates of service have bene satisfied, which is typically at the end of the month. The fund availability is based on the cash that is available in a participant's account at the time the claim is initially considered for payment. If there are insufficient funds in a participant's account at the time the request form is considered for payment, balance due checks will be generated as funds are credited to the participant's account subject to their Unreimbursed Dependent Care annual election. |
| What third party documentation is required for special medical supplies; such as support hose, orthopedic devices or joint supports? |
| | A written statement from your physician which outlines the details of the specific underlying medical condition that substantiate the necessity for the special medical apparatus. Secondly, the third party receipt for the apparatus is required as well. |
| Can I submit a claim for marriage counseling? |
| | No. Marriage counseling is not an eligible expense under the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. |
| What happens if I submit my request form after the end of our Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Year for services rendered during the prior plan year? |
| | Typically, a grace period will be available immediately following the end of your Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Year to submit request forms for services rendered during the previous plan year. Please review your Section 125 Cafeteria Plan documents or consult with your employer in regard to the grace period, which typically runs ninety days after the end of your plan year. |
| Can I change my elections during the plan year? |
| | Generally, you are locked into your pre-tax election(s) for the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Year unless you experience a qualified Change of Status that is on account of and corresponds with the change of status event. Generally, a participant has thirty days from the qualifying Change of Status event to complete a Change of Status form. You can obtain a list of the qualified Change of Status events as well as additional qualifying events via your Summary Plan Description. Secondly, each year your employer will conduct an open enrollment for the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. The open enrollment will take place a month prior to the renewal of your Section 125 Cafeteria Plan. During this period, eligible employees will have the freedom to opt into the Section 125 Cafeteria Plan as well as change or terminate their existing pre-tax elections via the completion and execution of a Change of Status Form. The Change of Status Form must be completed and executed prior to the commencement of your next Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Year. Please contact your Human Resources Department for a Change of Status form. |
| Can I move money from my Unreimbursed Dependent Care account to my Unreimbursed Medical account or vice versa? |
| | No. |
| What happens to my Unreimbursed Medical and/or Unreimbursed Dependent Care account balance if I don't utilize my entire annual election for the current plan year? |
| | The Internal Revenue Service regulations have a provision known as the "Use It or Lose It" rule. This rule stipulates that any balance remaining in an Unreimbursed Medical and/or Unreimbursed Dependent Care participant's account after the allotted grace period is forfeited. The employer has three options in regard to plan forfeitures. The most popular approach is to redistribute, on a pro-rata basis, any prior plan year forfeitures that may exist within the Unreimbursed Medical Plan and/or Unreimbursed Dependent Plan amongst participants in each plan for the current plan year. Please review your Summary Plan Description or consult with you employer in regard to plan forfeitures. In order to reduce the risk of plan forfeitures, it is critical to be conservative with your estimates. Please follow the enrollment guidelines provided by your Employer. |
| Can I submit a request form for expenses relating to overnight camp? |
| | No. Amounts paid for services outside the employee's household at a camp where the qualifying individual stays overnight are not employment-related expenses. |
