Health Care FSA FAQs

A health care FSA is a spending account that lets you set aside money on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified expenses not covered by another health plan. With a health care FSA, a portion of your paycheck is deposited into your account on a pre-tax basis and you can then use these funds to pay for eligible out-of-pocket expenses.

With a health care FSA, you may have the choice to enroll in either a standard health FSA or a limited health FSA. You can enroll in any FSA your employer offers, as long as you are eligible to participate. Review your My Company Plan to see what accounts you are eligible for. To access your My Company Plan:

1. Log in to your online account
2. In the main menu, select BESTflex Plan under the Account Information section

The difference between a standard health FSA and a limited health FSA is the types of eligible health expense that are covered. The types of expenses covered include:

• Standard health FSA: Eligible medical, vision, and dental expenses not covered by another health plan
• Limited health FSA: Eligible vision and dental expenses not covered by another health plan

Additional information about eligible expenses can be found on our eligible expenses webpage.

If you are enrolled in a standard health FSA, you can use your FSA funds on eligible medical, vision, and dental expenses not covered by another health plan.

If you are enrolled in a limited health FSA, you can use your FSA funds on eligible vision and dental expenses not covered by another health plan.

Additional information about eligible expenses can be found on our eligible expenses webpage.

With an FSA, you save approximately 30%* on your eligible expenses, making a $1,000 expense cost you about $700. You get these savings because the contributions you make to your FSA are exempt from Federal, State, and FICA payroll taxes.

*This tax example is a broad approximation of tax liability. Further, your contributions may be subject to state income tax in some states. Your specific savings depend on your tax bracket. You should consult a tax advisor for help with your own situation. Current IRS tax laws control all pre-tax payment and contribution matters and are subject to change.

You can pay for qualified expenses with your health care FSA by either using your Benefits Card or submitting a claim for reimbursement.

Benefits Card
Your Benefits Card* is a prepaid debit card that lets you pay for eligible expenses directly from your health care FSA instead of waiting to be reimbursed. Your card is mailed to you when you first enroll.

Simply swipe the card, use it to pay online, or add it to your digital wallet and use it wherever Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay are accepted. You do not need to call to activate your card—it will work as soon as you use it. You can use your Benefits Card to pay for eligible expenses at a variety of retailers. Visit www.ebcflex.com/WheretoShop for more information.

If your purchase is not automatically verified, you will be asked to submit documentation to verify that your purchase is considered an eligible expense.

It’s important to note that digital wallet capabilities are only available to primary cardholders.

*Some employers may choose not to offer a Benefits Card. Refer to your My Company Plan for details about your specific plan.

Submit a Claim for Reimbursement
You may also pay for eligible expenses with another payment method and submit a claim for reimbursement from your health care FSA. You can use the following methods to submit a claim:

• Mobile App: Download EBC Mobile in the App Store or Google Play. Use your online account information to log in.
• Online Account: Log in and submit a claim at ebcflex.com.

You can use your Benefits Card to pay for eligible expenses at a variety of retailers. Many retailers are able to automatically verify if your purchase is eligible at the register (or during online checkout). If your purchase is automatically verified, you’re all set and no further action is needed.

If your purchase is not automatically verified, you will be asked to submit documentation to verify that your purchase is considered an eligible expense.

We recommend that you always save your receipts for any health care FSA transactions. You may be asked to share documentation that verifies that your expenses are eligible.

If you use your Benefits Card and the transaction is declined, it may be for one of the following reasons:

• The merchant does not accept the Benefits Card
• Your purchase is not an eligible expense
• Your Benefits Card is temporarily suspended because your prior transactions require documentation that you haven’t yet submitted
• You have no remaining balance

Whether you’re using your Benefits Card or submitting claims online, you should always save your receipts. You may be asked to share documentation that verifies that your expenses are eligible. It’s a good idea to ask vision, dental, and other providers for an itemized receipt.

Expense documentation must include:

• Date of service
• Type of expense
• Amount of the expense incurred
• Name of service provider

If you used your Benefits Card to pay for your expenses, your purchase may be automatically verified. Please only submit documentation if you are asked to verify that your purchase is considered an eligible expense.

If you made a purchase with your Benefits Card and the purchase wasn’t automatically verified, you will receive an email asking you to submit documentation to verify that the expense is eligible. The documentation request email will include the transaction date and amount of the transaction.

Your purchase documentation needs to include an itemized statement of charges from the provider or an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance carrier. It must include:

• Date(s) of service(s)
• Type of expense
• Amount of the expense incurred
• Name of service provider

The quickest and most secure way to submit documentation is online or via our mobile app. Before you start, make sure your purchase documentation is saved on your computer or device and ready to upload.

Online Account: Log in to your online account. If you need to submit documentation, you will see a notification requesting additional documentation for a Benefits Card purchase. Follow the on-screen prompts to upload.

Mobile App: Log in to EBC Mobile for Apple or Android. Select the Benefits Card transaction that requires documentation and follow the on-screen prompts.

When you submit claims for reimbursement and do not use your Benefits Card, direct deposit allows you get your money faster and have your reimbursement funds deposited electronically and securely in your checking or savings account. Learn more about setting up direct deposit at www.ebcflex.com/directdeposit.

The IRS has a maximum annual contribution amount that is reviewed and updated every year. The maximum annual contribution amount refers to the maximum amount of FSA dollars that you and your employer combined can contribute to your FSA.

Refer to our Plan Limits Page for the maximum annual contribution limit for health care FSAs.

Based on the Uniform Coverage Rule, you have all of the funds that you’ve elected to contribute to your health care FSA available to you at the beginning of your plan year, minus the amount of claims already reimbursed.

To fully take advantage of your health care FSA, you should spend all of your FSA funds by the end of your plan year. Any unused funds will be forfeited to your employer.

Leftover funds cannot be carried over to the next plan year unless your employer has a health care FSA grace period or a health care FSA rollover established. A health care FSA grace period allows all leftover funds to be carried over for 2 months and 15 days into the next plan year while a health care FSA rollover allows a specific amount of leftover funds to be carried over for the entire next plan year.

To see if your employer has a health care FSA grace period or a health care FSA rollover established, review your My Company Plan. To access your My Company Plan:

1. Log in to your online account
2. In the main menu, select BESTflex Plan under the Account Information section

A runout period is an administrative period of time following the end of your plan year that gives you extra time to submit claims for eligible expenses that were purchased during your plan year.

It is important to note that not all employers offer runout periods. To see if your employer offers a runout period, review your My Company Plan. To access your My Company Plan:

1. Log in to your online account
2. In the main menu, select BESTflex Plan under the Account Information section

Your health care FSA elections are irrevocable, which means that you cannot change how much you contribute to your FSA after the plan year has started.

There are specific circumstances, otherwise known as qualifying events, where an election change is permitted during the plan year. Common examples of a qualifying event include the birth of a child, marriage, or divorce.

Contact us to discuss specific circumstances of your situation to help determine what you can expect of your plan during your leave.

Once you have registered your online account, you can add an authorized user to your FSA. Authorized users are able to ask questions about your accounts. To add an authorized user, complete the Participant Authorization Form available at www.ebcflex.com/forms.

If you’d like to order an additional Benefits Card for another authorized user,* you can do so in your online account or with EBC Mobile. You can request up to five additional cards for others at no cost. Complete the following steps to order an additional Benefits Card.

EBC Mobile

1. After you log in to EBC Mobile, go to the main menu
2. Select Manage Cards
3. Select Request Additional Card and follow the prompts

Online Account

1. After you log in to your online account, go to the main menu
2. Select Secondary Benefits Card under the Manage category
3. Click Add and follow the prompts

For more information about ordering an additional Benefits Card, watch our How do I get an additional Benefits Card Video.

*Before requesting an additional card, you will need to complete a Participant Authorization Form for each person that you would like to receive an additional Benefits Card. For more information about completing the Participant Authorization Form, read the previous question: How do I add an authorized user to my health care FSA?

If your card goes missing, you can lock your card in your mobile app, EBC Mobile, to prevent any unwanted purchases.

1. After you log in to EBC Mobile, go to the main menu
2. Select Manage Cards
3. Find the card you want to lock and select lock. When you find your card, you can unlock it by selecting unlock.

If you can’t find your card or it was stolen, you can replace your card in EBC Mobile and have a new card mailed to you.

1. After you log in to EBC Mobile, go to the main menu
2. Select Manage Cards
3. Find the card you want to replace and select replace

Your card will be immediately closed and you will be sent a replacement card to the address we have on file. Please verify that we have the correct address on file before replacing your card. Replacement cards may take up to 10 business days to arrive to the address on file.

For more information about lost or stolen Benefits Card, watch our Lost or Stolen Benefits Card Video.

If your employment is terminated, your employer determines when you lose eligibility for the health care FSA. Generally speaking, your last day of employment would be the last day you are eligible for the health care FSA, but occasionally an employer will extend this until the end of the month in which you terminated employment.

Services/purchases must be incurred before the date that you lose eligibility. Your Benefits Card will also be shut off on the day you lose eligibility. Any unused funds will be forfeited unless you are eligible for and elect COBRA to continue your health care FSA.

If your employer’s plan has a runout period established for mid-year terminations, you may have additional time to submit any expenses that you incurred prior to the last day of your plan year.

It is important to note that not all employers offer runout periods for mid-year terminations. To see if your employer offers a runout period for mid-year terminations, review your My Company Plan’s section title Health Care FSA Termination. To access your My Company Plan:

1. Log in to your online account
2. In the main menu, select BESTflex Plan under the Account Information section

Additional information about runout periods can be found in the above question: What is a runout period?