Flexible Spending account
A flexible spending program allows an employee to commit a certain tax-free amount to a spending account set aside for healthcare and childcare expenses.
Reimbursements for allowable expenses within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Healthcare Plan (dictated by Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code) such as deductibles, copays, vision/dental expenses, childcare expenses.
Claims are submitted by the employee to MyEnroll by filling out necessary forms and providing required substantiation (receipts, invoices, etc.).
Employees may also use the Benny card (similar to a debit card) to pay for eligible expenses. The IRS requires that all FSA Benny Card transactions must be verified as eligible FSA expenses. Some transactions, such as standard copays, can be auto substantiated. Still, many transactions require submission of supporting documentation to be verified. Multiple notifications from Benny Central will be sent to employees asking for substantiation. These notifications will be provided via email if an email address is available and will be sent from @bennycentral.com. If an email address is not available, notifications will be mailed to the employee’s home. Upon final notice the Benny Card will be frozen until substantiation is received.
Employee Benefit Resources
Medical – Anthem
Prescription Drug – OptumRx
Dental – Delta Dental of Ohio
Vision – VSP
Flexible Spending Account
Employee Assistance Program
Wellness Program
Retirement
Life Insurance
Long Term Disability
Plan Year 2023 - Claim Dates
Health Care FSA:
- Last Date to Incur Claims for Plan Year 2023 is 6/30/2024
- Last Date to Submit Claims for Plan Year 2023 is 9/30/2024
Dependent Day Care FSA
- Last Date to Incur Claims for Plan Year 2023 is 6/30/2024
- Last Date to Submit Claims for Plan Year 2023 is 9/30/2024
How much money can I contribute to my FSA?
Healthcare:
- Annual Maximum Contribution for 2023-2024 is $3,050 (minimum is $240)
- Carryover amount = $550.00
Dependent Care:
- Annual Maximum Contribution = $5,000 per couple for married filing jointly and single head of household
or
- $2,500 per individual for married filing separately (there is no minimum for dependent care)
What happens to my FSA if employment ends?
Should your employment terminate, your FSA participation will end on your last day of employment. Per the Internal Revenue Code, any funds remaining in your account, against which claims have not been incurred by or prior to your date of termination, will be forfeited.
What is a Benny Card?
The Benny Pre-paid Benefits Card is a special-purpose MasterCard® called “The Benny Card” that gives you an easy, automatic way to pay for qualified health care expenses that are eligible to be reimbursed through your HealthFlexible Spending Account plan. The Benny Card lets you access the pre-tax dollars you set aside in your FSA and use those dollars to pay for your eligible, reimbursable expenses.
I lost my Benny Card - who do I contact for a replacement?
MyEnroll administers the Flexible Spending Account program for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati HealthCare Plan. Contact their Customer Service Team at 866.694.6423 or [email protected]
How does the Benny Card change how I am reimbursed for FSA expenses?
With the Benny Card, you simply swipe the Card and the funds are automatically deducted from your FSA. You must retain your receipts (provider receipts, not just credit card receipts) for all of your Benny Card purchases. The benefit of the Benny Card is that it eliminates most out-of-pocket cash outlays and you do not have to wait to receive reimbursement checks.
Why should I save receipts and other documentation for all purchases made with the Benny Card?
The IRS requires that every transaction made with any type of Flexible Spending Account prepaid debit card, like your Benny Card, must be substantiated in order to confirm that the cardholder is using the Card to pay for an eligible FSA expense. The IRS considers many expenses paid with the Benny Card to be automatically substantiated at the point of sale. For example, if you use your Benny Card to pay a copayment amount for a prescription, the expense may be automatically substantiated if your plan’s copay amount is identified in the Benny Card System. In this instance you do not have to separately submit a receipt for the copayment amount for substantiation. Many expenses cannot be substantiated at the point of sale, and IRS regulations require cardholders to submit supporting documentation in order to verify the transaction. Examples of expenses that may not automatically substantiate include dental, chiropractor and physician office visits where the amount paid is not equal to an established copay amount that is recognized in the Benny Card System, and situations in which you charge more than on copay expense in the same Benny Card swipe. If you use your Benny Card for an expense that cannot be automatically substantiated at the point of sale, the merchant will be paid for the expense, but you MUST provide documentation to verify that the purchase is an appropriate FSA expense.
You will be required to submit substantiation to Benefit Allocation Systems, Inc. (“BAS”) in order to validate the eligibility of the expense in accordance with IRS guidelines.
What is appropriate substantiation?
The Internal Revenue Service imposes certain rules on FSA
contributions and distributions as a condition of allowing
participants to receive the tax-favored benefits of FSA participation. One of those restrictions is that all FSA claims
must be substantiated with supporting documentation that meets certain requirements. Appropriate substantiation
includes the merchant or provider name, the service received or the item purchased the date, and the amount of
the purchase. Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) and other provider documentation may also be used as verification of
an expense. Cancelled checks, handwritten descriptions of charges, card transaction receipts or previous balance
receipts cannot be used to verify an expense.
Medical Service – An itemized receipt/statement or an EOB from the insurance company or health care
provider should include: Patient Name; Provider Name; Date of Service; Description of Service (or procedure
code); Amount Paid. A Credit Card receipt from your Benny Card swipe is not sufficient.
Medical Item – Examples of a medical item include nonprescription reading glasses, bandages for a current
wound, contact lens solution, etc. A proper receipt should include: Merchant Name; Date of Purchase;
Description of Item; Amount Paid. A Credit Card receipt from your Benny Card swipe is not sufficient.
Prescription – Documentation for a prescription should include: Name of Patient; Name of
Pharmacy; Date (fill date); Prescription Number or Name; Amount Paid. A Credit Card receipt
from your Benny Card swipe is not sufficient.
How long do I need to save my receipts and other documentation?
You should save all of your receipts and other documentation for as long as you would save documentation
for your tax return. Consider keeping all information in one place so it is readily available upon request.
What if I lose my receipts or I accidentally swipe the Card for something that’s not eligible?
Usually the service provider can recreate an account history and provide replacement documentation.
Insurers can generally issue a replacement EOB. In the event that documentation cannot be located,
recreated, or if the expense is ineligible for reimbursement, you can send a check or money order to BAS
for the ineligible amount so BAS can forward the repayment to your employer for it to be credited back to
your FSA. If this applies to you, please call BAS for more information
How will I know to submit documentation to verify a charge?
If there is a need to submit a receipt or other documentation, you will receive an email from
bennycentral.com. The email will include an attachment with more information. Please DO NOT ignore
emails you receive from Benny Central. You must respond to the emails from Benny Central in order to
complete the process for documenting unsubstantiated expenses paid with your Benny Card, as per the
Card use agreement you received when you activated the Card. If you do not have an email associated with
your account, you will receive the notifications through regular mail.
The majority of notifications will be sent each month for services rendered the prior month. However, ALL
receipts should be saved per the IRS regulations as there may be instances in which you may have to submit
documentation outside of the monthly notification.
What if I fail to submit documentation to verify a charge?
If you do not submit documents to verify an unsubstantiated charge made with the Benny Card, then the
Card will be suspended until proper documentation is received and the charge is substantiated. If it cannot
be substantiated, you will be required to repay to your FSA the amount charged. BAS will advise you that
your Benny Card has been suspended if the documentation is not received when required. Submitting the
appropriate documentation or repaying the amount in question will allow the Benny Card to be reactivated.
What is the Documentation Request Processing Schedule for Unsubstantiated Claims?
If you use your Benny Card for an expense that cannot be automatically substantiated, you will
be asked for more information as follows:
Benny Central will send you a letter requesting supporting documentation for the expense. If you
have a valid email address entered into MyEnroll, you will receive the letter by email (from
@bennycentral.com). If you do not have an email address associated with your account, the letter will
be mailed to your home address.
You will have 30 days to respond to the first request for documentation. If your response is not
received within 30 days, Benny Central will send you a second letter to remind you of the outstanding
request for supporting documentation. If your response is not received within 30 days of your second
notification (a maximum of 60 days from the first request), your Benny Card will be suspended and
you will receive a final notification asking for supporting documentation. Please note that you may
continue to submit manual (paper or online) claims while the card is suspended.
Your card will remain suspended until you provide adequate documentation, or until you repay
your account with after-tax dollars. If you provide additional documentation, that documentation will
be reviewed to determine if the expense can be properly paid from your FSA. If it is determined that
the expense can be properly paid from your FSA, the claim will be substantiated and your Benny Card
will be reactivated. If after review of the documentation you submit, it is determined that there is not
sufficient information to substantiate the claim, you will be sent another notification requesting more
information. You will have 14 days to respond to the request for more information.
If, based on all of the information you provide, it is determined that the expense is not an eligible
expense, you will receive a notice asking you to send a check in the amount of the expense to
reimburse your FSA. When BAS receives the repayment and your FSA is reimbursed for the ineligible
expense, your account will be credited and your Benny Card will be reactivated.
If you do not respond to the Benny Central notifications within the identified timeframes, or if you
do not repay an expense that is determined to be an ineligible expense, your Benny Card may be permanently suspended and will not be reactivated.
