Update, March 9, 2021: UC has approved some important temporary changes to support employees who are at risk of losing their FSA contributions because they’ve been unable to obtain eligible services during the pandemic. Read full announcement.
To provide relief for participants in UC’s Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA), the deadline for submitting claims for 2019 expenses has been extended. The new deadline depends on the end date of the COVID-19 National Emergency, which has not yet been determined. Despite the extended deadline, Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) participants will be able to use their 2019 carry-over funds for 2020 expenses beginning June 5, 2020.
Please note that the April 15 deadline for submitting Dependent Care FSA expenses has not been extended.
The extended deadline for filing 2019 Health FSA claims may affect how your claims for 2019 and 2020 are processed. Here are a few examples so you know what to expect:
Example 1
| 2019 Remaining Balance (after carry-over) |
Carry-over to 2020 | 2020 Election |
| $250 | $500 | Decline |
A participant submits a $100 claim from 2019, which is paid from the 2019 remaining balance.
Example 2
| 2019 Remaining Balance (after carry-over) |
Carry-over to 2020 | 2020 Election |
| $250 | $500 | $1,000 |
A participant submits a $500 claim from 2019. The 2019 remaining balance covers $250 of the claim, and the funds carried over from 2019 cover the rest of the claim. Unfortunately, it takes an additional business day for WageWorks to identify that carryover funds are available to pay the 2019 claim, and the participant receives an automatic letter incorrectly noting that $250 of the claim has been rejected. Participants can disregard the rejection letter.
Example 3
| 2019 Remaining Balance (after carry-over) |
Carry-over to 2020 | 2020 Election |
| $250 | $500 | $1,000 |
A participant uses the Health FSA debit card for an expense of $1,500 in 2020. The expense is covered by the $1,000 election for 2020 combined with the $500 carried over from 2019. The remaining balance for 2020 is $0.
The participant then submits a 2019 claim for $500, and $250 is paid from the 2019 remaining balance. The rest of the claim amount is denied, since the funds carried over from 2019 were used to pay for the 2020 claim.
Example 4
| 2019 Remaining Balance (after carry-over) |
Carry-over to 2020 | 2020 Election |
| $250 | $500 | $1,000 |
A participant submits a claim for an expense of $1,700 in 2020, and is reimbursed $1,500 (from the combined 2020 election and funds carried over from 2019). The remaining $200 of the claim is rejected. Remaining balances from 2019 (after carry-over) cannot be used to pay for expenses incurred in 2020.
If you have questions or concerns about how your Health FSA claim has been processed, please contact WageWorks at 800-482-4120.