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Benefits
Flexible Spending Account - Health Care

SU offers employees the opportunity to contribute pre-tax dollars to a Health Care Flexible Spending Account administered by EBS-RMSCO.

Benefit Design

The Health Care Flexible Spending Account allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible health care expenses not covered by your medical or dental plan. The advantage of a pre-tax Health Care Flexible Spending Account is that you do not pay any federal, state, or social security (FICA) taxes on the money you contribute to it. Your contributions will automatically be deducted in equal installments from your paychecks before taxes are calculated. The taxes you save and the effect on your paycheck will depend on your personal situation (e.g., your household income, tax bracket, and the amount you contribute to the account).

You must enroll annually in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account during Open Enrollment. Each year, you elect the amount of pre-tax contributions that you wish to make to the account. You are not permitted to carry forward contributions made in one plan year to a later plan year. Any remaining balance in the account at the end of the plan year will be forfeited. Therefore, it is important that you estimate your health care expenses carefully before electing your contribution amount. The plan year runs from January 1 to December 31 (see Important Note below).

You can contribute from $100 to $5,000 annually to this account. If you waive dental coverage, SU will contribute $100 to this account for you in addition to any contribution that you make. Total contributions cannot exceed $5,000.

Reimbursement Process

  1. You incur eligible expenses and pay bills as you normally would.

  2. EBS-RMSCO administers the Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts.

  3. You submit the claim form, receipts, and any additional required information to EBS-RMSCO to request pre-tax reimbursements from your health care account.

  4. You receive reimbursement from EBS-RMSCO.

  5. You will have until April 30, 2009, to submit claims for expenses incurred between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Checks are processed once a week if expenses submitted total $25 or more. In the month of December, the $25 minimum is waived and all expenses submitted are reimbursed weekly.

Subject to applicable COBRA rights, if you terminate or otherwise become ineligible for benefits during the year, you will have 90 days after the date of termination or ineligibility to submit eligible expenses for reimbursements.

BluePoint and OrangePoint plan subscribers may elect automatic reimbursement of co-payments without having to submit reimbursement forms and receipts. This also applies to prescription drug co-payments submitted through Medco.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IRS regulations require that you use all of the money in your Health Care Flexible Spending Account for eligible expenses incurred in the plan year during which the contributions are made or you will forfeit any funds remaining in the account. Health care expenses are considered to be "incurred" when the health care service is provided, and not when you are billed or pay for the expenses.

Employees electing to participate in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account are bound by the terms of the governing Plan document. If you have any questions regarding the Health Care Flexible Spending Account, you may request a copy of the Plan document from the Plan Administrator by contacting the HR Service Center at the number indicated at the end of this page.

As is the case with all benefits offered by SU, (1) the Plan Administrator has the discretionary authority to interpret the terms of the Plan and such interpretation will be binding on all interested parties to the fullest extent permitted by law, and (2) the University reserves the right to modify or terminate the Plan at any time.

Before you decide, consider the following: