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FSA FAQs

 

 What is the NetBenefits AccessCard?
The AccessCard issued by Fidelity is a convenient way to pay for eligible, unreimbursed medical expenses. The money in your FSA is accessed when you swipe your card at the point of service, such as at a doctor's office or pharmacy. The card is a debit card, not a credit card.

YOU MUST KEEP ALL RECEIPTS WHEN YOU USE THE CARD. The IRS requires Fidelity to verify that purchases made with the card were for eligible health care expenses. If the merchant does not transmit sufficient information at the time of purchase, you will be required to upload or fax receipts.

IF YOU HAVE UNVERIFIED EXPENSES FOR MORE THAN 100 DAYS, your card will be deactivated. At that point, you must provide receipts to verify those purchases in order for your card to be reactivated. It takes 48 hours to reactivate your card.

How do I use the AccessCard?
You can use your AccessCard to pay for eligible expenses almost anywhere you purchase health care services or products — providing the merchant is approved. Simply swipe the card at the register (select "Credit" if asked) and funds are deducted automatically from your available FSA balance.

Where can I use the AccessCard, which merchants are approved?
The term "merchant" is used to describe a provider or retail store that accepts payment through the card network, which authorizes all health care flexible spending card payments. Each merchant who accepts card payments is assigned to a merchant category based on their line of business. The Internal Revenue Service controls where the flexible spending cards can be used by approving merchant categories that represent merchants who are very likely to sell or provide eligible health care products and services. Card payments at all other merchant categories are prohibited and automatically declined through the card network. When the AccessCard is used at any merchant who is assigned to an approved merchant category, the card payment is instantly authorized by the card network in the transaction amount (up to the account balance). Note that the card transaction is not approved as an eligible health care expense; that comes later.

  • IRS Restrictions on Flexible Spending Card Use. IRS guidelines require certain types of merchants be certified to accept FSA debit cards, including your NetBenefits AccessCard. The certification process is called Inventory Information Approval System (IIAS).
  • Businesses That Shouldn't Be Affected by IIAS. Doctor's offices, dentists, and vision care providers are not required by the IRS to be IIAS certified. Your card should work at these businesses.
  • Businesses That Are Affected by IIAS. Grocery, department, discount, online and warehouse stores. If these merchants are not IIAS certified, the IRS will not allow them to accept the Health Care Flexible Spending Card for payment.

What happens if I swipe my AccessCard for an amount greater than the available balance?
If the account balance is not sufficient to cover the transaction amount, the transaction will be declined through the card network at the point of purchase. You will need to use another form of payment and then request reimbursement by submitting claim form for the amount that is available in your account.

What happens if I buy something with the AccessCard that is not an eligible purchase?
The criteria for approving the transaction for payment are:

  • the card is activated
  • the account has a balance sufficient to cover the transaction amount
  • the merchant is likely to sell or provide eligible health care products and services

If a transaction is approved based on these criteria, money is transferred from your FSA to the merchant. Fidelity reviews the information they receive from the point-of-sale for each card transaction. If the transaction cannot be verified after the review process, Fidelity will email you to request a detailed receipt showing the name of the patient, the date of service, the provider, the description of services provided, and the amount charged for the service.

If you cannot provide a receipt with this information, you may either:

  1. submit a substitute receipt for another eligible unreimbursed health expense; or
  2. Send a payment to repay your account for the amount

Why do I need to save my receipts for AccessCard transactions?
FSAs are regulated by the Internal Revenue Service. Money in those accounts is not taxed as income and therefore can only be used for eligible expenses (medical or dependent care). If you are contacted by the IRS or Fidelity to show proof that you have used those dollars appropriately, you must have receipts available to do so.

What is auto-substantiation?
Automatic substantiation is the ability to electronically validate an expense that was paid by using your AccessCard. File feeds from insurance carriers including Aetna, Capital Rx, Delta Dental and DeltaVision are sent to Fidelity with information about your service (amount and date) so Fidelity can attempt to match your card transaction data to your claims, thereby eliminating the need for you to submit documentation. If the data received on the file from the insurance carrier cannot be verified, you will be asked to submit documentation.

 What is Vanderbilt's plan year?
The plan year is January 1 to December 31.

 When is the deadline to use my 2024 FSA?
Your 2024 FSA funds will be available for use until March 15, 2025. You must submit your claims by April 15, 2025.