Health Care Flexible Spending Account
A Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows you to set aside pre-tax money to pay for eligible health care expenses for you and your qualified dependents. Examples of eligible expenses may include health plan deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance; eye exams, contact lenses, and glasses; prescription drugs; dental care, including orthodontia; and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medications.
You do not have to enroll in an Ohio State medical plan to participate in an FSA through Ohio State.
You can contribute anywhere from $100 up to $3,400 annually to a Health Care FSA, and your entire annual election is eligible to be reimbursed prior to you having the full amount deducted from your pay.
Documents and Resources
Health Care FSA Details
(subject to eligibility to participate in the FSA Program)
Plan Year: Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026
Pre-tax payroll contributions made during the plan year.
Incurred Expense/Reimbursement Window: Jan. 1, 2026 – March 15, 2027
Incur eligible expenses to be reimbursed from the funds in your FSA(s). This date window includes the grace period.
Reimbursement Filing Deadline: March 31, 2027
All requests for reimbursement must be received by HealthEquity no later than March 31, 2027 or you will forfeit the unclaimed balance in your FSA(s).
(subject to eligibility to participate in the FSA Program)
Plan Year: Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2025
Pre-tax payroll contributions made during the plan year.
Incurred Expense/Reimbursement Window: Jan. 1, 2025 – March 15, 2026
Incur eligible expenses to be reimbursed from the funds in your FSA(s). This date window includes the grace period.
Reimbursement Filing Deadline: March 31, 2026
All requests for reimbursement must be received by HealthEquity no later than March 31, 2026 or you will forfeit the unclaimed balance in your FSA(s).
FSA participation is voluntary and employees must enroll during open enrollment, within 30 days of employment in an eligible appointment, or within 30 days of a qualified status change, as described in “Limitations on Changes to an FSA Election” in the FSA Specific Plan Details.
Examples of eligible expenses may include health plan deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance; eye exams, contact lenses, and glasses; prescription drugs; dental care, including orthodontia; and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medications. Review a comprehensive list of eligible and ineligible expenses.
In a situation where an incurred health expense could be reimbursed from either the Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or the university’s Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), the Health Care FSA will pay first. All Health Care FSA funds must be exhausted before HRA funds will be used.
You have multiple options for filing a claim:
HealthEquity Health Care Card
You can use your HealthEquity Health Care Card to pay for eligible health care expenses and funds will automatically be deducted from your health care FSA. Documentation is required by the IRS for all FSA reimbursements. HealthEquity will use software and claims files from university health plan administrators, such as Luminare Health, Delta Dental and Vision Service Plan to automatically substantiate expense.
If an expense cannot be validated automatically using the above methods, HealthEquity will request documentation from participants. Participants have a total of 90 days from the initial card payment to provide requested documentation. During this timeframe, HealthEquity will continue to apply files from health plan administrators to auto-substantiate claims. Failure to provide documentation within 90 days will result in your health care card being suspended until the outstanding claim has been resolved.
Online
To file a claim online, go to Workday, hover over Personal, select Benefits and Pay Hub, click Suggested Links and select My FSA/HRA/LSA. Scan and upload appropriate receipts.
Paper Form
Fill out a HealthEquity|WageWorks Reimbursement Claim Form and fax or mail it to HealthEquity|Wageworks with copies of the appropriate receipts.
Mobile
With the EZ Receipts mobile app, you can file and manage your reimbursement claims and upload documentation of a Health Care Card expense on the spot, with a click of your mobile device camera, from anywhere.
To use EZ Receipts:
- Go to Workday hover over Personal, select Benefits and Pay Hub, click Suggested Links and select My FSA/HRA/LSA.
- On the account page click your name at the top right, click Profile.
- Click on one of the active accounts under your profile.
- On the next page at the left click username & password, this information will be specific to the EZ Receipts mobile app.
- Enter a username
- Enter a password, click save changes.
- Download EZ Receipts in the Apple app store or Google Play. Enter the username and password above to use the app after download.
Reimbursement will be issued to you via direct deposit or check unless you select “Pay My Provider” when filing a claim.
Documentation is required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for all FSA reimbursements to ensure the dates of service are eligible and the expense is a qualified medical expense.
HealthEquity, Ohio State’s FSA vendor, automatically substantiates most claims using one of the methods below:
- IRS-approved software to verify debit card expenses at merchants’ point of sale.
- Claims files from the university health plan administrators, such as Luminare Health (medical), Express Scripts (pharmacy), Delta Dental and Vision Service Plan.
If an expense cannot be validated automatically using the above methods, HealthEquity will request documentation from participants. Participants have a total of 90 days from the initial card payment to provide requested documentation. During this timeframe, HealthEquity will continue to apply files from health plan administrators to auto-substantiate claims. Failure to provide documentation within 90 days will result in your health care card being suspended until the outstanding claim has been resolved.
You can provide required documentation to HealthEquity via Workday, click menu, select Benefits and Pay Hub and click the MyFSA/HRA/LSA (HealthEquity) under suggested links.
Explanation of Benefits (EOB) contain all the necessary information required to substantiate your claim. If you provide other forms of documentation, such as a receipt or invoice, the document must include all the following:
- Date of service or purchase
- Detailed description
- Provider or merchant name
- Patient name
- Amount owed
You may have both a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) and a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay for qualified health care expenses with tax-free dollars.
Health Care FSA funds will always be used first to reimburse eligible healthcare expenses because those funds are not eligible to be rolled over to the following year. However, they are separate accounts, and it is important to understand the differences when using them.
See a detailed Health Care FSA and HRA Comparison.
This is intended to be an overview. Refer to the Plan Document for complete information. In the event the information on these pages differs from the Plan Document, the Plan Document will govern.
