Flexible Benefits Book::University of Delaware


	Flexible Benefits Program

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

FSAs are voluntary accounts that help you pay for expenses not covered by the other benefit programs. You can participate in one or both of the following accounts:

* Health care expenses
* Dependent (day) care expenses

Re-enrollment is held once a year in November with coverage effective January 1. All other flexible benefits are effective July 1. The date services are provided determines eligibility of an expense for reimbursement from your FSA, not when you are formally billed or charged or when you pay for the services.

The University’s Flexible Spending Account (FSA) plan is managed by Ceridian Benefits Services, one of the world’s leading providers of benefits administration.

Through Ceridian, participants in a health care FSA will be able use an FSA Benefits Card that is linked to their health care FSA. This means that you can use the Benefits Card to pay eligible health care expenses directly from your flexible spending account. Please see the links below for more detail about Flexible Spending Accounts, Services and the FSA Benefits Card:

Letter from Ceridian

2009 Employee FSA Survey Results

Frequently Asked Questions

FSA Online Account Management Instructions

Benefits Card Dependent Request Form

Ceridian Employee Web site Tour

Ceridian FSA Presentation

FSA Calculator

Direct Deposit Authorization Form

When you set up an account, you use before tax payroll contributions to pay for your eligible expenses on a tax-free basis.

Under FSA regulations, you may cover more dependents than under the other medical and dental plans. For the health care account, an eligible dependent can also include a dependent parent, as long as you provide more than one half of the individual's support.

For the dependent (day) care account, an eligible dependent includes your children (but only under age 13), your spouse (but only if he or she is disabled), and your parents or in-laws who depend on you and your spouse for more than one half of their support and who spend at least eight hours a day in your home.

The Flexible Spending Accounts Plan includes a 2½ month grace period extending through March 15 of each year. This means that a participant may submit expenses incurred in the two and one-half month grace period for reimbursement from either the prior year (if funds still remain) or the current year. Expenses incurred during the grace period will be first paid by any balance remaining from the prior year's election; then, if applicable, expenses will be reimbursed under the current plan year's elected amount (example). Any remaining balance from the prior plan year will be forfeited at the end of the grace period.

Note: FSA reimbursements are not automatic. You must complete and submit claim forms to receive reimbursement. Claims may be submitted through April 30 for expenses incurred between January 1 (or the actual period you were enrolled, if enrolled after January 1) and the end of the grace period.

When you're deciding how much to contribute to an FSA, you should estimate your expenses carefully. Once you contribute money to your FSA, you:

cannot transfer money from one account to another.
cannot withdraw money except to be reimbursed for a covered expense.
must use the money in the account only for expenses incurred during the period enrolled, upto and including the 2½ month grace period. If you do not spend all the money, you will forfeit any unused balance.
cannot change the amount you contribute during the year unless you have a change in family status and apply within 30 days of the event.

These restrictions are required by the federal government.

Contribution limits are as follows:

FSA	Minimum	Maximum
Health Care	$5/pay ($120)	$125.00/pay ($3,000)
Dependent (Day) Care	$5/pay ($120)	$208.33/pay ($5,000)