Greetings!

We know that your benefit plans are likely not at the top of your mind during this difficult time, but we wanted to let you know that if you do have questions, we've got you covered. We've included some important information in this message; and we have prepared a list of common questions and answers that we have been receiving over the past few weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, which we'll continue to update. We also have our standard Frequently Asked Questions list, which is now searchable. And of course, you can reach out to us by email ( Trust@ProBenefits.com ) or phone (888.722.8382) any time you have a question. As always, we're here to help.

Important Over-the-Counter Drugs and Medicines Update

If you have a Health FSA, HSA, or certain type of HRA plan that includes all IRS-allowed out-of-pocket medical/dental/vision expenses, we are excited to let you know that the CARES Act, passed by Congress last Friday afternoon, contains a provision allowing reimbursement of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medicines without a prescription for these plans. You can read our blog post on the topic here .

This change is retroactive to the beginning of the year, so any OTC drugs and medicines (such as pain relievers, cold and allergy medicines, acne treatments, and many others) purchased since 1/1/20 and within your current plan year are now reimbursable without a prescription. Also, the CARES Act added menstrual care items to the eligible items list.

Due to the necessity for merchants to update their systems with this new information, it will take a little time for your ProBenefits debit card to work consistently to purchase these items. However, you can quickly and easily submit claims and distribution requests now on our web portal or mobile app for these items purchased out-of-pocket.

Read more about this topic and others in our COVID-19 Common Questions .


Online Shopping Opportunities

While we are staying home and practicing social distancing, many of us are looking for ways to use our FSA funds online when possible, rather than going out to physical stores. We have two partners who can help you with that. Both provide only FSA-eligible items, so you never have to worry about whether or not the item is qualified.

FSA Store has a huge selection of eligible merchandise - in fact, it's the largest online marketplace for guaranteed FSA-eligible products.

Health Shopper is a curated list of FSA-eligible items available on Amazon.com, so you can easily purchase items using your Amazon account and Amazon Prime benefits if you have them.

While it will be a little while before these sites are updated with the eligible item changes from the CARES Act, you can still use your ProBenefits debit card for any of the other items. And if you choose to purchase eligible items from these online stores or any others with your personal card instead, it's easy to file a reimbursement claim on our web portal or mobile app .

HSA Contributions

Because the tax filing deadline has been pushed to July 15, 2020, you also have until that time to make contributions to your 2019 HSA. And you can make changes to your current HSA contribution rate at any time.

Dependent Care Election Change Concerns?

With daycare providers closing and parents working from home, dependent care participants may be considering changing their elections for the year. Fortunately, changes in employment status or location (e.g., move from full-time to part-time or move to working remotely) and daycare providers closing or re-opening are qualifying events to allow dependent care election changes. Before making your election change, we encourage you to calculate the dependent care expenses you've already incurred during the plan year, and be sure you will be contributing enough to cover reimbursement for those. Read more in our COVID-19 Common Questions .


Now is a Great Time for Direct Deposit

If your plan allows direct deposit reimbursement, now is a great time to add or update your bank account information on the web portal. It allows for fast and secure reimbursement, without having to wait for a check to pass through many hands on its way to you. Just log on to the web portal at my.ProBenefits.com and go to Banking/Cards under Accounts - Profile to review your information.
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ProBenefits is an independent, privately held company, based in North Carolina and currently providing services for over 2,700 employers in the region and beyond. ProBenefits provides services and support for FSAs, POPs, HRAs, HSAs, COBRA, Transportation Plans, and ERISA.