By: Sonya Thomas

On March 27, the CARES Act was signed into law; the legislation is the ‘Phase 3’ response bill addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 relief bill includes provisions that make over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and menstrual products FSA eligible.  
 
OTC drugs and medicines are now eligible for reimbursement from your FSA without a prescription. In addition, menstrual care products are now considered qualified medical expenses. These changes are effective for purchases made after December 31, 2019. If you previously purchased OTC medicines or menstrual products after December 31, 2019, you can submit an FSA Claim Form, along with your itemized receipt, for reimbursement. 
 
Your Benefits Debit Card will not immediately work for many of these purchases. The Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards (SIGIS) is actively working to add OTC medicines and menstrual care products to the list of expenses that are automatically approved for purchase with your card at the point of sale. Until these products are added, you may need to make purchases with another form of payment and submit a request for reimbursement, along with your itemized receipt. Remember, if you pay with your personal funds you can submit a manual claim for reimbursement by downloading and completing a claim form from the IMS website at www.healthierbenefits.com or alternatively by submitting a claim through the online secure portal once you have logged in to your account.