Please see the following information from Statewide UUP:
Dear UUP Colleagues,
We received the following information from the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations. It may provide you with some relief regarding your Health Care Spending Account or Dependent Care Advantage Account.
HCSA
You will now be able to use up to $500 of monies remaining in your 2020 Health Care Spending Account towards eligible expenses incurred during the 2021 calendar year. You may have been unable to spend the monies you set aside for healthcare costs due to COVID-related closures and restrictions. The IRS allows an employer to carryover remaining balances for use during the following plan year, with a cap of $500. You can check your 2020 HCSA balance at participant.wageworks.com/nysfsa or by calling 1-800-358-7207 and use this information to help you estimate your election for 2021.
The open enrollment deadline for the 2021 Health Flex Spending Account (FSA) is Monday, November 30, 2020 at 10:00 pm. Please visit goer.ny.gov/FSA or call 1-800-358-7202 to re-enroll.
If you have any questions about HCSA carryover, please e-mail fsa@goer.ny.gov or call WageWorks/Health Equity at 1-800-358-720.
DCAA
A grace period is also available for the 2020 Dependent Care Advantage Account (DCAA). You now have an additional 2 ½ months (January 1 to March 15) to incur dependent care expenses for reimbursement from your 2020 DCAA. This can provide some relief regarding monies you set aside for dependent care costs that were unable to be used due to closures of before and after school care programs, childcare centers, camps, etc. IRS regulations allow the State to provide a grace period of an additional 2 ½ months to incur dependent care expenses that can be reimbursed using balances from the 2020 plan year.
You will now be able to submit claims for care provided between January 1, 2021 and March 15, 2021 and be reimbursed from the monies remaining in your account as of December 31, 2020. Claims for these expenses must be submitted by March 31, 2021. You can check your 2020 DCAA balance at participant.wageworks.com/nysfsa or by calling 1-800-358-7207.
If you have any questions about the grace period or your DCAA, please e-mail fsa@goer.ny.gov or call WageWorks/Health Equity at 1-800-358-7202.
The open enrollment deadline for the 2021 Flex Spending Account (FSA) is Monday, November 30, 2020 at 10:00 pm. Please visit goer.ny.gov/FSA or call 1-800-358-7202.