Q.- I submitted a claim for vitamins to be reimbursed from my health FSA. Why is this being denied? I thought over-the-counter medicines could now be reimbursed from certain FSAs without a prescription.
A.- You are correct that the CARES Act changed the IRS rules to allow the reimbursement of over-the-counter medicines and drugs without a prescription (if your employer adopted this change). A “medicine or drug” contains a medical ingredient.
The issue here is vitamins are NOT over-the-counter medicines or drugs. Vitamins, supplements and other such items do not contain a medicated ingredient are used for general good health.
Items such as allergy medicine, headache medicine, cough medicine or other medicated products are medical and might now be eligible for reimbursement without a prescription. To be reimbursed for vitamins or supplements, you would need to provide a letter of medical necessity from your doctor. If your doctor advises that the vitamins or supplements are needed to treat your medical condition, they will be eligible for reimbursement. The CARES Act did not change the fact that items for general good health (such as vitamins) need a letter of medical necessity from a doctor in order to be reimbursed from a health FSA.
You can get a template Letter of Medical Necessity to give to your doctor for completion by going to www.MyEnroll.com, clicking on the FSA button at the bottom right of the page, and then selecting the button “Letter of Medical Necessity.”
