FAQs

To submit a plan change, please complete a Plan Change Form, also available through your employer admin guide. The completed form may be submitted directly to renewal@choice-strategies.com or faxed to 802-244-2020 “Attention: Renewal”. If there are any questions on the plan change you have submitted, your Client Service team will contact you.

If you would like to discuss a plan change before it is submitted, please contact your Client Service team.

Designated Client Service teams are here to assist you with any questions you may have. Our Client Service teams are organized into the following regions:

New York and New Jersey Region

 Phone: 888-278-2555 #1100

E-mail: NYNJ@choice-strategies.com

New England Region

 Phone: 888-278-2555 #1101

E-mail: NewEngland@choice-strategies.com

Mid-Atlantic Region/Optima Groups

Phone: 888-278-2555 #1102

E-mail: MidAtlantic@choice-strategies.com

Western Region

 Phone: 888-278-2555 #1102

E-mail: west@choice-strategies.com

Southern Region

Phone: 888-278-2555 #1102

E-mail: south@choice-strategies.com

Unsure of your region? Call our main office line to be directed to the appropriate service team, or e-mail our general client service e-mail box. Phone: 888-278-2555 E-mail: clientservices@choice-strategies.com 

The IRS stipulates that plan sponsors (employers) ensure that HRA, FSA, DCA, and Transit/Parking plans are properly substantiated. In other words, purchases made with the Choice Strategies card must be proven to be eligible under the provisions of the plan’s design. The request for documentation instructs employees to send Choice Strategies the documentation necessary to substantiate the plan.

Cards are deactivated when an employee has not responded to the automated receipt request e-mails and letters. These are automatically generated when an employee uses his or her card, or if Choice Strategies is unable to substantiate the transaction with documentation already received. Members receive 3 communications: An initial request for documentation, a second request stating that his or her card will be deactivated in 30 days, and finally a notification sent by email that the card has been temporarily deactivated and can be re-activated upon the appropriate documents being received

If an employee’s card has been deactivated, he or she should view his or her Choice Strategies online account and check transaction history for ineligible transactions requiring resolution.

Members can also contact our Member Services Department to review their accounts and take the steps necessary to substantiate the outstanding transaction(s).

Member Services Phone: 888-278-2555 #2

E-mail: memberservices@choice-strategies.com

Live Chat: www.choice-strategies.com 

The bank account that you have provided for use with Choice Strategies will be accessed for employee card transactions, manual claim transactions, and your monthly invoice for administrative fees. When opening an account, please ensure that $1.00 is made available as a $1.00 pre-note will be made to verify the account.

Choice Strategies recommends funding your bank account at the beginning of the plan year with approximately 25% of your group’s total annual exposure (total of employee elections for HRA and/or FSA accounts and administrative fees). You should also monitor utilization to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained.

For employee funded accounts like the FSA, DCA, Transit, and Parking, it is recommended that employee payroll deductions be deposited directly into the account being used with Choice Strategies. Please note that employee elections for the DCA, Transit, and Parking accounts are not available in full at the beginning of the plan year, and only become available as contributed by payroll deduction.

There are three types of debit transactions that will occur on your account; employee card transactions, employee manual claims and monthly administrative fees. Choice Strategies offers scheduled reporting which provides detailed backup for employee card and manual claim transactions. If you are not receiving reports, need help adjusting reports you do receive, or require assistance running reports with your Employer account, please contact your Client Service team.

Invoices for monthly administrative fees are available from your group’s Benefit Portal , accessible from the Employers section of our website. Each month you will receive e-mail notification advising you that a new invoice is available for viewing in the Benefit Portal. To access the Portal, use your company’s password. If you do not know your password, please contact your Client Service team.

For information on reconciling your bank account, please view our brief presentation:

Choice Strategies offers scheduled reporting which provides detailed backup for employee card and manual claim transactions. Reports can either be set to deliver to you automatically on a scheduled basis, or you may run them yourself by logging-in to your employer account.

If you are not receiving reports, need help adjusting reports you do receive, or require assistance running reports with your Employer account, please contact your Client Service team.

To learn more about running reports, view our brief presentation:

Invoices for monthly administrative fees are available in your employer Admin Guide, accessible from the Employers section of our website. Each month you will receive e-mail notification advising you that a new invoice is available for viewing. If you do not know your Admin Guide password, please contact your Client Service Team.

Employees may be enrolled or terminated by submitting a completed enrollment form for the appropriate plan type or an employee termination form. All forms are available under the Employer Forms section of our website. Completed forms may be e-mailed to eligibility@choice-strategies.com, faxed to 802-244-2020, or mailed to:

Choice Strategies

76 McNeil Road, 2nd Floor

Waterbury Center, VT 05677

 If you have a question about an enrollment or termination, please contact your Client Service team.

Cards arrive at employees’ home addresses within 7-10 business days of the date on which they are issued. If you have submitted a new enrollment or requested issuance of a new card, you will receive email confirmation that your request has been completed.

Employees are able to access their balance information, add/update direct deposit infomration, upload manual claims, and upload documentation for card transactions through their online participant account.

Online accounts can be created as soon as a member has been enrolled, even before he or she has received a card. Employees may create their online accounts by visiting our website www.choice-strategies.com and selecting the “Login/Register” link from the universal links on the top right of the home page. They should then select New Member Registration. From here they will have the option of viewing a brief video that walks them through the registration process or downloading a document outlining the steps.

If a member requires assistance during account set-up or while using his or her account, he or she may contact our Member Services department with the information below.

Member Services Phone: 888-278-2555 #2

E-mail: memberservices@choice-strategies.com

Live Chat: www.choice-strategies.com

When an employee submits a manual claim or receives a request for documentation to substantiate a card transaction, he or she needs to submit the documentation necessary for verification as an eligible expense per the provisions of your plan’s design.

For a medical expense, proper documentation is an explanation of benefits from the insurance carrier indicating date(s) of service, provider name, patient name, and the amount applied to the member’s deductible, co-insurance or co-pay.

For a prescription expense, proper documentation is a pharmacy receipt or printout indicating the date of service (date the prescription was filled), prescription (RX) number, and the member’s name.

For an eligible over-the-counter expense or service, the member needs to submit a detailed receipt or provider statement indicating that the expense incurred or item purchased is an IRS-eligible medical expense.

Claims may be uploaded through the member’s online account, submitted by e-mail to claims@choice-strategies.com , faxed to 802-244-2020 “Attention: Claims”, or mailed to:

Choice Strategies

76 McNeil Road, 2nd Floor

Waterbury Center, VT 05677

Manually submitted claims are processed in 5-7 business days and can arrive at the employees’ home in another 3-5 days after their claims have been processed. Claims reimbursed by direct deposit will post to a member’s bank account within 1-3 business days of claim processing.

Manual claims are processed most rapidly when submitted directly through a member’s online account. (There is additional processing time for claims submitted by e-mail, fax, or mail).

Employee cards are valid for three years. A new card is not needed for each plan year nor account type. At the beginning of the month in which an employee's card will expire, a new card will be issued automatically. 

Upon enrollment, employee's spouses are issued a card automatically. Dependents may also be issued cards at an employee's discretion. If an employee prefers to have cards issued for additional dependents, he or she may contact our Member Service Department:

Member Services

Phone: 888-278-2555 #2

E-mail: memberservices@choice-strategies.com

Live Chat: www.choice-strategies.com

Employee-funded accounts such as a FSA, DCA, Transit and Parking are funded by payroll deduction. For the FSA and DCA, employees elect an amount they wish to contribute for the duration of the plan year. Each pay period, a set amount is deducted from the employees' pay checks by your group's payroll company. This deduction should be deposited in the bank account being used for Choice Strategies. Our system is designed to mirror the payroll schedule being used by your group. On the same date that funds are deducted from an employee's pay check, our system automatically reflects the deposit. 

The FSA is pre-funded, which means that employees have access to their full annual election amount on "day one" of the plan, and reimburse the amount used via deductions from their pay check throughout the plan year. DCA funds are not pre-funded and can only be used as they are contributed by the employee.

Transit and Parking Accounts are contributed to on a monthly basis and can be stopped, started or changed at any time. Employees should elect a per-pay-period deduction that matches their planned Transit or Parking expenditure. Similar to the DCA, funds are not pre-funded and can only be used as they are contributed by the employee.

Employees have a 90-day window to submit manual claims following the effective date of their termination. Claims submitted must be for dates of service prior to when they were no longer with the plan. They can easily submit claims through their online account or submit a completed claim form. 

If your plan offers a MasterCard, the MasterCard will not work during this time. 

HRAs: Once an HRA plan year has ended, employees should not use their card to pay previous year expenses. Instead, employees should submit claims to receive reimbursement. They can do so by logging in to their online account or by filling out a claim form, available on our website. 

If an employee were to use their card to pay for previous year services after the plan year has ended, it would pull funds from the next plan year. 

FSA/DCAs: Employees can use their cards to pay for previous year services during the two-and-a-half month grace period. During the grace period, the card will automatically draw funds first from the previous year's FSA. Once the grace period has ended, employees should submit claims online or manually until the end of the run-out. If you do not offer your employees an FSA grace period, participants should not use their cards to pay for previous year expenses as funds will be drawn from the current year. 

Simply fill out this worksheet and email it to hsadeposits@choice-strategies.com

Choice Strategies provides employers with online access to their plan documents, a summary plan description and any amendments to the plan. These documents reside in the employer's password-protected admin guide. To access the admin guide, click on the employer section of our website and click on "admin guide". Your password was provided to you in the Choice Strategies welcome email we sent you when your plan was set up. If you do not remember your password, please contact your Client Service Team for assistance. 

 

Choice Strategies has agreements in place with several insurance carriers that allow us to receive claims information automatically from the carrier. When an employee uses his or her card, we are able to substantiate the transaction based on the information received. In most cases this eliminates the need for employees to submit documentation.

To learn more about our claims data-feed capabilities and determine if your company's plan(s) is compatible, please contact your Client Service Team. 

If you need to add or remove an employer contact, simply email or call your Client Service Team. In your email, please include the first and last name of the new contact as well as their phone number and email address. If a new contact is to be the primary, billing, or eligibility contact, please specify in your email. 

To remove a contact, please email your Client Service Team the name of the contact to be removed. If the contact is being removed due to termination of employment and participates in a Choice Strategies Plan, please specify that they should also be removed from the plan. 

HRAs and FSAs are subject to COBRA if an employer is subject to COBRA. Employers with more than 20 employees are subject to COBRA. 

The COBRA rate for the HRA is generally calculated by examining the previous year's utilization. Choice Strategies does have a workbook to calculate your HRA COBRA rate. However, if you would like assistance calculating your COBRA rate, please contact your Client Service Team. 

FSAs are subject to COBRA only if an employer is subject to COBRA and if the amount contributed at the time the participant becomes eligible for COBRA is more than the amount distributed from the FSA. The FSA COBRA rate is simply the FSA payroll reduction calculated monthly 

If an employee goes to the doctor during the last month of the plan year, it is possible that he or she will not have received a bill from their doctor by the time the plan year ends. As a result, at the end of each plan year, there is a three-month window set aside enabling employees to submit claims for these expenses. 

During the claim run-out, employees can submit and be reimbursed for all previous plan year expenses by submitting claims through their online account or by submitting a completed claim form. There are no additional fees for Choice Strategies to administer a claim run-out period. 

Choice Strategies draws administrative fees by ACH withdrawal from the account designated by the employer. If this poses a problem, Choice strategies can arrange for payment to occur by check.

The amount listed on the balance-due column of the enrollee account balance report represents the total dollar amount of unsubstantiated or ineligible expenses on a participant's account for that plan year. Participants who have amounts listed under the balance-due column are likely to have their card deactivated, pending resolution of the ineligible amounts. 

Amounts listed as balance-due should be addressed by the employees by either submitting appropriate documentation or refunding the plan. Employees can refund the plan by sending a check or ACH form to Choice Strategies. If an employee fails to resolve these issues, an employer may want to address these amounts by either reducing these amounts from pay or reporting as taxable income on the employee'w W-2.

For assistance resolving unsubstantiated transactions, members should contact our Member Services Department:

Phone: 888-278-2555 #2

E-mail: memberservices@choice-strategies.com

Live Chat: www.choice-strategies.com

Although FSA plans are "use-it-or-lose-it" plans, the IRS allows for a two-and-a-half month grace period at the end of the FSA/DCA plan year. During this time, employees can continue to use their previous year FSA to pay for previous and current year expenses. Current-year expenses must be incurred by the last day of the grace period. While most employers opt to offer a grace period, it is not mandatory. 

A rollover allows for a percentage of unused HRA amounts to carry forward to the next plan year. The rollover percentage, if any, is designated by the employer's plan administrator. Rollovers are usually offered to incentivize lower utilization. They are performed at the end of the claim run-out to allow for submission and close the previous plan year. If you would like to offer a rollover and do not already, please contact your Client Service Team. 

Very few. Approximately 45 days prior to your group's renewal, an e-mail notification will be sent to your company's contacts containing renewal information. In response, you need to notify Choice Strategies of any plan changes, and provide us with the names of employees who may be making changes or not participating in the coming plan year. 

Auto Renewal

Choice Strategies automatically renews all prior year participants for HRA,FSA,DCA, Parking, and Transit Account. This provides them with new HRA funding on "day one" of the renewal plan year. Additionally, all features of the plan's design, including eligible expenses and funding amounts, will remain the same unless Choice Strategies is otherwise notified. To submit a plan change upon renewal, please use the Plan Change form, or contact your Client Service Team. 

No confirmation will be sent unless additional information is needed to process the enrollment. Should Choice Strategies require additional information, you will receive an email from eligibility@choice-strategies.com.

Please Note: Employee cards will arrive within 7-10 business days of the date on which the enrollment has been processed. 

 

The forfeiture balance listed on the Enrollee Account Balance report is the difference between each participant's utilization and the payroll withholdings year-to-date. This column should be disregarded for most plans, as it only applies to Flexible Spending Accounts as the annual election is available on "day one" of the plan. This amount does not represent actual forfeitures for active enrollees, but rather what that amount would be were they to terminate.

If a change in your banking information is needed, please fill out the following form and return to Choice Strategies.

Employer ACH Form

This form is also located under the Forms page of the Employer portion of the website.

Domestic partners are not eligible for an HRA on a tax free basis because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  Employers may choose to allow domestic partners/same sex spouses to participate. If the employer chooses to allow domestic partners, they should enroll the domestic partner/spouse as the employee’s domestic partner/spouse on the enrollment form. It will be important to keep in mind that the actuarial value of the increased value of the HRA should be reported as taxable income to the employee.

 For example:

• Single adds domestic partner and receives an additional $1,000 in HRA benefits. The actuarial value (Cobra rate) is 35% of the HRA= $350. $350 should be reported as taxable income to the employee over the course of the year, regardless of reimbursements, etc.
• Two person HRA adds domestic partner, receiving $0 additionally (2person and family funding are the same)- increase in benefit is $0. No action taken.
• Two person adds domestic partner, increase in funding is $1000- actuarial value is 90%= $900 should be reported as taxable income to the employee.  

Medical Expenses:

Yes, although when submitting a claim, members must include the English translation for any foreign receipts. They must also convert the cost to a U.S. dollar amount. In order to determine the applicable U.S. dollar amount, members will need to use the currency exchange rate as of the date of the medical treatment.

Prescriptions:

Currently, it is illegal to purchase prescriptions from another country for use while in the US, and is not a covered expense. However, if members have received medical treatment in another country and were prescribed medicine in relation to their treatment while in that country, these prescriptions are reimbursable through the FSA account.

Members can receive reimbursement for mileage to and from medical appointments. For dates of service July 1st, 2011-December 31st, 2011, mileage can be reimbursed at $0.235/mile. For dates of service January 1st, 2012 and after, mileage can be reimbursed at $0.23/mile. 

 

Members can submit a completed Claim Form with an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or doctor's statement that indicates the date of service. Documentation indicating the mileage to and from the appointment will also be needed. This documentation can be in the form of a MapQuest or Google map print out (or similar equivalent) that lists the miles to and from the location.