Health Care Savings Program

THE FLEXIBLE, AFFORDABLE ANSWER TO RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS

Now that you’ve left your employer, you — and your spouse and other dependents — can use your MERS Health Care Savings Program account for tax-free medical expense reimbursements. You must be vested at termination to withdraw your employer’s contributions.

How it works

Once your employer tells us about your separation, we will send you a claims card and information on how to begin receiving reimbursements from your account.

Your total vested account balance, plus market performance, minus fees is available to reimburse you for eligible medical expenses to you, your spouse or legal dependents. An eligible medical expense is defined as those expenses paid for care as described in Section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The MERS Health Care Savings Program is an invested account, meaning you take an active role in determining your financial goals, making investment choices and monitoring your portfolio. The decisions you make today will affect the results you see tomorrow.

Once you separate from employment, you will see a transfer of up to $1,000 your assets (depending on your account balance) deposited into an HRA Guaranteed Protection Fund. This ensures appropriate assets are available for reimbursement at the time you begin using your account for reimbursement of medical expenses. Your total account balance will always reflect the full market value as of the last business day and claims will be processed until your account reaches zero balance.

For more information, please read Understanding the MERS Investment Menu.

Please remember, it’s always a good idea for you to review your investment options on a regular basis because investment objectives can change due to changes in your life circumstances, risk tolerances or finances.

Reimbursements

You will receive a claims card in the mail approximatively seven days from the time your employer reports your termination to MERS. The claims card is a convenient way to use your Health Care Savings Program account for reimbursement of eligible medical expenses. Unlike a traditional debit card, the claims card automatically identifies a medical expense at the time of purchase. It is important to keep your receipts as you will likely be asked to submit them for verification. For your security, the claims card has a daily swipe limit of $10,000.

You can also request reimbursements online by using the Request Reimbursement selection of your account overview, or the Claims section within the Empower Benefit Accounts app. From here, you can update banking information for direct deposit, and upload third party receipts showing which expenses have been paid. Processing your request may take up to three business days, this may be longer if additional documentation is needed.

Additionally, you can pay providers directly through your online account. Simply follow the instructions for uploading the bill you received, enter the payment information for the vendor and schedule the direct payment. Participants utilizing this payment option should monitor their account to ensure the payment was distributed from their account in a timely manner.

You can also submit your requests by mail. A reimbursement form along with a copy of the applicable receipts is required. Reimbursements are processed within 10 business days.

If you have any questions regarding your claims, please call the the MERS team at Empower, weekdays and Saturdays at 833.500.6377.