UCSB Human Resources

* Please pass this information along to the employees in your department. *

DATE: May 22, 2009

TO:    Department Benefits Representatives (DBRs)

FROM:   Laura Morgan
           Health Care Facilitator
           Benefits Office, Human Resources

RE: SHPS HCRA and DepCare Claim Deadline for 2008 Plan Year

Employees enrolled in the 2008 SHPS Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) or Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DepCare) have until June 15, to do the following:

1) Submit reimbursement claim forms for eligible expenses incurred during the period of January 1, 2008 through March 15, 2009 using 2008 funds.

2) Provide SHPS with the necessary receipts or Explanations of Benefits (EOB) for any potentially ineligible claims or VISA Spending Card purchases so that the eligibility of the expenses can be verified.

NOTE: Claim forms and/or receipts must be postmarked or faxed by June 15, 2009.

HCRA Claim Form: https://services.shps.net/forms/97001-HC-claim.pdf
DepCare Claim Form: https://services.shps.net/forms/97001-DC-claim.pdf

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SHPS Account Information

Employees can logon to the SHPS website to view the status of their claims (http://spendingaccount.shps.com):

1) Summary of Transactions
This is an overview of transactions. Spending card purchases will be listed as "paid" even if they are NOT "validated". Please review the "Your Statement" section to see potentially ineligible expenses that require itemized receipts or EOBs to validate.

2) Your Statement
This is an account overview and an itemized list of "Potentially Ineligible Expenses" that require additional documentation to validate. Open the most recent Statement and review ALL of this document carefully. SCROLL to the last page of the Statement to find the "VALIDATION RETURN FORM".

The "VALIDATION RETURN FORM" must be sent to SHPS with itemized receipts or EOBs to document the eligibility of the listed expenses. Receipts sent without this form will NOT be processed.

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Potentially Ineligible Expenses

There are several reasons why SHPS is not able to validate the eligibility of an expense with the information received from the provider or merchant. When SHPS requests additional information, the employee must submit itemized receipts or EOBs to SHPS - with the Validation Return Form on the Statement - to clarify what was purchased.

If the employee no longer has the receipt to validate the purchase or if the spending card was used for ineligible expenses, the employee has a couple of options:

1) Submit receipts for other eligible purchases they made before March 15, 2009 to offset the amount overpaid by SHPS.

2) Repay the amount by sending a check to SHPS for the ineligible expense.

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Consequences of Not Submitting Claims or Receipts/EOBs

As usual, employees who do not submit claims by 6/15/09 will forfeit any money remaining in their 2008 account.

Employees who fail to submit necessary receipts or EOBs to validate their spending account card purchases by June 15, 2008 will be listed by SHPS as "overpaid." In order to protect the tax-favored status of the HCRA plan, the University will consider the overpayment a debt and collection actions will be initiated. If the debt is not paid by September 30, 2009, the University will add the overpayment amount to the employee's taxable income for the year and it will be reflected on their 2009 W2 Form.

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Resources

If you have questions about your HCRA or DepCare account, please contact SHPS.

SHPS Customer Service: 877-270-3915
Member Website: http://spendingaccount.shps.com
HCRA Claim Form: https://services.shps.net/forms/97001-HC-claim.pdf
DepCare Claim Form: https://services.shps.net/forms/97001-DC-claim.pdf
Eligible Expense Guide: http://www.myshps.com/fsa/downloads/expense_guide.pdf

EXPLANATIONS OF BENEFITS can be found on your member website:

Anthem Blue Cross:   http://www.anthem.com/ca/uc
CIGNA: https://my.cigna.com
Delta Dental:   http://www.deltadentalca.org/uc
Vision Services Plan:   http://www.vsp.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laura Morgan
Health Care Facilitator, Human Resources
University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph: (805) 893-4201
Fax: (805) 893-8645
laura.morgan@hr.ucsb.edu