Updated SIGIS List of HSA- and FSA-Eligible Over-the-Counter Expenses Released

April 16, 2020

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) permanently reinstated coverage of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and medicines as eligible for reimbursement from Health FSAs and HSAs without the need for a prescription. Menstrual care products may also now be purchased or reimbursed through these plans.

SIGIS (Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards) has been working to update their eligible product list to include these items. SIGIS finalized this process and published the new eligible product list on Monday, April 13.

The next step is for merchants to download the updated list and process those changes into their point of sale systems. Once this happens, HSA and Health FSA plan participants will be able to use their Chard Snyder Benefit Card to purchase these products.

Each merchant will adhere to their own timeline for completion of this process. It will take some time for all eligible products to be identified and updated in every merchant’s system. As a result, plan participant experience may be inconsistent across locations, items, and products in the near future. 

Plan participants can submit claims in their online portal or via the Chard Snyder mobile app to get reimbursed until the technology is ready for the Chard Snyder Benefit Card to be consistently used for these purchases. The Chard Snyder mobile app also has an eligible expense scanner which plan participants can use to verify that a product is eligible.

Chard Snyder has created this flyer, How The Federal CARES Act Impacts Your Health FSA/HSA, for you to share with employees who participate in these plans.