Upcoming Reimbursement Deadlines

March 31, 2021 is typically an important deadline for three reimbursement programs open to HUCTW members: (1) Copay Reimbursement (2) Fitness Reimbursement (3) Dependent Care & Healthcare FSA Reimbursements. These programs assist with expenses incurred during the 2020 calendar year. Please see more details on each program below, including an extended deadline for FSA reimbursements (beyond March 31, 2021).

2020 Healthcare Copayment Reimbursement

The Copay Reimbursement Program (CRP) helps HUCTW members who are enrolled in a Harvard-sponsored medical plan with their annual medical copayment costs when they exceed

certain amounts. If you or your family members spent a significant amount on medical, hospital, and prescription copayments in the last calendar year (CY2020), you may be eligible for reimbursement under this program. You can apply by filling out the CRP reimbursement request form and either (1) submitting an Activity Statement from your insurer or (2) submitting detailed receipts as proof of payment. Please note that if you use the first method, you should request the statement from your insurer at least four weeks in advance of the March 31, 2021 deadline to ensure it is received in time, but there are typically other, faster ways to obtain this list. Learn more on the following webpages: https://huctw.org/copay and https://www.benstrat.com/downloads/HU-CRP-2021-1-FAQ.pdf

DEADLINE: March 31, 2021

2020 Fitness Reimbursement

If you belonged to a health club or gym for at least four months during CY2020 while enrolled in a Harvard-sponsored HUGHP or BCBSMA medical plan, you may be eligible for up to $150 reimbursement of your health club membership or gym fees. You can apply by submitting your insurer’s Fitness Reimbursement Form. Learn more about each insurer’s program: (1) HUGHP Fitness Reimbursement Program and (2) Blue Cross Blue Shield MA Reimbursement Program. You can also find and submit the form online by logging into MyBlue. Please note that for CY2020 only, BCBSMA has expanded this benefit to cover cardiovascular-related online fitness class subscriptions and new or used home exercise equipment (such as treadmills, stationary bikes, etc.) purchased in 2020.

DEADLINE: March 31, 2021

2020 Childcare & Healthcare FSA Reimbursement

The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program allows participants to set aside money from their paychecks pre-tax in order to pay for certain healthcare or dependent care expenses. If you enrolled in an FSA for the 2020 calendar year, you can be reimbursed for certain eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses. Harvard has extended the deadlines for these programs, as allowed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) that was signed into law in December 2020. Please note that these deadline extensions are just for this year due to the pandemic:

2020 DEPENDENT CARE FSA:

This year only, you have until December 31, 2021 to incur eligible dependent care expenses using your 2020 FSA account, and you have until January 31, 2022 to request reimbursement for those expenses.
Please refer to the email sent by the Benefits Office on January 22 and the 2020 CAA FSA FAQs on HARVie for more details.

DEADLINE: January 31, 2022

2020 HEALTHCARE FSA:

This year only, for expenses incurred in CY2020, you have until June 30, 2021 to request reimbursement.
This year only, for expenses incurred in CY2021, you have until March 31, 2022 to request reimbursement.
In a typical year, you would lose any unused funds at the end of the deadlines above, but this year only, any unused funds from your CY2020 FSA will carry over to a new CY2021 FSA.
Please refer to the email sent by the Benefits Office on January 22 and the 2020 CAA FSA FAQs on HARVie for more details.