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PBS BENEFITS CARD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Participants
It is a special purpose MasterCard® that provides instant access to the funds in your
Flexible Spending Accounts. The card allows you to pay for eligible products and
services at the point of sale without submitting a claim form and waiting for
reimbursement. In most ways, the card works like any debit card except for three
important differences. First, its use is limited to specific merchants based on the
benefit accounts that your employer offers and you have selected. Second,
you cannot use it at ATMs or to obtain "cash back" when making a purchase.
Third, there is no PIN number associated with the card so choose "credit"
at the card terminal.
You can use your card at locations that accept MasterCard®, which includes any provider, any merchant that has an IRS-approved Inventory Information Approval System
(IIAS) and at any SIG-IS registered 90% merchant (those that do not utilize an IIAS but have certified that 90% of gross sales are from prescriptions or
qualified OTC health care products). These locations may include hospitals, physician's offices, pharmacies (including mail order), mass retailers, dental offices
and vision centers.
IIAS is the common acronym for the IRS-approved Inventory Information Approval System. IIAS was introduced in 2008 and enables participating merchants to verify card purchases
right at the check-out counter. Since all stores (including pharmacies and drug stores) that sell general merchandise along with health care items must participate to accept the
card, it practically eliminates the need and hassle of having to submit receipts to verify the transaction after the purchase.
No, your best bet is to keep your receipt every time you use your PBS Benefits Card. When receipts are requested, it is usually after a purchase at a pharmacy that is
considered a 90% merchant or at a health care provider, such as a doctor or dentist. Therefore, it is extremely important that you save all receipts, as the
IRS requires 100% verification of all card transactions.
Visit our Links page for direction to a list of merchants who utilize an IIAS.
Eligible expenses may include deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, prescriptions, eyeglasses, corrective eye surgery, orthodontia and dental expenses just to name a few.
Please refer to your employer's Summary Plan Description (SPD) for details about your plan and see our
Health Care Eligible Items List
for more information.
In most instances, no. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, starting January 1, 2011 OTC drug and medicine purchases will require a doctor's prescription
(dated on or before the date of purchase)
before they can be reimbursed from your Flexible Spending Account. The PBS Benefits Card is coded so that it can only be used for eligible items at qualified
merchants with an IRS-approved inventory system. When the new law takes effect in 2011, OTC drugs and medicines will be removed from the list of items eligible for
purchase with the card. In some instances, you may be able to purchase OTC items using your PBS Benefits Card at 90% merchants. In those instances, you will need to
submit the prescription along with a detailed receipt to avoid having your card suspended.
Currently, in such circumstances you will be required to reimburse the plan for the amount of your ineligible expense. Failure to do so will jeopardize the tax-exempt status of your account and you will lose access to your benefits card until the expense is re-paid.
However, with the adoption of an IIAS by retailers, any ineligible products will be flagged and must be purchased with another form of payment.
However, with the adoption of an IIAS by retailers, any ineligible products will be flagged and must be purchased with another form of payment.
In this rare situation, you will have to pay for the expense out-of-pocket and then submit a request for reimbursement either online or using a PBS Claim Form.
The card may be denied if it is being swiped for more than what you elected or have remaining in your account. It is best to know your account balance ahead of time and request
that the card be swiped for the exact amount in your account. You will then need to pay the difference out of pocket.
Log in to your account
to check your balance.
Yes. We will issue up to 4 additional PBS Benefits Cards for each account.
Dependents must be 18 years of age or older to be eligible to receive a card.
Just send us a completed
Request for Additional Benefits Cards Form
for each dependent that needs a card.
No. When you use the card to pay for eligible expenses, there is no need to submit a claim form. The merchant or provider has been paid and the transaction amount has
been deducted from your account. However, you may be required to confirm the eligibility of the benefits card purchases to comply with IRS rules. Please keep all your
itemized receipts and be prepared to provide them if you are requested to do so. With the development of Inventory Information Approval Systems, Receipt Notification
Requests have been greatly reduced.
The PBS Benefits Card is good for up to three years. Hang on to it so you can use it again next year when you re-enroll for the Flexible Spending Plan.
Contact us immediately to report a card stolen or lost. We will inactivate the card and issue a replacement.
