My husband's employer has their annual enrollment for benefits every November. For the past few years we have participated in the Flexible Medical Spending Account due to one of our children having a chronic illness.
This past year we renewed our commitment to this program, we were not told of any changes that were being made. On January 1, 2011, we went to use the FSA account and it was denied. On January 3, 2011 we called Aetna to ask why the card was denied and were told that our account had been canceled. My husband then called his employer's corporate HR (because they don't have one in any of the stores) and due to them screening their calls, he never got through. They never returned his calls. The next day upon returning to work he discovered the HR department had distributed a memo on January 3, 2011 that stated the flexible spending account company had been changed and we were in a 30 day holding. The money never stopped coming out of his paycheck, it was just unavailable to us.
We called Aliquant and were told that the card would be mailed out on January 24, 2011. On January 31, we called again and were told the cards were mailed out on January 28, 2011. It is now February 2, 2011 and we have received nothing. They tell us we can pay out of pocket and be reimbursed, but they have 60 days from the date their receive our information and any incomplete information will cause a delay (basically giving themselves an open excuse to take as long as they want to pay it back). Not only that, but I am paying for this card that I have no access to and I don't have the money to pay out of pocket!!
I also discovered recently that any money not spent on the account by December 31, 2011 would be returned to the employer!! This tells me they have a vested interest in keeping this money from me for as long as possible. Is there anything we can do to get out of this situation?? It just isn't worth the hassle to us to pay for a benefit we aren't receiving.
This past year we renewed our commitment to this program, we were not told of any changes that were being made. On January 1, 2011, we went to use the FSA account and it was denied. On January 3, 2011 we called Aetna to ask why the card was denied and were told that our account had been canceled. My husband then called his employer's corporate HR (because they don't have one in any of the stores) and due to them screening their calls, he never got through. They never returned his calls. The next day upon returning to work he discovered the HR department had distributed a memo on January 3, 2011 that stated the flexible spending account company had been changed and we were in a 30 day holding. The money never stopped coming out of his paycheck, it was just unavailable to us.
We called Aliquant and were told that the card would be mailed out on January 24, 2011. On January 31, we called again and were told the cards were mailed out on January 28, 2011. It is now February 2, 2011 and we have received nothing. They tell us we can pay out of pocket and be reimbursed, but they have 60 days from the date their receive our information and any incomplete information will cause a delay (basically giving themselves an open excuse to take as long as they want to pay it back). Not only that, but I am paying for this card that I have no access to and I don't have the money to pay out of pocket!!
I also discovered recently that any money not spent on the account by December 31, 2011 would be returned to the employer!! This tells me they have a vested interest in keeping this money from me for as long as possible. Is there anything we can do to get out of this situation?? It just isn't worth the hassle to us to pay for a benefit we aren't receiving.
