*Amount available per calendar year
HCSA Starting January 1, 2023*
A Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) is an additional benefit for plan members that can be used to pay for health and dental costs when the claims exceed the maximums in the module selected.
Expenses eligible under your health or dental plan are covered by your benefit plan first. If you have coverage under a second health or dental plan (i.e. your spouse’s plan), you must submit your claim to that plan before using your HCSA. Any remaining or ineligible amount can then be submitted to your HCSA.
Eligible Expenses for your HCSA
The HCSA provides plan members with flexibility in how to use their benefits.
The HCSA can be used to cover:
- your portion of the co-insurance
- benefit costs in excess of the maximum under the plan (eg. glasses, additional visits to the chiropractor, etc.)
- eligible health expenses that are not covered in the ELCIC Group Benefits Plan.
Eligible expenses are generally those that can be claimed as medical expenses on your person tax return as per the Income Tax Act. A list can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency website.
Allocation of HCSA Funds
Each January 1st, the full amount for the year will be allocated and available for use.
Any unused HSCA dollars at the end of the year will be added to next year’s HCSA balance and may be carried over for one year.
Partial–year enrollment
| Situation | HCSA amount |
| new plan member starting mid-year | annual amount x # months remaining / 12 |
| move between congregations during the year with no gap in employment | annual amount continues with no interruption |
| a call ends mid-year; there is a gap, and a new call begin later that year | annual amount x (# months remaining in year + months previous worked in year) / 12 less HCSA claims made |
Making a HSCA Claim
Always try to submit your claims as soon as possible during the same year in which you paid the expense. You will have 90 days after the calendar year-end to make an HCSA claim for the previous year. For example, you will have until March 31, 2022 to make an HCSA claim that was incurred in 2021.
The fastest and simplest way is to use the Manulife app, which can be downloaded to a smartphone. Another option is to use the Manulife website. Follow the steps to make a claim, and it will provide the option to use the HSCA.
All reimbursements will be made by direct deposit to your financial institution. Members need to create a user account and provide banking information.
The professional providing the health benefit, such as the pharmacy or dental office, will continue to submit expenses directly to Manulife. If you also have coverage under a spouse’s plan, any unpaid portion must then be submitted to that plan. If there is a balance owing, you will pay that amount and then claim reimbursement from the HCSA.
If the maximum is exhausted on a previous claim, or the medical expense is not covered by the ELCIC Group Benefits Plan but is eligible as a medical expense, the member will pay the medical expense and then claim reimbursement from the HCSA.