Field Assistance Bulletin No. 2006-02 Printer Friendly Version PDF Version Date: October 27, 2006 Memorandum For: Virginia C. Smith
From: Robert J. Doyle Subject: Health Savings Accounts - ERISA Q&As Background In general, a Health Savings Account (HSA) is an account established pursuant to section 223 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to pay or reimburse the qualified medical expenses of eligible individuals. Although the requirements for tax qualified HSAs are found in the Code, questions regarding the application of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to HSAs arise because employers may establish and contribute to an employee's HSA. On April 7, 2004, the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration issued Field Assistance Bulletin (FAB) 2004-01 addressing the status of HSAs under ERISA. That guidance explained that HSAs generally will not constitute "employee welfare benefit plans" covered by Title I of ERISA where employer involvement with the HSA is limited. In FAB 2004-01, the Department specifically indicated that employer contributions to HSAs would not give rise to an ERISA-covered plan where the establishment of the HSA is completely voluntary on the part of the employees and the employer does not: limit the ability of eligible individuals to move their funds to another HSA or impose conditions on utilization of HSA funds beyond those permitted under the Code; make or influence the investment decisions with respect to funds contributed to an HSA; represent that the HSA is an employee welfare benefit plan established or maintained by the employer; or receive any payment or compensation in connection with an HSA. Since the issuance of FAB 2004-01, the Department has received a number of recurring questions about the guidance and the evolving practices regarding the offering of HSAs. The following provides further guidance on many of the frequently asked questions raised with the Department. Questions And Answers In the absence of an employee's affirmative consent, may an employer open an HSA for an employee and deposit employer funds into the HSA without violating the condition in the FAB that requires that the establishment of an HSA by an employee be "completely voluntary"? If an employer maintains a high deductible health plan (HDHP) for its employees, can the employer limit the HSA providers that it allows to market their HSA products in the workplace or select a single HSA provider to which it will forward contributions without making the HSA part of the employer's ERISA-covered group health plan? If the employer relies on the group-type insurance safe harbor in 29 C.F.R. § 2510.3-1(j), it cannot "endorse" the HSA provider. In the Department's view, an employer would not be considered to "endorse" an HSA within the meaning of the regulation merely by limiting the HSA providers that it allows to market their HSA products in the workplace or selecting a single HSA provider to which it will forward contributions. Employers may also provide employees general information on the advisability of using an HSA in conjunction with the HDHP without "endorsing" the program. See generally Interpretive Bulletin 99-1, 29 C.F.R. § 2509.99-1. The separate conditions in FAB 2004-01, though including completely voluntary employee participation and employer neutrality in not representing that the HSA is an employee welfare benefit plan established or maintained by the employer, do not include the group-type insurance safe harbor's prohibition on employer "endorsement." As explained in FAB 2004-01, an employer could limit the HSA providers that it allows to market their HSA products in the workplace or select a single HSA provider to which it will forward contributions and still satisfy the conditions outlined in the FAB without converting the HSA into an ERISA-covered plan. Would an employer be viewed as "making or influencing" the HSA investment decisions of employees, within the meaning of the FAB, merely because the employer selects an HSA provider that offers some or all of the investment options made available to the employees in their 401(k) plan? If contributions to an HSA are made through a cafeteria plan, would the savings that benefit the employer from non-payment of FICA and FUTA taxes on those contributions be considered "payment or compensation received in connection with an HSA" that would subject the HSA to Title I coverage? Can an employer pay the fees associated with the HSA that the employee would normally be expected or required to pay without causing the HSA to become an ERISA-covered plan? May an HSA vendor offer an HSA product it offers to the public to its own employees without the HSAs being considered employee benefit plans covered by
ERISA? If the employer limits the number of HSA vendors to which it will forward contributions, may the employer receive a discount on another product from one of the selected HSA vendors? Are HSAs subject to the prohibited transaction provisions of section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code? Do the class prohibited transaction exemptions for owners of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) apply to accountholders of
HSAs? Is it a prohibited transaction for an HSA provider to offer a cash incentive for establishing an HSA with that provider? May an HSA vendor provide a line of credit for HSA expenses to an HSA accountholder choosing its
HSA? |
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