Explore the CSU Fee Waiver & Reduction Program
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The CSU offers eligible employees the opportunity to participate in a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA), or flexible spending account. A DCRA is a way to pay dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars. The DCRA is administered by ASIFlex, a third party administrator.
All employees except faculty participating in the Faculty Early Enrollment Program (FERP) and retirees who have been rehired, can establish an DCRA. When you enroll in a Flexible Spending Account, you decide how much to contribute to each account for the entire Plan Year. The money is then deducted from your paycheck, pre-tax (before Federal & State income taxes and FICA taxes are deducted) in equal amounts over the course of the plan year. After you incur expenses that qualify for reimbursement, you submit claims (reimbursement requests) to ASIFlex to request tax-free withdrawals from your Flexible Spending Account to reimburse yourself for these expenses.
A Dependent is defined as:
- Children under 13 years of age who you are entitled to claim as dependents on your tax return
- A spouse who is physically or mentally unable to care for himself or herself
- Any person you can claim as a dependent on your tax return who is physically or mentally unable to care for himself or herself.
Examples of covered expenses:
- Care in your home
- Care in someone else's home
- Care at a licensed day care center
- Before and after-school care
- Adult Day Care
Examples of non-covered expenses:
- Sleepover camps
- Nursing homes
- Education
- Separately billed charges for activities, transportation, etc.
Enrollment:
If you are a new employee, you can enroll within 60 days of your hire date.
Continuing employees may enroll during the annual open enrollment period in September/October for the following calendar year (January 1 through December 31).
If your employment status changes, you may qualify to enroll at that time. Consult with your Benefits representative.
After your initial enrollment, you must re-enroll every year during the open enrollment period.
There is a $1.00 administrative fee deducted from your salary every month.
For more information, refer to the DCRA Plan Brochure, the ASI Flex website, IRS Publication 503 ,the FAQs below, or consult your Benefits representative.