Household Help: FSA Eligibility

Is household help ever covered by consumer spending accounts?

Performing everyday duties around the house is usually not a second thought for most individuals, but for those who are recovering from major surgery or are severely restricted by their age or overall mobility, simple tasks like housework, grocery shopping and others become a much larger challenge. Performing these activities in the patient's current state could lead to major injury, which is why visiting nurse services and other forms of caregiver services are available to help these people get back on their feet.

Consumer-directed spending accounts like FSAs, HSAs or HRAs will cover at-home nursing services, hospice care and more, and in some cases, these services will cover household tasks that do not relate directly with medical care, but are designed to help patients achieve a level of independence they didn't have before. For instance, a visiting nurse service will fulfill all of the jobs to maintain the patient's standard of care (injections, administering medications, diagnostic monitoring, etc.), and in some cases, they can also handle household tasks, including cooking, bathing/grooming, laundry and light housekeeping (BAYADA).

The aforementioned nursing and caregiver services will offer these additional services as part of their care schedule fee, and therefore this amount would be reimbursable with a consumer-directed healthcare account as it directly relates to a patient's medical care. However, consumer-directed healthcare account funds cannot be used solely for household help, without any other accompanying services related to medical care. For more information about account reimbursement, speak with a benefits administrator for clarification.