Is Glucosamine FSA Eligible? What You Need to Know

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows individuals to set aside pre-tax money for eligible healthcare expenses. This helps reduce out-of-pocket costs for medical, dental, and vision needs. Understanding FSA operations and qualifying expenses is important for maximizing benefits, including the eligibility of specific items like glucosamine.

Understanding Flexible Spending Accounts

An FSA is an employer-sponsored benefit that allows you to contribute pre-tax income into a dedicated account for healthcare costs. These contributions are typically made through payroll deductions, reducing your taxable income. While these accounts generally operate under a “use-it-or-lose-it” rule, meaning funds not spent by the end of the plan year are forfeited, employers often offer some flexibility. Options may include a grace period, up to 2.5 months after the plan year ends, allowing you to incur new expenses, or a limited rollover amount, which for 2025 is up to $660, that carries over into the next year. Employers choose to offer either a grace period or a rollover, but not both.

General Rules for FSA Eligible Expenses

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines eligible medical care expenses as amounts paid for the “diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body.” Historically, many over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and drugs required a doctor’s prescription to be FSA eligible. However, the CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, eliminated this prescription requirement for most OTC medicines and drugs as of January 1, 2020.

Despite this change, some items, particularly those for general health maintenance or preventative care, still require additional documentation to qualify. If an item has both a medical and a general health purpose, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) is required. An LOMN is a document from a licensed healthcare provider, such as a doctor or nurse practitioner, explaining why a specific item or service is medically necessary to treat or mitigate a particular health condition. It substantiates that the expense is for a medical purpose rather than general personal use.

Glucosamine’s Specific Eligibility

Glucosamine is a supplement often used for joint health, particularly for conditions like arthritis. While some specific glucosamine products may be listed as automatically eligible, the IRS generally classifies nutritional supplements, vitamins, and herbal supplements as non-eligible unless they are recommended by a medical practitioner as treatment for a specific medical condition. Therefore, glucosamine typically requires a Letter of Medical Necessity (LOMN) to be eligible for FSA reimbursement.

To obtain an LOMN for glucosamine, you should consult your healthcare provider. The letter must clearly state the specific medical condition being treated, such as arthritis or chronic joint pain, and explain how glucosamine is recommended for that condition. It should also include details like the recommended dosage and the duration for which the supplement is needed. Keeping this LOMN with your purchase receipts is important for substantiating your claim.

Submitting Your FSA Claim

Once you have purchased eligible items and gathered necessary documentation, submitting your FSA claim is the next step. Most FSA administrators offer multiple ways to submit claims, including online portals, mobile applications, or by mail or fax. The specific method will depend on your plan administrator.

When submitting a claim, you will need to provide an itemized receipt that shows the date of purchase, the item name, and the cost. If a Letter of Medical Necessity was required for your glucosamine purchase, you must also include this document with your claim. After submission, the claim will be processed, and reimbursement, via direct deposit or check, occurs within a few business days or weeks depending on the administrator.