Our Last Orthodontia Payment...For Now

After two years of payments we are about to pay off our oldest son's orthodontia bill. Fortunately for us our orthodontist does not charge interest on the payment plan. Starting in February we will have an additional $108.00 per month. Since these payments have been part of our ongoing expenses we will include the amount of the payment amount in our snowflake account. That is until we start making payments on the orthodontia work for our next oldest son.

If you your employer offers a Flexible Spending Account or "cafeteria plan" we highly recommend you include a portion of the orthodontia fees in your annual plan election. Since orthodontic treatment is provided over an extended period of time, with an initial examination and installation, and monthly adjustments. There are Internal Revenue Service rules for reimbursement of eligible expenses through a Flexible Spending Account. The basic set of rules consist of the following:

• An individual may only be reimbursed for expenses incurred while a participant is in the plan.
• An expense is incurred when the service is performed not when it is billed or paid.
• The participant must submit documentation showing that the service has been provided.
• The expense must be reimbursed from funds allocated for the plan year in which the expense was incurred. Expenses or unused funds cannot be carried over to a different plan year.
• Claims for orthodontia expenses for adults must include a letter of medical necessity. Orthodontia treatment for adults is considered cosmetic and cosmetic services are not covered under flexible spending plans.