FYI Use your HSA for Physical Training or Gym

Did you know that…

starting March 2023, you can use your HSA, FSA, MSA, or HRA to pay for physical activity resources?

You can if:

1. It’s for a medical purpose (physical, mental disability, or illness)

2. It’s for diagnosis, cure, mitigation, or treatment plan

3. It ISN’T disease prevention

4. It wasn’t pursued before diagnosis (AKA needs a new diagnosis)

This includes mental health diagnoses like depression, neurodivergence, and gender dysphoria, as well as physical ailments.

A HUGE Thank You! to Keira Harbison

with Chaotic Good Fitness for providing all of this information so we can share it with you.

To take advantage of this:

1. The healthcare provider needs to make a diagnosis and then prescribe supervised exercise therapy, an evidence-based program, or a fitness center membership specifically to treat the issue

2. The provider must provide a letter of medical necessity that:

1. Includes verbiage that the patient would not have incurred the expense if not for the disease

2. The diagnosis is new

3. The expense must be specifically medical and not for general health or well-being

3. The expense must be paid during the taxable year

4. Re-evaluation must be made yearly and a new letter of medical necessity must be submitted each year

Since this is new and not all employers are aware of this benefit, it would be useful to double check that this would be eligible for reimbursement for your own benefits.

There are a few queer, trans, and neurodivergent-focused trainers in Atlanta metro area that would love to work with you on improving your physical health and mental health in ways that will align with your needs.

Here are some suggested trainers:

Keira Harbison, ACSM-CPT, PN1 with Chaotic Good Fitness

Team Lis Smash - https://www.teamlissmash.com/

Autonomy Fitness - https://www.autonomyfitness.ca/

If you need other suggestions, Decolonizing Fitness (https://decolonizingfitness.com/ ) has a database of fitness professionals as well

Resources:

Link to Letter of Medical Necessity template: https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/irs-213-exercise-medical-treatment-healthcare-providers/

Link to Section 213 FAQs: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/frequently-asked-questions-about-medical-expenses-related-to-nutrition-wellness-and-general-health

Here is a how to guide on how to use it: https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/How-To-Guide-for-EIM-Expense-Insurance-Reimbursement.pdf