Is Medical Reimbursement Going Away for Gluten-Free Foods?

For as long as we’ve been dealing with gluten-free food, we’ve known the Internal Revenue Service considers our specialty foods eligible for reimbursement in our medical flexible spending accounts. The way it works: we document the difference in cost between a gluten-free item and a relatively equal “regular” item, and get reimbursed for that difference. It’s a lot of work to be sure. I was never inspired enough to do it. But now I am hearing rumblings about whether this IRS rule has changed and food is no longer an eligible expense.

Is this true? Is this false? I had hoped I would be able to post my findings today on this potential hot-button issue. But it needs further research. Apparently my 50 minutes on hold with the IRS wasn’t enough. Have you had trouble getting reimbursed for food or have you received a similar notification saying your FSA account will no longer cover food claims? I hope to get this post up as soon as I can, and in the meantime if you have some experience with this or can help clarify any confusion, contact me in the comment box!

Tags: gluten-free food, IRS, reimbursement, taxes