Air Purifiers are FSA Eligible only if it is accompanied by a Letter of Medical Necessity from your health care provider.
It goes the same with the Dyson Air Purifier.
In short, Dyson air purifiers are FSA eligible, if it is claimed along with the letter of medical necessity.
In this article, I covered this topic in detail, What is LMN, where you can get this, and How to pay for air purifiers through FSA. This would help you in reimbursing your air purifier expense through FSA.
Without any further delay, Let’s dive in.
Is Dyson Air Purifier FSA Eligible?
Yes, the Dyson Air purifier is eligible for FSA Reimbursement, but you need to provide a recommendation letter or prescription from your Healthcare provider.
This letter or prescription is known as a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Many people consider getting the Dyson air purifier as it is one of the leading brands in the air purifier market. It is considered good for asthma and allergy-suffering patients as it effectively improves indoor air quality.
Are Air Purifiers FSA Eligible?
In general, Air purifiers are not considered FSA Eligible as they are mostly used for cleaning the polluted air and improving the air quality.
If an air purifier is required to relieve, diagnose, or prevent any medical conditions, then it is considered FSA-eligible. It is eligible only if you have the Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN).
For people with respiratory medical issues, breathing clean air can help to recover from the issue. If an air purifier is required to provide clean air for this patient, then it is considered as FSA Eligible.
If your doctor recommends installing an air purifier at home, you can easily get a letter of medical necessity from your doctor.
If you fail to provide a letter of medical necessity while claiming reimbursement, then your claim will be denied.
If you want to claim an air purifier with either a Health savings account (HSA) or Health reimbursement account (HRA) you need to provide a letter of medical necessity.
What is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)?
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a savings account in which you save tax-exempted dollars.
You spend this money on an eligible medical expense that is an out-of-pocket expense not covered by your Insurance plan.
Some employers may also contribute to your FSA Account, but they are not required to.
You also need to consider the limit on the amount of money that you can save in your FSA account. Every year it is decided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In 2024, no more than $3,200 can be contributed tax-exempt.
You need to spend the money available in your FSA Account in one year itself as that money will not be carried forward to the following year.
Some employers provide a grace period of an additional two and half months to use that available money or if not you may lose that money.
What is a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN)?
A Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is a written statement from your Healthcare provider or Physician prescribing a device that helps to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease.
It is acknowledged by providing a signature.
IRS decides the items which are FSA eligible and FSA non-eligible.
The information mentioned in all the types of letters of medical necessity more or less will be the same. However, the template used to draft that letter may vary.
Sometimes, the LMN template is provided by your FSA account custodian.
Your healthcare provider needs to fill in the required fields by adding information to that template.
If there is no such template provided, then the following general information is written in the LMN. Here it is-
- General information can be the Patient’s Name,
- medical history,
- diagnosis,
- explanation about the treatment or medical item required,
- Date of LMN issued,
- contact information, and
- signature.
How Do I Get a Letter of Medical Necessity for an Air Purifier?
A Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is a written statement provided by your Healthcare provider or Physician and acknowledged by providing a signature.
You Need to consult your healthcare provider or your physician to get LMN.
Initially, your physician examines your health condition and if the air purifier is required for your diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of medical condition, then the physician writes an LMN and signs the letter.
How Long Does a Letter of Medical Necessity Last?
In the Letter of Medical Necessity, the duration of the treatment is mentioned and LMN lasts until the treatment.
If you want to extend that duration you need a new LMN for reimbursement of that expense.
If no duration is mentioned in the LMN, then it is considered valid for one year.
You need to get a new LMN if you need to extend it beyond one year.
How do I pay for an Air Purifier through FSA?
If you plan to buy an air purifier to improve your health condition, especially respiratory issues.
You need to book an appointment with your healthcare provider and follow the below steps.
- Talk to your Physician about your health
- After examination, the Physician provides you with the LMN.
- Get an air purifier by paying the full amount and keeping the receipt
- Request this expense for reimbursement through the FSA
- Provide LMN and receipt while requesting
- If you have any queries reach out to your HR department.
Is it Worth Getting the Dyson Air Purifier?
Dyson Air purifier comes with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter and an Activated carbon filter (except the TP01 Air purifier Model) that keeps the indoor air free from harmful pollutants.
These filters are capable of capturing allergens and disease-causing bacteria and viruses, which helps in preventing diseases or relieving the disease condition.
Air purifiers can remove odors (including cat litter odor, and ferret odors), and harmful gases (including carbon monoxide) from the air.
Dyson air purifiers come in a small size that occupies less space and covers the entire room.
You can consider any model from Dyson as all are effective in providing clean air.
You should compare the features from different models like Dyson tp04 vs tp07. This helps to choose the right one.
It comes with a downside of a higher price range. But it is worth buying if it comes within your budget.
Conclusion:
Air purifiers can be used to relieve Medical conditions such as allergies, asthma, and COPD by capturing environmental triggers.
Generally, air purifiers are not eligible for FSA reimbursement. With one exception, if your Healthcare Provider recommends it then you can claim reimbursement.
All air purifiers, even Dyson air purifiers can be FSA eligible only if your physician provides a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN).
You need to keep the LMN and receipt as they must be provided while claiming the reimbursement.
Hope this article answers your question Is Dyson Air purifier FSA Eligible?
