Posted 2:56 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
Annually, if a health care FSA payment card transaction is not automatically substantiated, you will be notified of an “unsubstantiated claim” that needs to be resolved by substantiation, substitution, or repayment.
You will receive notices about the unsubstantiated claim via the email address associated with your Optum account:
- 10 days after the transaction
- 40 days after the transaction
- 70 days after the transaction
If your claims are not resolved within 85 days, your payment card will be deactivated (until your claims are resolved). Check the junk folder in your email for these notices. If you do not have an email address associated with your Optum account, the notices will be sent via U.S. Mail.
The FSA administrator sends these notifications for every health care FSA unsubstantiated claim throughout the year.
Payroll Withholding Process
In January, Optum will provide a report to the Universities of Wisconsin reflecting employees with health care FSA unsubstantiated claims (incurred on/prior to 12/31/2025). The report is used for the payroll withholding process.
The Universities of Wisconsin will send an email to the affected employees to make them aware of the payroll withholding process, and that it will continue through March (even if claims are substantiated during the process). Payroll deductions will occur as follows:
| Claims Amount | Action |
| At or less than $100 | The claims amount will be deducted from the 2/5/2026 paycheck. |
| Greater than $100 | The claims amount will be divided by four and deducted from four paychecks.
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For more detailed information, please refer to the information found here.
