Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)
The Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) offered at UMass Chan Medical School is sponsored by the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) and administered by TASC.
You may contribute any amount up to $5,000 per family each plan year on a pre-tax basis. The DCAP can be used to pay for expenses such as child and elder care costs, after school care, day camps and daycare for dependents up to age 13.
- When to enroll - You must enroll as a new hire during your first 10 days of employment, otherwise, you may enroll during the open enrollment period held annually every April/May for a July 1 effective
TASC will be your new administrator of DCAP benefits beginning with our upcoming plan year, and the grace and runout period for the current plan year (ending 6/30/23) will also be administered by TASC. TASC will work closely with Benefit Strategies to transfer any balances you have remaining as of 6/30/23 from Benefit Strategies, your current DCAP administrator, to TASC.
There will be a Black Out Period after the current plan year ends when your funds will not be available. This blackout period will start at midnight on 6/30/2023 and will last until approximately 7/18/23 and is necessary to allow your DCAP plan to be finalized by Benefit Strategies and your balance information to be sent to TASC for upload into your new TASC account.
This does not mean that you cannot incur expenses during this time. For any expenses incurred during this time, please pay for the expenses personally then submit your claim to TASC via the online participant portal, the mobile app, or fax, once your grace/runout plan is active. We apologize for any inconvenience caused during this time.
The last day the Benefit Strategies claim card will be functioning for DCAP is 6/30/23.
All eligible manual claims received at Benefit Strategies on 6/30/23 will be processed and paid. Please plan accordingly as claims received after this time will not be accepted by Benefit Strategies and you will be required to resubmit them to TASC.
Your new TASC Card® will be mailed out and is expected to be functioning beginning 7/1/23 for the start of the upcoming plan year, but any balances from your current plan year will not be available until approximately 7/18/23.
Grace Period for FY 2023: The grace period for FY 2023 will be 2.5 months, with an additional month allowed for claim submissions. This means that you will have until September 15 to incur claims (based on date of service) for a plan year that ended on June 30. You will then have until October 15 to submit those claims for reimbursement. For additional key FSA Dates for FY2023 Plan Year please see the GIC Benefits Decision Guide.
Eligibility
Employees hired during the Plan Year are eligible for the DCAP on the first day of employment.
Enrollment Information
Enrollment in the flexible spending accounts is done online. If you wish to enroll in one or both flexible spending accounts, go to https://www.tasclargemarkets.com/commonwealthofma
You must enroll within 10 calendar days of hire; otherwise, you may enroll during Open Enrollment period that occurs each April/May. Note: Certain family status changes may enable you to enroll other than as a new hire or during open enrollment. Please refer to the Life Events tab in the top navigation bar for more information.
You must re-enroll online each plan year at Open Enrollment in order to continue participation in the DCAP.
Note: The IRS requires that any unused funds at plan year end be forfeited. You should estimate your contributions carefully.
To access DCAP benefit information, click the Benefit Summaries button below (or on the top navigation bar):