Know your end-of-year vision benefits

There is a lot to know and understand when it comes to insurance. The end of the year is the perfect time to review your plan and use your benefits before it’s too late.

Taking full advantage of your vision insurance coverage is easy when you know exactly what your coverage is. Here are some tips to help you use your vision benefits before the end of the year.

Ask the right questions

To fully understand your vision benefits, you’ll need to ask the right questions. Every plan is different, but most plans have a few things in common. Many cover a yearly comprehensive eye exam and either a pair of prescription glasses or an allowance, which can be put toward contact lenses.

Still, while most plans offer these benefits, your plan might offer more or less. Ask your employer for more information. Here are a few questions to get you started:

1. What benefits are offered under my coverage?
2. Am I covered for a comprehensive exam?
3. Do I have a flex spending account?
4. How do I use my benefits?
5. When do my benefits expire?

Evaluate your plan

Take advantage of your benefits before they run out by reviewing your coverage and determining what you need.

Employers have many options when picking a plan, but most vision benefits expire at the end of every calendar year. In many cases, they can’t be rolled over to the following year.

The same goes for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), which are benefits offered by many employers. FSAs allow a portion of an employee’s pre-taxed income to be put into an account at the beginning of the year. This account is then used for the employee’s medical and vision needs, but if it goes unused during that year, the money may disappear on Jan. 1.

Use your benefits

The best way to take care of your eyes and ensure that they stay healthy is to have an annual eye exam, which in most cases will be covered by your vision benefits.

If you are still unsure about what your vision benefits cover, call your eye doctor or insurance provider. They will be able to point you in the right direction and give you all the information you need to know about how to use your benefits.

The clock is ticking down until the end of the year. Use your vision insurance benefits before time runs out!