eQuipping, Productivity

Finding What You Need for a Reimbursement


About 15 years ago, Jenn and I were heading out on a shopping trip. My daughter and I are particular about our clothing styles. Most clothes-shopping trips were frustrating. That morning, U2 came on the radio with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” We both laughed and the day felt lighter.

Now, that was funny, but trying to wade through the details of a reimbursement may not be.

This post is about finding those picky details you need to track and submit your reimbursements. These details are best kept in a reimbursement spreadsheet. I will provide links for that, too.

I’ve written specifically for Cru staff. I know others can benefit as well.


Finding What You Need for a Reimbursement

Your first step is to keep track of your expenses and claims.

Keep Up to Keep Your Sanity

Scan your receipts and enter the expenses in your spreadsheet soon after they occur.

Having physical places for these receipts will help too, like in and out trays on your desk.

(True confessions: my inbox right now is a large cardboard box on the kitchen table overflowing with eight items from three trips. It’s been there about two weeks. Hopefully, this weekend, I’ll take care of these things.)

For All Reimbursements

A Consistent Folder and a Consistent Naming System

Use a consistent folder and naming system for all your receipt scans. Store these important documents on the cloud.

My folder this year is “2024 PDFs.”

My naming system is “YYYYMMDD initial description.” So “20240117 B greeting cards” means on January 17th, I bought MPD greeting cards. B stands for Both. Otherwise, I use S for Sus and M for Mike. Use YYMMDD if you like, but keep the year first, whatever you do. Use a system that sorts by date.

The only exception to my naming system is for EOBs. I use “YYYYMMDD initial EOB description.” So “20240109 S EOB Dr F” was for my visit with Dr. Ferguson. I could describe what the visit was for if I wanted to, like “20240109 S EOB blood pressure.”

All scanned receipts can be found by sorting by date and then scrolling down to the item.

EOB receipts can be found by searching for “EOB” so you don’t have all files distracting you from finding “what you’re looking for.” (hums tune)

Ministry Reimbursements

Let’s do the easy one first: ministry reimbursements.

Enter each item on a line in your spreadsheet, inserting rows when you need to.

I recommend saving space below your entries for recurring items. (If you prefer, put recurring items under a separate tab and remember to check these regularly.)

Recurring Expenses

List recurring expenses below your current expenses as reminders. Four lines or so from your last entry, fill in the details for your monthly and annual expenses at the beginning of the year.

My recurring expenses are a monthly phone bill and yearly blog expenses.

My phone bill is always mid-month. I’ve forgotten to include it in a monthly reimbursement a few times. Usually, though, I look a few lines down, make a copy of the entry and paste it into the month’s expenses. I change the date, and I’m done.

The annual expenses for my blog’s domain and WordPress plan are next. I wait for a reminder email from WordPress when these services are due. Again, I insert these recurring charges into the correct date row when I pay for the service.

These have been helpful reminders for me when I submit reimbursements.

Medical Reimbursements

Now we’ll look at P&A, Blue Cross, and MetLife information to approve EOBs.

I put claim numbers in my spreadsheet to keep things straight. This is especially helpful if you have multiple EOBs for the same co-pay amount for different family members and dates. (“Claim number” is used differently on these platforms. I’ll make it clear as we go.)

EOBs

Always check EOB information carefully before approving it on P&A. Sometimes, the insurer redoes a claim for a different amount. Sometimes, P&A takes the wrong amount off of the EOB form.

Blue Cross

When you log in, look for “View all claims” and open your list. Look for recent claims you have not recorded in your spreadsheet yet.

  • You’ll see the claim number on the far right. Add it to your spreadsheet.  (You don’t need the four zeroes on the end of the number.)
  • When you click “View EOB,” the EOB will download.
  • Open this PDF file and record the charges in your spreadsheet.
  • Click the printer icon and choose “Save as PDF.”
  • Name this EOB and save it in this year’s reimbursement folder.
MetLife

When you log in, look for “Claim Center” and click it open.

If you want to see more claims, choose the name of the family member and click “View Older Claims.”

  • The claim numbers are highlighted in blue in the second column.

If you stay in the Claim Center, you will see the most recent claims per family member on this screen.

  • The claim number is highlighted in blue under “Claim Details.”

In either scenario:

  • If you click the blue claim number, a Claim Summary page opens.
    • Under “Procedure Details,” click on “View/Download Explanation of Benefits.”
    • The EOB opens in your browser.
  • Add any charges to your spreadsheet.
  • Click the printer icon for the EOB and choose “Save as PDF.”
  • Name this EOB and save it in this year’s folder.
P&A Home Page

You can save your manual claim after you submit it. With my digital files and my spreadsheet, I haven’t needed to do that. Alternatively, you can view your uploaded documentation on the P&A site even many months later.

Having a reimbursement spreadsheet will help you check on your manual claims. (In the background: “And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”) You have several ways to match your bank deposits with your manual claim items and their UPV numbers.

EOBs

Click on the “Show/Hide Account Details” button. Explore the first four of the five category details. I’ll write about three of them.

The far left category, “Carrier EOBs” will show any EOBs you haven’t approved with P&A yet.

  • Match the claim number and the amount before you “approve.”

MANUAL CLAIMS

Easiest Way to Find and Look at a UPV

Under “Quick Links” on the left, open “Track a Claim.”

“My Claim History” lists all your submissions by UPV and has a search feature. I put a “UPV123456” in the search and looked at a much older manual claim not listed in the history.

Easiest Way to See a Line Item and Its Corresponding UPV Number

The “Claims Submitted” tab on the home page gives you more information and will help you pinpoint a line item. EOBs, pending claims, and paid claims are all listed together.

  • Each of those individual checks has its own claim number. You probably recognize one of your line items by the amount, the UPV number, and the submission date.
  • Click on the blue claim number in the second column for the purchase you recognize.
  • Wow! Lo and behold! There’s my manual claim. The UPV number I was given at submission is called a “Confirmation Number” here.
  • If needed, you can page through everything you uploaded.

If you want a copy of these details, go to the P&A home page. Open “Choose an action” dropdown next to the heading, “Healthcare Reimbursement.” Open the dropdown and click on “Print/Email account details” or “Download account details.”

The “Claims Paid” tab shows the checks you’ve probably seen deposited in your bank.

StaffWeb and Your Bank

The Staff Web and your bank records will show deposit amounts and dates.

I find Cru’s Staff Expense Report useful. Go to the month you received deposits. Your manual claims are listed under expenses.

This post is about finding information. Submitting your reimbursements will be in other posts.

Let me know if you’ve been able to “find what you’re looking for.”

NOTES:

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.