You pay for Nerva yourself, and there are two routes that may get that cost back. US health insurers generally don't accept receipt claims for app subscriptions, so the routes below go through your workplace benefits instead. Eligibility varies by employer and by plan.
1 Your employer's wellness stipend
Many employers offer a lifestyle or wellness spending account through platforms like Forma or Benepass. What's eligible varies by employer. Wellness and mental health app subscriptions are a common category, but your benefits team decides what's on the list.
- Check whether your employer offers a wellness or lifestyle spending account (look in your benefits portal, or ask your benefits team).
- Submit your Nerva receipt through the platform, the way you'd claim any other wellness expense.
- If it's approved, you're reimbursed from your stipend balance.
Common platforms: Forma · Benepass
If the claim is rejected, ask your benefits team to add digital health apps to the eligible expense list. Platforms update these lists when employers request it, and employees asking is usually what prompts that.
2 HSA / FSA with a letter of medical necessity
A health app can be eligible for HSA/FSA funds when a licensed provider states in writing that it's used to manage a diagnosed medical condition. That statement is called a letter of medical necessity. Your plan administrator makes the final call.
- Download our letter of medical necessity template and ask the provider who manages your condition to complete and sign it.
- Submit the signed letter with your Nerva receipt to your HSA/FSA administrator, or keep both on file if you paid with your HSA/FSA card.
- Your administrator confirms eligibility under your plan.
If your administrator denies it, ask what wording they need. Plans differ on this, and a reworded letter from your provider is often what changes the answer.
Get the letter of medical necessity template
Over 65?
There's a separate route worth checking if you're on Medicare. Our guide walks through what applies and how to ask.
Read the Medicare guide
Both routes start with your itemized Nerva receipt, emailed to you when you purchased. Can't find it? Nerva support can resend it.