Consumer complaint received 2023-12-22
Product: Prepaid card — Government benefit card
Issue: Problem getting a card or closing an account — Trouble closing card
Company: OPTUM BANK, INC. (IL)

This is about daycare spending benefits through Optum Financial. You have pre-tax payments withdrawn from your check, maxing out at XXXX for the year. After the amount is reached, you submit proof of daycare receipts to show you indeed spent money on daycare costs for up to {$2500.00}, and they mail you the money you prepaid. 

On XXXX I submitted a claim, as I do yearly, so that I can get reimbursed the {$2500.00} that I paid in Dependent Care benefits from XXXX, which goes towards childcare. The XXXX payments can get reimbursed as long as you submit your claim and paperwork by XXXX. 

I have been doing this yearly since XXXX with no issues. Sometimes they are bad about requesting additional documentation without reaching out, so knowing this, I checked on my claim in early XX/XX/XXXX. I noticed they needed additional paperwork. So I submitted paperwork on XXXX with the daycare letterhead, address, and the date and amount for childcare payments for the time period indicated on the letter. 

I checked the account again. Noticed they wanted more paperwork. I inquired as to what. They said they needed a line by line breakdown of payments. So I sent that on XXXX. It was an XXXX XXXX with the company address, dates, and amounts, all matching with the letter sent on XXXX I checked the account again. Noticed they wanted more paperwork. This time, the issue was the company name was not on top of the XXXX XXXX. Even though the address matched and amounts and dates matched, I complied. I sent that on XXXX. 

Note : at no time did the indicate I was past the deadline. I had initiated the claim, complied, sent documentation that complies with their rules, on my own follow ups since they never reach out, all before XXXX. But they last piece was sent after the XXXX which they never said was an issue. 

Subsequently, the claim was indicated as " approved, processing reimbursement. '' It actually still says that, see screenshots in the attachment I supplied. 

For months I waited, no check came. I left my employer in mid XXXX but received another reimbursement request I sent at the same time as this one at issue so I didnt think there would be an issue. 

I called, emailed, open claims. 

First claim, claim # XXXX, received no outreach. I reached out, spoke with a representative who said the reason I never received payment was because they sent it to my old employer. She said they would check on if they can just have the employer release the funds. Never received any followup. 

I called again when I received an XX/XX/XXXX email ( attached ) that my case was closed. They said it was closed because I submitted my paperwork after the deadline. I went over the timeline with the representative and she agreed that I was correct that I submitted everything multiple times before the deadline except that last doc which was a third version of the first two. So she opened a new case # XXXX. She said she put extra notes in to highlight that there was indeed lots of documentation submitted on time, and that this is a lot of money, and its my money I already paid, and that they will call me at the end of that week. 

I never received a call. I emailed, no response. No messages in the portal. Then I received a secure message but it wouldnt open. I sent several emails ( attached ) that the secure messages do not open, and to call me. No calls. 

I called again today, and she said the second case was closed because the paperwork was not submitted in time. I asked to escalate the case. She said a supervisor would call me. I said I'd already been through this step, and it didnt happen, and I dont want to do the same step again since no one calls or emails. I directly requested a phone number or email and she said she would not do that. She said a supervisor would call me. I am not hopeful so I am reaching out to you. 

I am at a loss with the bad faith retention of my funds, and lack of communication from them throughout this process, beginning to end. I am an attorney, and I fully understand and appreciate deadlines and proof/documentation. The fact I sent XXXX nearly identical documents before the XXXX deadline should be enough to show I complied with the rules. The daycare complied as timely as they could, jumping through hoops to keep revising their documentation at the request of Optum. Imagine if every XXXX program did this? This is not sustainable or reasonable to ask of the daycare but that is besides the point. This is unreasonable and unethical and I ask for any consideration and help on my case. Thank you!