Eligible Product List Overview

Yes. SIGIS publishes an Eligible Product List for participating merchants to use as the basis to identify items in their inventory. Access to the Eligible Product List is available upon SIGIS membership approval. The Eligible Product List also enables plan administrators and third-party plan administrators (TPAs) to rely upon a more consistent identification of eligible medical items.

To access the Eligible Products List, Members must obtain a SIGIS Members Area login.

To retrieve SIGIS Members Area login information, go to SIGIS Home.  Click "LOG IN" located at the top of the page. Enter your User Name and click Submit. Your Password will be sent to your active email address within 5 minutes. Please make sure you double check your spam box. If you do not know your User Name Click “Submit” and enter your company information on the following form.

Once you have a SIGIS Members Area login, you can download the Eligible Products List from the Members Area, as follows:

1. Go to the SIGIS website.
2. Click on the Log In link and enter your login information.
3. Click the Download Online link on the right hand side of the page.

SIGIS member merchants and manufacturers submit existing or new to market products to SIGIS for review to the Eligible Product List Committee. SIGIS staff and external vendors conduct various data quality checks prior to formal Eligible Product List Committee review. The Eligible Product List Committee is comprised of industry experts including plan administrators, merchants, and other SIGIS members. The Committee reviews the list each month, including the proposed product additions and deletions to ensure adherence with legislative and regulatory requirements including guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of Treasury, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The SIGIS Eligible Product List is updated monthly. Updates are generally available for download and use by the 15th day of each month.

One of the critical issues in supporting an IIAS solution for employer benefit plans and the third-party plan administrators (TPAs) that support these programs, is assurance that the items being approved through an IIAS solution meet the health care eligibility standards established by the IRS as defined in IRS Code Section 213(d) rules. As described above, SIGIS provides a standardized list of eligible health care-related items. While the IRS does not mandate the use of the SIGIS list, merchants supporting a SIGIS IIAS solution must use the SIGIS Eligible Product List for nationally-branded items. In addition, merchants may also flag private label and local market items as defined in the SIGIS Private Label Eligibility Criteria standards.

In some point-of-sale solutions, the third-party servicers may assist with loading the monthly updates to the merchants POS system.

When submitting a product(s) to add to the Eligible Product List, it is recommended that you first read the Eligibility Criteria located on the SIGIS website. Please access this information via the following link: Eligibility Criteria

Also, for more information on Private Label Eligibility Criteria, please access the following link: Private Label Eligibility Criteria There are two options for submitting Eligible Product List items additions and deletions:

1. Submit items via an online form. This process is great for submitting up to 25 items. For this process:
   • Log into the Members Area of the SIGIS website.
   • Click the EPL Submission link on the right hand side of the page, a new window will open.
   • Click on the "Data > Submit - Upload" menu tab.
   • Click on the "Manual Entry" tab. Enter the item level information.
   • Click on the "Verify Items" button.
   • Correct any errors.
   • Click on the “Upload Valid Items” to complete.
2. Members may submit the Excel form via website upload. This process is designed for submitting large lists of items.
   • Fill out the Eligible Product List Excel form (please make sure to use the latest version). Link to form: Missing Product Form.
   • Log into the Members Area of the SIGIS website.
   • Click the EPL Submission link on the right hand side of the page, a new window will open.
   • Click on the "Data > Submit - Upload" menu tab.
   • Click on the "Excel Upload" tab.
   • Browse for Excel file to be loaded.
   • Click on "Upload" button.
   • Review the information for errors, correct as required in spreadsheet.
   • Repeat upload process.
   • Click on the "Submit List" button to complete.

If you have any questions please send an email to the SIGIS Help Desk at help@sig-is.org.

Merchants will now have the option to process FSA/HRA transactions using signature and PIN network routing. The standards will allow industry participants to use the SIGIS’s standards on PIN networks as an option in meeting the new regulatory requirements.  Merchants certified for only a signature network are not required to adopt PIN networks.

The source of the SIGIS Eligible Product List includes most nationally-distributed, regular-stock items. As such, the following types of items will generally not be included: items specially created for an individual merchant (including but not limited to private label items); a local, regional, or specialty item; bonus items (e.g., 2 ounces free); BOGOS (buy one, get one), or other in-and-out types of packaging with limited availability or distribution. Although these items will not be included in the data, they may in fact be eligible.

Private label/store brands will generally not be available for inclusion on the standard list produced by SIGIS. It is understood that some of these private label/store brand items are, in fact, eligible under IRS Code Section 213(d), and therefore, can be processed through the SIGIS IIAS. Merchants that choose to supplement their inventory of SIGIS identified eligible items with their own private label items are free to do so by following the process detailed in the Private Label Eligibility Criteria document. That document can be found at www.sig-is.org.

Additionally, dual-purpose items are not included as part of the standard list. These products may have both a medical purpose and a personal/cosmetic or general health purpose. Merchants are not permitted to identify dual-purpose items as eligible items in their IIAS solution. Examples of dual use items that would not be included:

• Baby Formulas/Nutritionals
• Dietary Supplements
• Vitamins (except prenatal vitamins)

FSA/HRA cardholders that have a doctor's order for dual-purpose items may submit their sales receipt along with the additional information required by their plan administrator and receive a manual reimbursement. The IRS has specific categories that are designated as eligible medical expenses and those that are not. Merchants should not make assumptions that “health care” products are IIAS-eligible. Merchants will find the Eligible Products Criteria document to be helpful in understanding the categories of eligible, non-eligible and dual-purpose items. The current Eligible Products Criteria document may be found on the SIGIS website at www.sig-is.org.

Product submissions are due by approximately the 20th of each month for consideration in next month’s list publication. During the submission process, products go through various quality and eligibility checks via automated checks, SIGIS Staff, SIGIS vendors and the Eligible Product List Committee. Products not meeting certain quality checks will not be considered for review. It is important the required form information is detailed and accurate. Product Eligibility is determined and voted upon by full consensus of committee members. Items are added to the list by the 15th of the next month based on eligibility approval. Members may check the submission page to track the status of their submission.