Which of the following benefits does a flexible spending account NOT usually provide?

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are designed to allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their paychecks to cover certain expenses, primarily related to healthcare and dependent care. While an FSA provides tax benefits and can be used for eligible healthcare costs and dependent care expenses, it does not provide direct cash benefits to the employee.

In the context of FSAs, the funds that employees contribute are used to reimburse them for qualified expenses they incur throughout the plan year. This means that when an employee pays for eligible healthcare or dependent care costs, they can then submit those expenses for reimbursement from their FSA. The reimbursement process does not yield direct cash benefits; rather, it reimburses employees for specific expenses they've already incurred.

FSAs offer tax advantages to enrolled employees because contributions are made pre-tax, which effectively reduces taxable income. This tax benefit is one of the main reasons individuals participate in these plans. Payment for eligible healthcare costs and covering dependent care expenses are integral to what FSAs are designed to support, but cash benefits that supplement income are outside the scope of what they offer. Thus, the notion that FSAs do not provide direct cash benefits is aligned with the fundamental purpose and structure of such accounts.