2026 Benefits Open Enrollment

2026 Benefits Open Enrollment officially begins on Monday, Nov. 3 and will run through Friday, Nov. 14, 5:00 pm (EST). Employees will be able to take advantage of the Benefits Mentor decision tool, available in Workday, to compare plans using their past individual claim history prior to making changes to their benefits in Workday.

Employees RETIRING on December 31, 2025 should NOT complete the Benefits Open Enrollment. Enrolling as a retiree in the medical plan is a separate process and will be completed at time of retirement. Please join a Thinking About Retiring webinar to learn more details. If you do receive an email prompting you to take action on your unsubmitted open enrollment elections, you may disregard.

Faculty and Staff Employee 2026 benefits highlights:

• Health Care Contributions
  • Through extensive consultation with stakeholder committees (Health Care Advisory Committee, Faculty Senate Benefits Committee, and University Staff Advisory Council) and analysis by Willis Towers Watson, the following plan design changes for 2026 are outlined below for each medical plan options.
  • Health Care contribution salary-based percentages will increase modestly by 1.6% across the four coverage tiers.
  • Use the Healthcare Calculator for an estimate of your payroll deductions.
• Health Plan Changes
  • Prescription for all health plans will move to CVS Caremark for January 1, 2026
  • Medical for all health plans will remain with Highmark
  • Lion Traditional Plan
    • Medical coverage remains with Highmark, prescription moves to CVS Caremark
    • No deductible change
    • Coinsurance maximums change to $2,000 individual / $4,000 family
    • Emergency room copay changes to $150
    • Specialty medication preferred brand copay changes to $100
    • Specialty medication non-preferred brand copay changes to $200
  • Lion Advantage Plans
    • Medical coverage remains with Highmark, prescription moves to CVS Caremark
    • Deductible amounts per IRS minimum limits change to $1,700 individual / $3,400 family
    • Out-of-pocket maximums change to $3,675 individual / $7,350 family
    • Telehealth at no cost before deductible (for Faculty and Staff only) when using Well360
• Unum Changes – Decreased contributions for optional Age-Graded Employee Life insurance, optional Age-Graded Spouse Life insurance, and Short-Term Disability insurance.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) – IRS allows increased maximum contributions to Health Savings Account (HSA); $4,400 individual / $8,750 family
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Rollover – If you wish to utilize the rollover feature that allows $660 from your 2025 Health Care FSA to carry into 2026, you MUST elect the FSA during Benefits Open Enrollment.
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Increase – The IRS has increased the maximum contribution per individual to $3,400.
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) Increase – For the first time, the IRS has increased the maximum contribution amount per household to $7,500.
• 1095-C Filing for 2025 – Starting in January 2026, Penn State will be shifting away from mailing 1095-C forms to directing employees to obtain an electronic copy of the 2025 IRS Form 1095-C. Forms are accessible through Tax Form Management (www.mytaxform.com), administered by our partner, Equifax. We encourage you to use the online 1095-C FAQ resources to proactively set up your account with Equifax’s Tax Form Manager to receive an email notification when the form is ready. This will work similarly to the electronic notifications provided by Payroll when your annual W-2 is ready to be downloaded.
• Hinge and Scripta – Reminder regarding two new programs implemented as of September 1, 2025. No enrollment necessary within Workday.

Technical Service Employee 2026 benefits highlights:

• Health Care Contributions per Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
  • You may refer to your CBA for details regarding the percent of salary changes or use the Healthcare Calculator for an estimate of your payroll deductions.
• Health Plan Changes
  • Prescription for all health plans will move to CVS Caremark for January 1, 2026
  • Medical for all health plans will remain with Highmark
  • Lion Traditional Plan
    • Medical coverage remains with Highmark, prescription moves to CVS Caremark
  • Lion Advantage Plans
    • Medical coverage remains with Highmark, prescription moves to CVS Caremark
    • Deductible amounts per IRS minimum limits change to $1,700 individual / $3,400 family
    • Out-of-pocket maximums change to $3,675 individual / $7,350 family
• Unum Changes – Decreased contributions for optional Age-Graded Employee Life insurance, optional Age-Graded Spouse Life insurance, and Short-Term Disability insurance.
• Health Savings Account – IRS allows increased maximum contributions to Health Savings Account (HSA); $4,400 individual / $8,750 family
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Rollover - If you wish to utilize the rollover feature that allows $660 from your 2025 Health Care FSA to carry into 2026, you MUST elect the FSA during Benefits Open Enrollment.
• Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Increase – The IRS has increased the maximum contribution per individual to $3,400.
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) Increase – For the first time, the IRS has increased the maximum contribution amount per household to $7,500.
• 1095-C Filing for 2025 – Starting in January 2026, Penn State will be shifting away from mailing 1095-C forms to directing employees to obtain an electronic copy of the 2025 IRS Form 1095-C. Forms are accessible through Tax Form Management (www.mytaxform.com), administered by our partner, Equifax. We encourage you to use the online 1095-C FAQ resources to proactively set up your account with Equifax’s Tax Form Manager to receive an email notification when the form is ready. This will work similarly to the electronic notifications provided by Payroll when your annual W-2 is ready to be downloaded.