Open Enrollment is your once-a-year opportunity to choose the benefits that best meet the needs of you and your family. All benefits-eligible employees must complete Open Enrollment for the calendar year 2026 benefits.
Enrollment began today, Oct. 16, and ends at 11:59 p.m. CT Oct. 31, 2025. Elections are effective Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026, and cannot be changed after the enrollment period closes, unless you have a qualifying life event.
All eligible employees must elect a health plan or waive coverage. If you do not complete the enrollment process, you will be defaulted into the Choice Consumer-Driven Health Plan (Choice CDHP) at your current individual or family coverage level. You will also miss out on the opportunity to complete the tobacco attestation and spousal fee attestation.
Log in to My VU Benefits to elect, make changes to, or waive coverage for:
- Health, dental and vision insurance.
- Life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance.
- Health savings account (HSA), which is a tax-advantaged personal savings account you can use if you are enrolled in the Choice CDHP medical option.
- Health care flexible spending account (FSA), which is a tax-advantaged account you can use to pay for eligible medical expenses for you and your eligible dependents.
- Dependent care FSA, which is a tax-advantaged account you can use to reimburse eligible child care or elder care expenses.
IMPORTANT: Open Enrollment is your only chance to make your benefits selections for 2026 unless you experience a qualifying life event, such as getting married or having a baby. If you do have a life event, you’ll have 30 days from the date of the event to make changes to your benefits.
You must log in to MyVU Benefits to:
- Make your 2026 benefits elections.
- Confirm the dependent(s) you’d like to cover.
- Select or update your beneficiary(ies) for life and AD&D insurance.
- Attest to whether you and your covered family members are tobacco-free. Eligible employees can save $20 per month on health care premiums.
- Attest to whether your spouse is eligible for coverage elsewhere. If you carry coverage for your spouse who has access to health insurance through another employer, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center, you will pay a spousal fee of $100 per month in addition to the monthly premium.
On-campus labs
The Benefits team will be on campus to assist with answering your benefits and open enrollment questions from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Oct. 23, or Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Baker 1000 Training Room. During these labs, you’ll be able to receive one-on-one help making your benefit selections and navigating Open Enrollment.
On campus for Staff Assembly on Oct. 29? Stop by our Benefits Lab before or after the event to get personalized help enrolling in your 2026 benefits. Our PCB team will be on hand to answer questions, walk you through your options and ensure you’re confident in your selections, making it easy to check benefits enrollment off your list while you’re here!
Learn more about Open Enrollment and sign up for 2026 benefits at vu.edu/oe.
