State Health Benefits Open Enrollment

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:45:40 -0400

Open Enrollment for State of Maryland health benefits will begin on Tuesday, October 14, and will end on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 5 p.m.

Employees who are not making any health benefit changes do not need to take action. However, to continue a healthcare and/or dependent daycare flexible spending account, employees must re-enroll in their Open Enrollment event by November 7, 2025, at 5 p.m.

During Open Enrollment, eligible employees can enroll, cancel, or make changes to their health benefits, with all updates becoming effective January 1, 2026. Employees will receive weekly email alerts from the State of Maryland regarding Open Enrollment.

Open Enrollment will continue to be online in the SPS Workday system. Prior to the start of Open Enrollment, it is important for employees to log in to their Workday account to ensure they have access. Instructions for logging into the SPS Workday system can be found here.

NEW for 2026:

Effective January 1, 2026, all health benefit premiums will be deducted from payroll on a bi-weekly basis across 26 pay periods, an increase from the previous 24 deductions per year.

Beginning July 1, 2026, contractual employees will begin receiving pre-tax benefit premiums, which will be automatically deducted from their paychecks.

State of Maryland Open Enrollment resources can be found on the Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management (HRSTM) Open Enrollment website. Resources include virtual and in-person information sessions with State vendors, State wellness information, as well as the 2026 Rates and State Benefits Guide.

Employees who are adding new dependents to their health benefits during Open Enrollment should review the required dependent documentation. Dependent documentation is required to be attached to the employee’s Open Enrollment event by Friday, November 7, 2025, at 5 p.m.

Please join us on Wednesday, October 15, at noon for a live, virtual Open Enrollment Information Session to learn more about new changes and receive updates and reminders. This session will be recorded and posted to the HRSTM Open Enrollment website by October 24.

To ensure timely receipt of vendor communication, we advise employees to confirm their home address is correct by logging into their myUMBC account and viewing their Profile. Employees address changes must be made in the Payroll Online Service Center (POSC).

Please visit the HRSTM Open Enrollment website for more information and email the HRSTM Benefits and Wellness team at hrbenefits@umbc.edu with any questions.

Benefits and Wellness Team

Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management