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Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment for the 2025–2026 plan year begins on Monday, April 28, 2025, and concludes on Friday, May 9, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. This annual period provides benefits-eligible faculty, staff, and administrators the opportunity to review their current benefit plans and make changes or updates to coverage without a qualifying IRS Life Event. After Open Enrollment ends, changes will only be permitted for new hires, newly eligible employees, or those who experience a qualifying IRS Life Event.

This year’s Open Enrollment will be passive for medical, dental, vision, voluntary supplemental life, voluntary long-term disability buy-up, and voluntary Cigna accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage. This means employees are not required to re-enroll, and their current benefit elections will automatically carry over to the new plan year beginning July 1, 2025, except for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

To continue participation in the health care and dependent care FSAs, employees must actively elect an annual contribution amount. Without an election, FSA enrollment will not carry over into the new plan year.

Before making their benefit elections, it's recommended that employees and their family members take time to review the Employee Benefits Guide or watch the Benefits Presentation Brainshark to become familiar with all benefit plan options.


ALEX®

ALEX is an easy-to-use virtual benefits counselor. Alex will walk employees through the process of choosing benefits based on their answers to questions, with easy-to-understand explanations. Through ALEX, employees will receive personalized, confidential benefits guidance, which can be accessed on any computer, tablet, or smartphone.


MEDICAL PLANS (myCigna)

We continue to offer the Cigna HDHP, OAP-IN, and OAP Plans with changes to the HDHP and OAP plan designs. In addition, premiums will increase effective July 1, 2025, for all three medical plans. The medical plans have a 5-tier rate structure. Premiums are equitably based on the cost of the different coverage levels. This structure also allows for differing circumstances and encourages employees and their families to explore medical plan alternatives that may be most advantageous to them. Available coverage levels:

  • Employee Only
  • Employee + Spouse/LDA
  • Employee + 1 Child
  • Employee + Children (2 or more children)
  •  Family (spouse/lda and child(ren)
Wellness Compliance 

Beginning July 1, employees must log in to myCigna and complete the online health assessment. Cigna will automatically verify the completion of the annual physical exam therefore, employees and their enrolled spouse or Legally Domiciled Adult (LDA) are no longer required to manually enter the date of their physical exam. However, to earn the incentive, the physical exam must be completed between July 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025.

Employees are reminded not to submit the wellness screening form or any other documents in the myCigna portal, as Cigna will void any uploaded documents.

Medical plan premiums are reduced for employees who complete their Wellness Steps between July 1 and October 31 of each plan year. Employees who do not complete the required Wellness Steps by October 31 will not qualify for the reduced wellness premiums, and the higher non-wellness premiums will take effect starting with the first paycheck in December.

For any issues or questions, employees are encouraged to contact Benefits & Wellness at extension 1365 before the October 31 deadline.


Health Savings Account (HSA with Bank of America)

High Deductible Health Plan enrollees are eligible to participate in the HSA. Employees wishing to participate must enroll in the HSA to receive Loyola's contribution of $ 500 (employee only coverage) or  $ 1,000 (two-party and family coverage). Employees are not required to contribute a specific amount however, they must at least indicate $ 0 to receive Loyola's contribution. Anyone who "Waives" enrollment will not be eligible for Loyola's contributions.

The IRS set an annual limit each calendar year. The 2024 annual limit is $ 4,150 for Individual coverage and $ 8,300 for Two Party and Family coverages. Payroll deductions can be changed mid-year without a qualifying life event. This is the only benefit plan that allows changes outside of the open enrollment period. Contact Optum with questions or assistance with managing the accounts.


Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA with Optum)

Employees, including current participants must actively enroll in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) every plan year. If current participants do not re-enroll their FSA coverage will end on June 30, 2025. This is an IRS requirement and must be strictly followed. Current participants should contact Optum Financial at 800-243-5543 if they have questions or need assistance with their account.

Health Care FSA
    • New "Rollover" Provision
      • up to $ 660 of unused funds can be used if rollovered to subsequent plan year.
      • re-enrollment is required.
    • Annual election limit for the Health Care FSA increased to $ 3,300.
    • Submit claims and receipts online.
Dependent Care FSA 
    • Annual election limit remains at $ 5,000.
    • Submit claims and receipts online.
    • Participants who are enrolled in both DCFSA and CCVP cannot be reimbursed over the annual limit ($ 5,000). 
      • reimbursements exceeded $ 5,000 will be taxable to the employee.

Other Benefit Plans

Dental Plans  (MetLife)
Premiums will increase for the Copay and PPO Plans. Please refer to the Employee Benefits Guide or the Benelogic Enrollment Portal for premium information.

Vision Plans  (VSP)
Premiums will remain the same. No changes to plan design.

Life and Disability  (Symetra)
Premiums for supplemental life insurance, dependent life, and long-term disability buy-up plans will remain the same. No changes to plan design. New enrollment must be approved by Symetra in order to complete the enrollment process. Complete the EOI Statement immediately after selecting the benefit plan. Approval or denial will be communicated via email from Symetra. 

Voluntary Supplemental Benefits  (Cigna)
No changes to premiums or plan design for the Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Plans.


Educational Meetings

    • Individual and group meetings are filled. Try another contact.
    • In-Person Benefits Fair – May 1st, 10 am – 1 pm (McGuire Hall East).
    • One-on-One Consultations with TIAA financial specialist contact TIAA at 800-732‐8353, Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm.

Ready to Enroll

Log in to Workday and access the Open Enrollment task to begin the enrollment process. Utilize the companion guide for step-by-step instructions and detailed explanations of the benefit plan options available to you.


Need Assistance


This website provides a summary of the benefits available. The University reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate any plan at any time, and for any reason without prior notification. You will be notified of any changes to these plans and how they affect your benefits, if at all. The plans described on this website are governed by insurance contracts and plan documents, which are available for examination. We have attempted to make explanations of the plans on this website as accurate as possible. However, should there be a discrepancy between this website and the provisions of the insurance contracts or plan documents, the provisions of the insurance contracts or plan documents will govern. In addition, you should not rely on any oral descriptions of these plans, since the written descriptions in the insurance contracts and plan documents will always govern.