Open Enrollment

The health and wellbeing of our employees is important, and as such, the CSU is committed to offering benefits and plan options to cover your individual and family health needs.

We encourage you to make sure your benefits work for you by reviewing your current plans and participating in the Annual Benefits Open Enrollment period accordingly.

The Open Enrollment period for Benefits Eligible Employees will take place:

Monday, September 15, 2025 through Friday, October 10, 2025

During the Open Enrollment period, employees may enroll-in, change, or cancel Health, Dental, Vision, FlexCash, Dependent Care Account (DCRA), Health Care Reimbursement (HCRA) or Voluntary Benefit Plans.

Any changes made during the Open Enrollment period will be effective January 1, 2026.

For general questions about Open Enrollment or benefits, please contact benefits@csub.edu.

2026 Health Plan Rates

CalPERS Health Benefits Program - Basic Plan Rates

In-Person CSUB Benefits Fair

The office of Human Resources invites CSUB benefit eligible employees to join us at our Annual Employee Benefits Fair on Friday, October 3, 2025 in the Solario de Fortaleza room at the Student Recreation Center from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.

Representatives from the different benefit providers will be on hand to answer any questions, discuss service concerns, provide informative material, and raffle off fun little giveaways. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Register to Attend the CSU Employee Virtual Benefits Fair

In addition to the benefits information available through the CSU Benefits Open Enrollment website, a virtual platform will also host a LIVE benefits fair, which is scheduled for:

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

At the LIVE event, you'll be able to video or text chat with providers and the CSUB campus benefits team. This is a great opportunity to address any questions about available health, dental, vision, and voluntary benefits for you and your dependents.

You must register to attend the event, so don't delay, registration is open now.

CSU Virtual Open Enrollment Fair - Registration Link

To register, you must be logged into Zoom using your campus-assigned email address. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and instructions on how to join.

Important Dates

September 15 - Open Enrollment begins: the first day you can submit changes/enrollments

September 30 - CSU Virtual Benefits Fair from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

October 3 – CSUB in-person Benefits Fair from 10:00 a.m. to Noon

October 10 - Open Enrollment ends: the last day you can submit changes/enrollments

January 1, 2026 - All changes/enrollments made during the Open Enrollment Period will be effective

What's New for 2026

Health Plan Rate Changes

Effective January 1, 2026, rates for most health plans will change.

Health Plan Changes

Effective January 1, 2026, CVS Caremark (CVS) will replace OptumRx as the new pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) for the following CalPERS health plans: Anthem Blue Cross Traditional HMO, Anthem Blue Cross Select HMO, Health Net Salud y Más, PERS Gold PPO, PERS Platinum PPO, Sharp Health Plan Performance Plus, UnitedHealthcare Alliance, UnitedHealthcare Harmony and Western Health Advantage HMO.

Members will receive a welcome kit from CVS that includes ID cards as well as information to access Caremark.com and the CVS Health app prior to January 1, 2026. This will be used for all prescription services starting January 1, 2026.

Health Plan Expansions and Exits

Blue Shield Access+ will expand to Monterey County. Blue Shield Trio plan will no longer be offered in Monterey County. Members that do not elect a health plan change will be automatically enrolled in Blue Shield Access+, effective January 1, 2026.

Health Benefit Design Changes

PERS Gold will continue with deductible in-patient credits of up to $500 for completing preventive care activities, while adding the following activities: participation in the Diabetes Prevention Program, if eligible, as well as depression or anxiety screening.

Legal Insurance Enhancements and Rate Change

We’re enhancing the legal insurance plan with new services to address legal and caregiving needs for your parents and grandparents. The cost is $17.70 per month via payroll deduction.

Critical Illness—Health Maintenance Screening Benefit Design Change

Currently, eligible participants receive $100 per health maintenance benefit screening, with a maximum of two screenings per calendar year. Beginning in 2026, this benefit will be updated to provide $200 for a single eligible screening per year. While the number of reimbursable screenings will be limited to one annually, the total dollar benefit will be doubled, allowing you to receive the maximum reimbursement with just one screening.

Health Care and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts (HCRA/DCRA)—Annual Maximums Increased

For the plan year 2026, the IRS has increased the annual maximum contribution amount to $3,300 for HCRA and $7,500 for DCRA.