Skip to main content

Highlights | Make the most of open enrollment

  • New: Open enrollment has new dates and runs Oct. 28-Nov. 25, 2024.
  • New: During Open Enrollment, select one of three new vision plans, as vision will no longer be part of medical plans.
  • During this time, PEBB-eligible employees can also enroll in or make changes to their medical, vision and dental plans and enroll in a Flexible Spending Arrangement, Limited Flexible Spending Arrangement or the Dependent Care Assistance Program.
  • If you are adding dependents to your medical, vision or dental plan, make sure you include the right documentation.

Open enrollment, which runs Oct. 28-Nov.25, is the once-a-year opportunity for PEBB benefits-eligible employees to enroll in or make changes to their medical, vision and dental plans or enroll in a Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Limited Flexible Spending Arrangement (LFSA) or the Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), with changes going into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Any open enrollment changes must be submitted in Workday no later than 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 25.

New changes to note

This year, Washington State’s Health Care Authority (HCA) announced two significant changes impacting Open Enrollment:

  • Open enrollment now starts and ends earlier: It will end on Nov. 25 instead of Nov. 30 as in previous years. Make your open enrollment changes early to avoid missing the new deadline.
  • Choose your new vision plan: This year, all PEBB-eligible employees must select a vision plan and enroll any dependents during open enrollment. Like dental insurance, vision is provided at no additional cost to you. If you don’t choose a plan before Nov. 25, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the MetLife Vision Plan. You can explore your options and learn how to determine if your current eye doctor is covered on the Vision Plan page.

Navigating open enrollment

Open enrollment can be confusing – there are many decisions to make, and the state-mandated language can be hard to understand. We highly recommend using one or all of the comprehensive resources to help navigate the open enrollment process.

  • Follow along with the Open Enrollment User Guide while making changes in Workday to help avoid common mistakes and errors that could result in you not getting the benefits you want.
  • Visit the Open Enrollment page to learn more about what changes you can make during open enrollment, determine what actions (if any) you need to take during open enrollment and find answers to commonly asked questions.

Common open enrollment mistakes

One of the most common open enrollment errors involves employees trying to add a new dependent (such as a child or spouse) to their health plan and accidentally uploading documents that the state won’t accept as valid dependent verification. Without the correct documents, your dependent(s) cannot be added to your plan.

Before starting your open enrollment changes in Workday, carefully review the list of what documents qualify on the Dependent Verification page to avoid errors.

Questions about open enrollment?

UW Benefits representatives will be on-site to provide open enrollment support at the following locations and times:

  • Oct. 31 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.): Health Sciences, South Campus Center Room 350
  • Nov. 12 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.): Harborview Medical Center, Research Training Room 117
  • Nov. 13 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.): UW Medical Center – Northwest, Medical Arts Building (MAB) 112

You can also register for an online Open Enrollment Information Session with UW Benefits Director Barry Nemeth on Nov. 13 (noon–12:30 p.m.) or visit the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Virtual Benefits Fair, available 24/7 through Nov. 25.

If you have questions about specific benefits or providers, please contact insurance plans directly.

For assistance making your open enrollment selections in Workday, please feel free to contact UW Benefits at benefits@uw.edu or call 206.543.4444 with any questions.