Employee Benefits Open Enrollment Begins Today

The 2026 State of Florida employee benefits open enrollment begins Monday, Oct. 13 and runs through Friday, Oct. 31. Below is an annual enrollment Q&A:

1. Will the colleges be part of the Weight Management and Diabetes program for this upcoming plan year?

Yes. The Weight Management and Diabetes Program is an application-based benefit. Employees enrolled in one of the following State Group Insurance Plans—Aetna, Capital Health Plan, Florida Blue, or UnitedHealthcare—at any point during the plan year are eligible to submit an application during the application period, Nov. 3–17, 2025. Please note: Capital Health Plan does not participate in the Diabetes Program.

2. Does a state college employee have to be enrolled in a health insurance plan for the full year (i.e., all of 2025) to be eligible for the Weight Management Program?

Employees enrolled in health coverage at any point during 2025 will be eligible to apply.

3. For any current employees who have not enrolled in optional life before, will they have guaranteed enrollment up to five times?

For current employees enrolling in Optional Life Insurance for the first time during Open Enrollment, evidence of insurability (EOI) is required for elections between one time and seven times base annual salary.

4. Will optional life be automatically approved if an employee moves from three times their salary to four times their salary?

Yes, increasing coverage from three times to four times their salary will be automatically approved without requiring medical underwriting as long as the coverage amount does not exceed $500,000.

5. Is it advised for people who are not making changes to still log in to People First and click through to get to the Open Enrollment confirmation?

This is a passive Open Enrollment, meaning all current plan elections will automatically roll over for the 2026 benefit year.

6. If an employee only wishes to make a change to one insurance, will the other insurance plans continue?

Yes. Employees are not required to make changes to every plan. Changes to one plan will not affect other existing enrollments.

The link to the 2026 Benefits Guide is: https://dms-media.ccplatform.net/content/download/438643/file/2026%20Florida%20Benefit%20Guide.pdf