The 2025-2026 Open Enrollment Period will be held from May 16–30, 2025. Open Enrollment is your annual opportunity to review and adjust your benefits to meet your needs for the upcoming year.
What Can You Do During Open Enrollment?
- Enroll or change your health plan
- Elect optional buy ups to your existing Cova Care, Cova HDP and Cova Health Aware health plan, such as Expanded Dental, Vision & Hearing and/or Out-of-Network benefits
- Waive coverage
- Add or remove family members (if you are adding family members, you must submit the supporting documentation)
- Enroll (or re-enroll) in a Health or Dependent Care FSA or both (FSA’s do not carry over year to year)
- Enroll in the Premium Rewards (Premium Rewards do not carry over year to year)
Health plan elections and new premiums will take effect on July 1, 2025. For more details, including enrollment forms and benefit coverage summaries, be sure to check the Spotlight publication or visit the DHRM’s Open Enrollment page.
How to Participate:
To participate in Open Enrollment, you must first register in Cardinal HCM, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s employee benefits system. Registration is a multi-step process, and may take some time to complete, so it’s important to allow ample time for this. To get started, you will need your 11-digit Cardinal Employee ID (found in PatriotWeb) and your Mason email address. Refer to the Cardinal Registration Quick Start Guide for more information. If you have previously registered in Cardinal but have forgotten your Cardinal password, use the Portal | Cardinal (virginia.gov) on the Cardinal website for support.
Once registered, you can make your elections starting May 16, 2025 using Cardinal HCM.
Attend an Open Enrollment Information Session:
If you have any questions or need help navigating the enrollment process, Central HR will hold drop-in information sessions across various locations and virtually. Employees are encouraged to utilize the drop-in sessions to obtain answers to their benefits-related questions. Registration is not required—just drop by during the scheduled times that are most convenient for you. Most sessions will accommodate walk-ins.
Open Enrollment Information Drop-in Sessions
Monday May 19
9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at CH 110A - Sci-Tech Campus
(Spanish Interpreter available)
Tuesday, May 20
10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Zoom
(Virtual)
Tuesday, May 20
8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at Ven Metre Hall, Room 221
(Mason Square Campus)
Tuesday, May 20
10 a.m.–3 p.m. at Merten Hall Room 2001
(Spanish Interpreter 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
Friday, May 23
11 a.m.–3 p.m. at Merten Hall Room 2001
(Fairfax Campus)
Tuesday, May 27
10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Zoom
(Virtual)
Wednesday, May 28
11 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Meten Hall Room 2001
(Spanish Interpreter, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
Friday, May 30
9 a.m.–5 p.m. at Merten Hall Room 4012
(Walk-in)
Questions may also be directed to benefits@gmu.edu. Be sure to review your options and take full advantage of this opportunity to make changes to your benefits.
May 09, 2025