2023 open enrollment will take place May 1 - May 15, 2023 for the plan year beginning July 1, 2023. 2022 open enrollment has ended. The open enrollment period was May 2 - May 16, 2022.
Open enrollment
The information below remains available for reference purposes. VCU Human Resources does not have the authority to grant extensions to the state health benefits program's open enrollment deadline.
Employees who completed open enrollment elections in Cardinal ESS may now review their confirmation statements in the system. For employees who submitted enrollment forms, VCU Human Resources will be processing those election forms during the remainder of May and employees may review their open enrollment elections in Cardinal ESS on or after June 1, 2022. See more about registering for and accessing Cardinal ESS.
Additional questions?
For questions, please submit an HR Service Request through the:
HR support & service tool
- Spotlight on Your Benefits Newsletter (PDF) (Espanol PDF)
- VCU Open Enrollment Presentation (PDF)
- Open Enrollment Checklist (PDF)
- Cardinal ESS
- Cardinal ESS Information page
- How to complete and return the Open Enrollment Election form (PDF)
- Commonwealth of Virginia Open Enrollment page (Virginia Department of Human Resource Management)
State Health Plan brochures
- COVA Care plan brochure (PDF)
- COVA HealthAware plan brochure (PDF)
- COVA HDHP brochure (PDF)
- Optima Health Vantage plan brochure (PDF)
- Kaiser Permanente plan brochure (PDF) (Kaiser Permanente map PDF)
Additional resources
- Registering for Cardinal ESS
- Video: How to use Cardinal ESS for Open Enrollment
- Printed instructions for making online elections in Cardinal ESS (PDF)
- DocuSign enrollment form
- Printable enrollment form (PDF)Printable enrollment form (PDF) (Espanol)
- How to complete and return the Open Enrollment Election form (PDF)
Premium rewards for the current plan year end in June. To earn a premium reward for the next plan year (July 2022-June 2023), employees must complete or update a health assessment on or after May 2, 2022. Employees who participate in a COVA Care or COVA HealthAware health plan can earn a $17 per month ($8.50 per paycheck) discount on health plan premiums beginning in July if their health assessment is completed between May 2 and May 16. Spouses enrolled on a plan can earn an additional $17 monthly discount by completing the assessment, making the total monthly discount $34 ($17 per paycheck).
After completing your Health Assessment, keep a copy of the completion confirmation for your records. It does not need to be returned to VCU HR. Your health plan company will report your completion of the activity directly to the State Health Benefits Program. Review your paystub on the effective date of your Premium Reward to confirm that the correct premium is charged. VCU deducts the amount billed by the State Health Benefits Program.
For full instructions on how to complete the health assessment, see Premium Reward Requirements (PDF).
If you and/or your enrolled spouse do not complete the health assessment by May 16, it can still be completed later but the premium reward(s) will also start later in the plan year. Completing the health assessment is voluntary. If you decide not to participate, you will pay the regular premium for your plan with no discount.