Tools to choose your Benefits

Resources for Plan Year 2026

Invest in Yourself—Thrive at UVA

Open Enrollment is your opportunity to prioritize your well-being and set yourself up for success—both personally and professionally. By exploring UVA’s benefits options, you’re not just choosing coverage—you’re making a powerful investment in your physical and financial health. Use the resources below to assess your needs and make confident, informed decisions. When you care for yourself, you’re better equipped to grow, lead, and thrive in your career.

Open Enrollment Presentations - HR benefits presentations, benefits vendor webinars, and the Open Enrollment Town Hall will be livestreamed and recorded, giving you the flexibility to attend anytime, from anywhere.

Benefits and Well-Being Expo - The Expo is again in person! Investing in your well-being isn’t just good for you—it’s key to your growth and impact at UVA. Meet with benefits vendors and HR benefits specialists, and come prepared with your questions. Dates for the Benefits and Well-Being Expo this year are:

  • Oct. 1 - College at Wise, Chapel of All Faiths, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

  • Oct. 7 - University Medical Center, Education Resource Center (ERC), 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

  • Oct. 8 - University of Virginia, Newcomb Hall, 3rd floor, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

  • Oct. 9 - Night Shift Expo, University Medical Center, Dining Conf. Rooms, 10:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

Open Enrollment Overview PPT - This PowerPoint deck offers an overview of your UVA Health Plan changes, and resources to help you make decisions about your benefits for 2026.

New Videos - View short videos below that introduce Teledoc Virtual PCP, compare plan options, and details upcoming changes. 

Retirement Podcast - Listen anytime, anywhere to a short podcast on Retirement. Links for this podcast, and its written transcript, are on the right sidebar of this and most Open Enrollment pages.

Personalized Assistance - After reviewing materials and resources on this website, if you would like additional 1:1 personalized assistance, there are several options to receive support:

  • In Person: 
    • Drop by the HR building (2420 Old Ivy Rd.), third floor, Collab Space anytime from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for personalized assistance on Oct. 6, 9, and 13.
    • Drop by the Dining Conference Rooms within the University Medical Center from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. for personalized assistance on Oct. 15.
  • Virtual:
    • Email AskHR@virginia.edu or call 434.243.3344 to schedule a Zoom appointment to review more complex Open Enrollment questions with an HR professional. HR will accommodate as many appointments as possible through Wednesday, October 15.
  • Multi-Lingual: 
    • Aetna’s A1A service offers live interpreters in multiple languages. Call 800.987.9072 and say “translator” or “interpreter.”
    • All pages are now translatable to 100+ languages using the Google Translate option in the footer of every page.

Compare Health Plan Options 

There are many ways to compare your health plan options:

Videos About Your Benefits and Benefits Changes for 2026

Enjoy these short videos explaining key benefit concepts. NEW videos coming soon:

  • Academic Staff Leave 

  • Education Benefits 

  • Health Plan Options 

  • Leave, Birth, Adoption Placement 

  • Medical Center Team Member Leave 

  • Options for Care

Play Video

Teladoc Virtual PCP/Primary 360

Transcript for Teladoc Primary 360
Play Video

What is an HDHP and an HSA?

Transcript for HDHP and HSA

Additional Resources

Note: Viewing and changing benefits must be completed by navigating to Workday.

  • Open Enrollment Brochure 2026

    The Overview brochure includes Open Enrollment key dates, benefits changes, action items, what’s new for 2026, the four “Health Plan Options at a Glance” tables, a shortened version of the Aetna Schedule of Benefits comparison table for in-network services, a comparison of dental plan options, resources, and how to enroll in Workday. You will NOT receive your Open Enrollment printed brochure in the mail this year; instead, here is an online version if you'd like a sneak peak!

    View the Open Enrollment 2026 Brochure

  • How To Elect Benefits Using Workday

    Learn how to elect benefits using Workday with our easy guide. Access step-by-step assistance directly in Workday or review the Open Enrollment Job Aid on Workday Central. Get started on your benefits elections today!

    Summary on How to Elect Benefits Using Workday

Aetna Medical and Prescription Resources

Visit the Aetna website and click on “Log in/Register” to access these resources:

  • Find Care & Pricing Tool - compares costs to give you real-time, personalized estimates and provides average in-network and out-of-network costs 
  • Aetna Institute of Quality List: Lists IOQ facilities

AETNA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER

Phone: 800.987.9072

Hours of Operation:

  • Monday through Friday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. EST
  • Saturday: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST

Claims Mailing Address: P.O. Box 981106, El Paso, TX 79998-1106

AETNA MEDICAL/PHARMACY PRE-CERTIFICATION DEPARTMENT

Phone: 855.240.0535

Hours of Operation:

The human resources specialist who helped me was incredibly professional and patient. She was able to help me despite several interruptions on my end as I needed to assist colleagues. She walked through the Open Enrollment process with me and fully resolved my issue. Thank you! Andy Rainer, RN Clinician 3 - Main OR

Having trouble finding what you’re looking for?

We strive to make the information on every webpage clear and easy to find. For benefits questions or concerns, or questions about Open Enrollment, please contact the HR Solution Center by phone at 434.243.3344, or by email at AskHR@virginia.edu.

Please let the HR Communications team know if you're having trouble finding what you're looking for on these webpages, so we can improve your experience on this page in the future. 

For previous Open Enrollment email communications, see the right sidebar box on this page labeled "Open Enrollment Emails."

 

*Note for Postdoctoral Fellows: The Open Enrollment process for all Postdoctoral Fellows (non-UVA employees) is managed through UVA Human Resources. For additional information specific to Postdoctoral Fellows, contact Corinne Clasbey or Rachel Short.