The Enrollment Instructions and Video webpage provides detailed instructions to enroll in health, dental, life, accident, and flexible spending account plans. 

Please note: you may only enroll in, change, or cancel voluntary accident, critical illness, legal, and vision insurance during the Open Enrollment period in October. View enrollment instructions for voluntary benefits.

Review page 8 in the appropriate Open Enrollment guide to determine if you need to do anything during the Open Enrollment period:

• 2026 Faculty and Academic Staff Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 Support Staff Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 MSU Retiree Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide for individuals in the following groups: (link available September 9) Cash-for-Life, COBRA, Long-term Disability, One Year Paid Medical, Postdoctoral Fellows, Unpaid Leave of Absence (including Layoff), and Workers’ Compensation.

Most elections continue each year without the need to re-enroll. Exceptions include flexible spending accounts.

Review page 8 in the appropriate Open Enrollment Guide to determine if you need to do anything during the Open Enrollment period:

• 2026 Faculty and Academic Staff Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 Support Staff Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 MSU Retiree Open Enrollment Benefits Guide (link available September 9)
• 2026 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide for individuals in the following groups: (link available September 9) Cash-for-Life, COBRA, Long-term Disability, One Year Paid Medical, Postdoctoral Fellows, Unpaid Leave of Absence (including Layoff), and Workers’ Compensation.

Completing Open Enrollment Online: After completing enrollment through the EBS portal, you will receive an email confirmation statement. Review the confirmation statement to validate that your plan elections are correct. If your elections look correct, you have completed Open Enrollment. If you would like to make any changes, you can go back through the Open Enrollment application in the EBS portal through October 31 and review the confirmation statement received after making the desired changes.

Completing Open Enrollment via Email/Mail: If you were mailed an Open Enrollment guide and you submitted an enrollment/change form via email or mail, you can log in to the EBS portal, select My Benefits from the top navigation, click on Current Benefits Participation, and preview your benefits confirmation statement to validate your plan elections. If your elections look correct, you have completed Open Enrollment. If you would like to make changes, you can submit a new enrollment form through October 31 and review the benefits confirmation statement received after making the desired changes.

Note:  Please allow 3–5 days for delivery via U.S. mail. Once received by MSU Human Resources, your enrollment elections will be completed within 7–10 business days. If you do not see your updated elections at that time, please contact MSU Human Resources at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434 (toll-free 800-353-4434) to verify receipt.

Please note: Although the premium threshold for a spouse/OEI to be enrolled in MSU coverage remains in effect, the affidavit that most employees are accustomed to submitting via the EBS portal each year is no longer required to enroll in or continue coverage. If you currently cover a spouse/OEI) on your health care plan, their coverage will continue automatically in the next plan year.

Please review the following for more details:

• Increase to premium threshold for spouse/OEI health coverage: To enroll your spouse/OEI in MSU health care coverage, your spouse/OEI must enroll in health care coverage through their own current or former employer (if applicable) if the annual employee premium cost for single-person coverage is $1,850 or less. You may still cover your spouse/OEI on your MSU health coverage as a secondary plan. 
  
  When you cover your spouse/OEI on your MSU health plan as a dependent, the coverage through MSU will be considered secondary, and their employer's coverage will be primary. This is achieved through a process called "coordination of benefits," which enables a person to be covered by two different health care plans. Learn more about the coordination of benefits below. Please note that not all health plans coordinate, and you must contact each health care vendor to confirm coordination.
  
  
• Spouse/OEI affidavit no longer required: You no longer need to complete the spouse/OEI affidavit in the EBS portal to continue health care coverage for your spouse/OEI. If you currently cover a spouse/OEI on your health care plan, their coverage will automatically continue in 2026 without any action. However, the spouse/OEI premium threshold requirement still applies. 

When a person is covered by more than one health care plan—such as through their employer and their spouse/OEI's employer—insurance companies need to determine how the covered medical services or prescriptions will be paid. Insurers typically use a process called "coordination of benefits" to determine which health care plan will pay first (the primary insurer) for covered medical services or prescriptions and what the second health care plan (the secondary insurer) will pay after the primary plan has paid. Your out-of-pocket cost for services is limited to the amount that remains (if any) after the insurance is processed. Please note that not all health plans coordinate, and you must contact each health care vendor to confirm coordination.

How does this relate to the premium threshold requirement for spouse/OEI health care coverage? The premium threshold requirement indicates whether or not your spouse/OEI is required (according to MSU's rules) to enroll in their own employer's health coverage. For the 2026 plan year, your spouse/OEI must enroll in health care coverage through their own current or former employer (if applicable) if the annual employee premium cost for single-person coverage is $1,850 or less.

You may still cover your spouse/OEI on your MSU health plan as a dependent; however, the coverage through MSU will be considered secondary, and their employer's coverage will be primary.

We recognize the importance of continuing to provide high-quality, affordable health care coverage to our benefits-eligible employees and their families. MSU devotes a significant portion of its overall budget to health care costs for its employees. As health care costs continue to rise, MSU must implement strategies that enable us to maintain high-quality health care plans while keeping employee premiums low. Initiatives such as the premium threshold requirement for spouse/OEI health care coverage are critical to ensuring affordability for both MSU and our employees. 

MSU offers coverage to a spouse/OEI regardless of their access to other health care coverage. However, if the spouse/OEI has access to affordable coverage through their own employer, offering coverage to the spouse/OEI through MSU as a secondary plan will allow us to remain fiscally responsible and maintain the quality and affordability of health care.

Completed Enrollment Online: After completing enrollment through the EBS portal, you will receive a benefits email confirmation statement. Please note: You must complete and save all the Open Enrollment prompts in the EBS portal to receive a confirmation statement. To verify your spouse/OEI's health care coverage, review your benefits email confirmation statement to confirm their coverage.

Additionally, you can log in to the EBS portal, select My Benefits on the top navigation, click on Current Benefits Participation, and preview your benefit confirmation statement to view coverage.

Completed Enrollment via Email/Mail: If you were mailed an Open Enrollment guide and you submitted the enrollment/change form via email or mail, you can log in to the EBS portal, select My Benefits on the top navigation, click on Current Benefits Participation, and preview your benefits confirmation statement to view coverage. If the information is not accurate, please get in touch with MSU Human Resources at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu or 517-353-4434 (toll-free: 800-353-4434) to verify receipt. It may take 7-10 business days for the updated information to appear.

If you currently cover a spouse/OEI on your MSU benefits, their coverage will continue in 2026 without any action.

If you do NOT currently cover a spouse/OEI on your MSU benefits, and you would like to add them to your coverage for the 2026 plan year, please follow the steps on the Open Enrollment instructions page. 

Voluntary benefits—such as accident, critical illness, legal, and vision insurance, among others—are offered through MSU Benefits Plus and are not administered by MSU. If you are already enrolled in voluntary benefits and wish to continue your coverage, no action is needed. If you want to enroll in, change, or cancel coverage, view enrollment instructions for voluntary benefits.

Please note: you may only enroll in, change, or cancel coverage for accident, critical illness, legal, and vision insurance during the Open Enrollment period in October.

Contact MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575 with any questions.

Voluntary benefits (including VSP vision insurance) are administered directly through MSU Benefits Plus (not MSU) and do not appear on your MSU benefits email confirmation statement when you participate in Open Enrollment through the EBS portal.

When you enroll in a voluntary benefits plan through MSU Benefits Plus, you will receive an email confirmation statement directly from MSU Benefits Plus.

Contact MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575 with any questions.

To access voluntary benefits through MSU Benefits Plus, visit the EBS portal and log in with your MSU NetID. Select My Benefits from the top navigation, then click on the MSU Benefits Plus tile. Please note: If you've already registered, you'll be prompted to create an account using single sign-on the first time you log in on or after July 23, 2025. Review the information on the screen and click Create Account to proceed.

After accessing the MSU Benefits Plus website, click on Benefits, then Enrollments to view your enrollment elections summary.

Contact MSU Benefits Plus at 888-758-7575 with any questions.

You need to complete the Add a Family Member or Dependent Form in the EBS portal and submit the required documentation. View instructions to add a family member or dependent.

Follow these steps to remove a dependent from your benefits:

1. Log in to the EBS portal
2. Select My Benefits from the top navigation
3. Click on the Benefit/Retirement Enrollment & Changes tile, select Open Enrollment from the dropdown menu, then click Next in the bottom right-hand corner.
4. Click on #4 Health Plans at the top of the screen. Navigate to the plan you wish to remove the dependent from and click on the edit (pencil icon) button. A pop-up will appear, and each dependent covered will have a check mark. Remove the check mark next to the individual you would like to remove and update the coverage level (e.g., single, two-person, etc.) if necessary.
5. Continue through the enrollment application until you can save your changes. You will receive a confirmation email stating that your election change has been processed.

If you received an enrollment packet in the mail, you can submit the offline enrollment/change form to remove your dependent from coverage.

Note: The dependent will be removed from your plan but will remain visible in the dependent section of the enrollment application.

When the life insurance coverage selected requires evidence of insurability (EOI), your insurance coverage level will show an additional .01 on your coverage. Once the EOI has been processed, your coverage will no longer include the additional .01.

When the life insurance coverage selected requires evidence of insurability (EOI), both coverage levels are shown in the enrollment application. The coverage elected that requires EOI will have a pending status. Once the EOI has been processed, you will no longer have an additional pending record appear.

Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is a record of a person’s past and current health events. Insurance companies use it to verify whether a person meets the definition of good health. You can view when Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is required in the Prudential Life Insurance brochure. Prudential may require the review of personal health information through a brief medical questionnaire. If necessary, Prudential may also need a more comprehensive medical questionnaire form, additional documentation from a physician, or a paramedical examination. Upon receipt of all required information, Prudential will advise you whether your requested election has been approved or denied based on the information received.

When Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is required for the life insurance level elected, you will receive an email from Prudential that includes a link to complete a questionnaire regarding your personal health. Prudential will either immediately approve your medical questionnaire or they will require a more in-depth medical questionnaire form, additional information from your physician, or a paramedical exam. If further information is required, you will need to work with Prudential to provide the additional information. You can view when Evidence of Insurability (EOI) is required in the Prudential Life Insurance brochure.

Individuals on an LOA (including layoff) may still need to participate in Open Enrollment. Review page 8 in the following Open Enrollment guide to determine if you need to take any action. While on an unpaid LOA, enrollment is completed through an offline enrollment form, which you can find in the 2026 Open Enrollment Benefits Guide for individuals in the following groups: (link coming September 9) Cash-for-Life, COBRA, Long-term Disability, One Year Paid Medical, Postdoctoral Fellows, Unpaid Leave of Absence (including layoff), and Workers’ Compensation. You should have also received this guide in the mail.

Additional guidance is available for individuals who have been laid off. Please review the Layoff Effect on Benefits webpage for further advice.