ERSC → Active Employees → Employee Benefits Open Enrollment

Employee Benefits Open Enrollment:
October 6–31, 2025

Employee Benefits Open Enrollment is coming soon! Open Enrollment is your chance to review your benefit options, make changes to your existing benefits, and make your 2026 flexible spending account (FSA) elections. This fall's Open Enrollment will begin Monday, October 6, and will end Friday, October 31. Any changes you make to your benefits plan during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2026.

Benefits Plan Changes for 2026

• Preferred Care Management will be added to Cigna medical plans. If you are currently enrolled in a Cigna medical plan, your enrollment for 2026 will default to a Cigna medical plan with Preferred Care Management. Under this program, your doctor or medical provider must obtain prior authorization from Cigna before ordering certain procedures. It is important to note that this is not the same as a referral to see a specialist. Preferred Care Management does not require referrals. Click here for a regularly updated list of procedures that require prior authorization. Preferred Care Management also offers patients the support of a nurse advocate to make navigating care simpler and to provide an added layer of support. Learn more here and at in-person Town Hall meetings where you can have your Preferred Care Management questions answered. Keep reading for details.
• Current Cigna medical plans—those without Preferred Care Management—will remain available with a 7 percent increase in employee cost share. Employees will have the option to enroll in the plan without Preferred Care Management during Open Enrollment.
• Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy will be covered under the Cigna medical plans.
• Glucagon-like Peptide 1 Agonists (GLP-1) and weight management programs will be offered to prevent coverage of off-label use of GLP-1 diabetes drugs for weight management while minimizing member disruption.
• Cigna’s Open Access Plus plan annual deductibles will change from $300 (individual)/$600 (family) to $500 (individual)/$1,000 (family) for out-of-network providers.
• Vision plan benefits frequency changes from every 18 months to every 12 months for exams, frames, lenses, and contact lenses.
• Employee contributions toward premiums will increase by 1 percent.

Important Reminders

Open Enrollment will be held entirely online via MCPS Hub+. On October 6, you will receive the yearly Open Enrollment email in your MCPS Outlook inbox. The email will include a link to Open Enrollment instructions and links to important benefits information and resources.

Watch for Complete Details

Be sure to open and read the Open Enrollment announcement email on October 6. Please take a moment now to verify that you are able to access your MCPS Outlook account. Need help? Reset your password or contact the Help Desk at 240-740-9000.

Preferred Care Management Town Hall Meetings

ERSC will hold Town Hall meetings during Open Enrollment to answer questions about Cigna’s Preferred Care Management process. The Town Halls will be held as follows:

Open Enrollment Virtual Assistance

From October 6–31, ERSC will offer individual assistance virtually. You will be able to register for a 15-minute Microsoft Teams session with an ERSC representative. To sign up, do the following:

1. Open the sign-up screen.
2. Read the information.
3. Scroll down to select your preferred date and time.
4. Click the blue Sign Up button. A checkmark will appear.
5. Click the blue Save and Continue button at the bottom of the screen.
6. Provide your name and email address in the spaces provided.
7. To finish, click the brown Sign Up Now button.
8. You will receive an email that confirms your appointment and a reminder email the morning of your appointment with the Microsoft Teams meeting information.

Open Enrollment Benefit Fairs

ERSC will hold three in-person Open Enrollment Benefit Fairs this year. ERSC staff and representatives from the medical, dental, vision, prescription, and FSA plans will be available in-person to answer your benefit questions. The Benefit Fairs will be held as follows: