Open Enrollment is the time of year when faculty and staff have an opportunity to elect or change their benefits for the upcoming plan year, which will begin on Jan. 1, 2022. We want every eligible employee to be aware of this opportunity to review the generous benefits offered by Drake and elect benefits which best support them and their eligible dependents.

During the annual open enrollment period, employees can review and make changes to their current participation for the following Drake benefits:

• Health insurance (which includes vision care)
• Prescription drug coverage
• Dental insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (health care and dependent care)
• Voluntary Life Insurance

Drake’s annual open enrollment period for the 2022 Plan Year begins Nov. 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2021. All benefit elections made during the enrollment period will become effective Jan. 1, 2022.

While we are not able to share benefit changes until Nov. 1, we can remind you of the new Broadlawns partnership, which will create special pricing for employees participating in Drake’s health insurance effective Jan. 1, 2022. This new partnership will supplement the choices already available to eligible employees and their dependents.

We are also excited to announce we will soon have a beautiful, informative digital benefits guide to share with you. It will contain Plan Year 2022 information and provide a detailed and easy-to-digest overview of the core benefits offered to Drake employees and their eligible dependents. We can’t wait to share it with you!

SAVE THE DATE for the Benefits Fair on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Olmsted Center, Parents Hall South. More information about the Benefits Fair and open enrollment will be coming soon.

— Marlene Heuertz, Benefits Specialist, HR; Maureen De Armond, Executive Director, HR