Drake’s annual open enrollment period will close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1. This is a hard close! If you have not yet reviewed or made modifications to your benefits for 2026, please do so as soon as possible. The deadline to submit your 2026 wellness premium incentive form is also Dec. 1.

Key Enrollment Reminders
You may enroll by accessing the Benefits Portal in myDrake. Click the dropdown window next to Employee Links, and the Benefits Portal will be below Human Resources. During the open enrollment period, you may make changes to your current health, dental, vision, and voluntary life insurance coverage. Additionally:

• If you wish to participate in the health or dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) plans during 2026, you must enroll—or re-enroll if you are currently participating in Drake’s FSA plans. There is no automatic re-enrollment from year to year for FSAs.
• The current Health Care FSA contribution is $3,300. Participants are allowed to carry over up to $660 of unused contributions to the 2026 Plan Year. The maximum Health Care FSA contribution for 2026 will increase to $3,400 with participants allowed to carry over up to $680 of unused contributions to the 2027 Plan Year.
• The maximum Dependent Care FSA contribution for 2026 will increase to $7,500. Current Dependent Care contributions will not be carried over to the 2026 Plan Year.

Open enrollment ends on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. sharp! If you have not yet enrolled in benefits for 2026, please don’t wait until the last minute. If you have questions or problems navigating the benefits portal, reach out to us at drakehr@drake.edu or contact Marlene directly at marlene.heuertz@drake.edu.

— Marlene Heuertz, Human Resources