*UPDATE* USG Benefits: What's changing in 2026? Prepare for Open Enrollment

The AWS outage yesterday affected all SmartSheet/SmartForm users, so we were unable to see who registered for yesterday’s session and had to cancel. See schedule change below!

Are you curious to hear a little about what’s changing in 2026 as it relates to your benefits? Join us for a 30-minute session for an overview of the complete 2026 Board Approved Changes on USG Benefits via Microsoft Teams on:

• Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 9:30 a.m.
• Wed., Oct. 22, at 3 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 23, at 12:30 p.m.

Please fill out this SmartForm to select the date and time you would like to attend so that we can send you a meeting invitation. Approximately 20 minutes before the start of each session begins, it will be removed from the SmartSheet for sign-up. We will share the information and then allow for Q&A at the end of the session. 

If you are unable to join us for any of these sessions, the USG Benefits Team will host information sessions during Open Enrollment:

• Mon., Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon
• Mon., Nov. 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit the USG's 2026 Open Enrollment website to register for these sessions. Sign-up is located at the top of the page.

During Open Enrollment (Monday, Oct. 27 – Friday, Nov. 7, 2025), the Benefits Team will also be available to assist employees by answering questions and assisting with making benefit elections online. We will be available in the Wooten-Garner House Conference Room the following dates and times:

• Monday, Oct. 27, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 30, from 10:30 a.m. to noon
• Monday, Nov. 3, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to noon

Any benefit-eligible employee is welcome to stop by during any of these sessions to ask questions. We are here for you! 

As a reminder, this is an Active Open Enrollment. Even if you do not wish to make any changes to your existing coverage, you are required to login and answer all applicable surcharges. Failure to do so will result in the default answer of “yes,” and you will incur a $150/month surcharge for each surcharge that applies to you. There are a maximum of four surcharge questions:

• Employee Tobacco User
• Spouse Tobacco User
• Dependent Child(ren) age 18+ Tobacco User(s)
• Working Spouse 

If all four of these questions apply to you, and you do not log in and answer the questions, you will incur the maximum amount of $600/month in surcharges. Please make plans to answer these surcharge questions during Open Enrollment!