New employees, as well as employees whose tax residency status changes from Nonresident Alien (NR) to Resident Alien (RA) effective January 1, 2026, must hold a position that meets the eligibility criteria for insurance coverage through the Department of Central Management Services (CMS).
Newly eligible employees have 30 calendar days from their benefit eligibility date to:
- Submit their State of Illinois insurance election by contacting the MyBenefits Service Center. (Bilingual customer service representatives are available)
- Phone: 844-251-1777 or TDD/TTY 844-251-1778
- Provide all required documentation to add dependents.
Employees are strongly encouraged to attend a Benefits Overview Session or view the recorded presentation.
Note: Units are reminded to process HRFE transactions as soon as possible in order to give the employee the maximum time to make their benefit selections. CMS is unable to grant an extension of the enrollment period due to the untimely processing of an employee’s transaction.
