Any vacation accrual balances in excess of the total maximum accrual for exempt monthly employees will roll over to sick accruals on Jan. 1, 2026. The rollover will reflect approved time‑off requests and balances as of Dec. 31, 2025. 

Learn the ins and outs: who qualifies for the program, how to take advantage of it, requirements for staying qualified and everything in between.

Lisa Meddock will join UAB as assistant vice president for Benefits and Wellbeing effective Jan. 12, 2026. The role oversees the Benefits, Employee Assistance & Counseling Center and Employee Wellness teams.

UAB’s annual open enrollment for benefits begins today at 7 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. Nov. 3. Eligible employees can choose among dental, vision and health insurance plans plus voluntary plan options and tax-deferred spending accounts for health and dependent care for 2026.

Nationwide, costs continue to rise, and UAB is working to balance the impact of these costs on its employees and the organization. Here are some things you can do to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Despite rising health care costs nationwide, health insurance and dental premiums will not increase for 2026, and there will only be a slight increase in vision premiums. For UAB to remain competitive in the market, stay in line with national benchmarks and keep costs down as much as possible for all employees, there will be plan design changes for 2026.

UAB will offer dental and vision insurance, along with a range of voluntary benefits during the annual open enrollment period, and eligible employees of UAB, UAB Hospital and UAB Hospital Management LLC will have the option to choose or decline that coverage between 7 a.m. Oct. 17 and 5 p.m. Nov. 3.

Benefit-eligible employees of UAB, UAB Hospital and UAB Hospital Management LLC will have the option to choose or decline health care coverage during the annual open enrollment Oct. 17-Nov. 3.

A benefit option that enables employees to pay lower monthly health care premiums in exchange for higher out-of-pocket expenses for covered services continues to grow in favor among eligible employees.

Stay tuned to the UAB Reporter as UAB begins rolling out open enrollment information to provide benefit-eligible employees time to review upcoming changes and make informed decisions. Open enrollment begins 7 a.m. Oct. 17 and concludes 5 p.m. Nov. 3.

Use these tips from UAB Learning and Development to improve your slides, delivery and engagement — then level up your skills even more with the Developing Great Presentations workshop at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

The latest cohort selected for the Blaze Leadership Academy includes 20 faculty and staff from across campus. See the full list of participants in this story.

Employees in Workgroup A and non-clinical F will observe closures on Dec. 24 and 26 and Jan. 2, and employees in Workgroup C and clinical faculty will observe closures on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, in addition to the standard holidays observed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Elizabeth Caine, Eddie Luster and Olga Mack are the second-quarter 2025 honorees in the UAB Shared Values in Action Program. Nominations for third-quarter honorees are open through July 9.

Employees must submit self-evaluations, have conversations with managers, and managers must complete evaluations by Sept. 30. Eligible full-time (01) and part-time (03) regular-status employees in Workforce Group A will complete self-evaluations in the UAB Perform App; all faculty evaluations will continue to be uploaded into the UAB Perform App. 

A Collat School of Business researcher studying flexible work schedules found that planning improved satisfaction and reduced exhaustion. We asked a UAB life coach how she helps employees make plans — and how to take advantage of this employee benefit.

Congratulations to the 19 faculty and staff leaders who completed UAB’s leadership development program this month. Meet the graduates and see the requirements for the 2025-2026 cohort; nominations open in June.

The You Are Not Alone Infertility Support Group launches today at 5 p.m.; learn how the group began as a collaboration between the UAB Employee Assistance and Counseling Center and an employee from the Department of OB/GYN.

John F. Kearney, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor in Immunology in the Department of Microbiology, will be honored for five decades of service to UAB on April 8.

Starting this year, employees can review their compensation, retirement, health care and insurance information in an interactive webpage view, optimized for web browsers and smartphones, in the UAB for Me Benefits Portal.