2026 Annual Enrollment

Benefits Eligibility and Payment

LTD benefits options are only available to regular employees scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week. You will remain eligible for health and insurance benefits while you are approved for and receiving LTD benefits. During Annual Enrollment, you have the opportunity to change your benefit elections.

To continue eligibility for health insurance benefits, you must pay contributions for the elected plan(s) through direct payment to the Bayer Benefits Center. You will receive monthly invoices from the Bayer Benefits Center, and you may make payments by check or automated bank withdrawal. Contributions for benefits are after-tax.

If you do not pay your invoice by the due date, your coverage may be retroactively canceled for non-payment. You cannot re-enroll for benefits until the next Annual Enrollment period unless you have a qualified change in status.

If You Become Medicare Eligible

• If you are approved for Social Security Disability benefits, you will subsequently become eligible for Medicare 24 months after your award date. Once you become eligible, be sure to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. Your medical coverage at Bayer will become secondary coverage to Medicare.
• It is your responsibility to contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1, to notify Bayer of your Medicare coverage so that you can enroll in the Aetna Supplement Plan. Your medical coverage at Bayer will become secondary coverage to Medicare.
• If you live in California, you may have access to a Medicare Advantage Plan option offered by Bayer through Kaiser. This option combines the benefits of Medicare Parts A, B, and D into a single coverage offering. If you enroll in a Kaiser Medicare Advantage Plan option for the first time, you must complete and return a form to the Bayer Benefits Center by December 1, 2025, for coverage to take effect January 1, 2026.
• Your monthly contributions will change once you elect a Medicare Medical plan noted below. You will have to make monthly contributions to the Bayer Benefits Center to avoid loss of coverage.
• Once you become eligible for Medicare, you will no longer be eligible to make contributions to the Health Savings Account (HSA).
• If you have any dependents that are covered by the Bayer Medical plan, their enrollment will continue in the plan that you had prior to becoming eligible for Medicare.
  • Note: If your spouse or domestic partner has access to coverage through their employer and remains enrolled in Bayer’s U.S. medical coverage in 2026, the $100 monthly working spouse surcharge will apply.

Note: Your dependents will only be covered under these options if they are also eligible for Medicare. When reviewing both the regional options and the national medical options, know that each coverage option offers mental health and substance abuse benefits.

Return to Work

You must notify your LTD administrator (see details below) immediately if your physician or medical provider is considering your release to return to work either full duty, with a reduced schedule with restrictions, and/or with accommodations. You must obtain a medical release from your physician and contact Bayer HR Operations at 1-888-473-1001, Option 5 to provide details on your expected return. You should not return to work until you receive approval from your manager, HR or site nurse. If working a reduced work schedule, you will receive pay for hours worked and LTD pay from your LTD administrator for approved LTD hours.
 

Your Long-Term Disability (LTD) administrator:

• If your short-term disability leave began in 2018 or before, your long-term disability claim will be administered by New York Life.
• If your short-term disability leave began between 2019 and 2024, your long-term disability claim will be administered by The Hartford.
• If your short-term disability leave began January 1, 2025, or after, your long-term disability claim will be administered by New York Life.

Payroll deductions will resume based upon the date of your return to work. If you don’t see deductions being withheld from your paychecks or you continue to receive invoices in the mail, then make sure you contact HR Operations at 1-888-473-1001, Option 5 to resolve the matter and avoid significant retroactive deductions that would limit your net pay.
 

Unpaid LOA

If your LTD extension is denied and you transition to an approved unpaid personal leave beyond one month, you should receive information about benefits continuation under COBRA from the Bayer Benefits Center. You can contact the Bayer Benefits Center for information on COBRA rates in advance. Once COBRA is elected, coverage will be reinstated retroactively back to the date following the end of your benefit stop date. If you do not elect COBRA or do not pay COBRA premiums within the required time period, you will no longer have Bayer benefit plan coverage.

When you return from an unpaid personal leave of absence your benefits deductions will resume, and you will be responsible for any previous unpaid deductions for your extended benefit coverage while you were on unpaid personal leave. Please be aware that current and past deductions will be withheld from your first paycheck upon your return, and this can leave you with limited net pay.

Termination from Bayer

Long-Term Disability benefits continue while you remain disabled, until you turn age 65 or reach the end of the approved coverage period. At that point, your employment with Bayer will terminate and you will need to obtain new medical coverage from the individual marketplace. Contact the Bayer Benefits Center at 1-888-473-1001, Option 1 with questions about the last day of your Bayer benefits coverage.

Should you decide to end your employment with Bayer via a voluntary termination/retirement, you will need to call HR Operations at 1-888-473-1001, Option 5. Once you terminate employment with Bayer, ending your LTD disability status, you may be eligible for retiree medical or COBRA, depending on your hire date and age at retirement.