Eligibility & Enrollment
Hormel Foods' benefits are designed to support your unique needs.
Who Is Eligible
Eligibility for you and your dependents for medical, prescription, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits are determined by the plan. Information on who qualifies as an eligible dependent can be found below.
When Coverage Begins
The benefits you elect during Open Enrollment will become effective January 1, 2027. The effective date for life insurance may be later if a Statement of Health (SOH) is required for adding or increasing life insurance.
Eligible Dependents
Domestic partner eligibility
Dependent children
Your dependent children are eligible for medical, prescription, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage up to age 26, regardless of student or marital status. Their coverage will continue through the end of the month in which they turn age 26. This event is a Qualifying Life Event that allows them to enroll mid-year in a new health insurance plan through their own provider (certain restrictions, including timing restrictions, may apply).
- Spouse
- Your children
- Stepchildren
- Legally adopted children
- Legal ward (custodian)
- Children in the process of adoption who have been placed in your home
- Children for whom you are legally required to provide coverage by a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO)
Qualifying Life Events
- A change in the number of dependents (through birth or adoption or if a child is no longer an eligible dependent)
- A change in your legal marital status (marriage, divorce, or legal separation)
- A change in a spouse’s employment status (resulting in a loss or gain of coverage)
- Entitlement to Medicare or Medicaid
- Eligibility for coverage through the Marketplace ( Healthcare.gov )
- Changes in address or location that may affect coverage
- Turning 26 and losing coverage through a parent’s plan
- Death in the family (leading to change in dependents or loss of coverage)
- Changes that make you no longer eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
When a Qualifying Life Event occurs, you have 60 days from the date of the event to request changes to your coverage or enroll a new dependent. These life events need to be submitted in Oracle under Benefits by selecting “Report a Life Event”. If you have any questions or need assistance with this contact the Horizon Solution Center.
How to Enroll
- Access Open Enrollment: Select “Enroll Now.”
- Choose Your Path: You have two options to choose from.
- Choose Your Path: Discovery goes through each benefit individually. This will allow you to review each benefit individually and make changes as needed.
- Choose Your Path: Express will allow you to review your current elections and then pick and choose which benefits you’d like to change, or if no changes are needed, you can simply submit your enrollments.
- Choose Your Path: Note: 2026 FSA elections will default to unenrolled for 2027 unless you make an election during open enrollment.
- Add Your Dependents or Beneficiaries: Review your current contacts and add any new dependents or beneficiaries.
- Enroll: Select “Edit.”
- Enroll: Select “Enroll” under all the benefit offerings that you would like.
- Confirm and Submit: After making your selections, review your choices and confirm that all information is correct. Submit your enrollment to finalize the process.
- Save Confirmation: Save, screenshot, or print the confirmation page for your records.