New to Benefits
What you need to know
Sandia offers competitive benefits for your health, financial protection, planning for the future, dealing with unexpected situations, and balancing out your emotional and life needs.
Your enrollment in a few programs is automatic; with others, you need to make decisions within 31 days of your start date.
Note that some of the links below require access to Sandia’s internal web.
New Employee Benefits Orientation Materials
Below are a few tools and resources to help you choose a medical plan and get started on accessing your benefits.
Note that the “New Mexico” labeled materials are appropriate for everyone except for those in California.
New Student Intern Benefits Booklet
New Employee Relocation Benefits Overview
Presentations can be found on the New Employee Hub.
Student Intern-Specific Benefits
Interns have a slightly different set of benefits to enjoy. See the details.
Health Benefits
You have two medical plan options: the Health Savings Plan and the Total Health PPO Plan. You also decide whether to cover yourself only or add coverage for your family members, too.
You need to enroll in health benefits within 31 days of your start date.
- Medical and prescription drug plans – Medical network choices offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, UnitedHealthcare, or Kaiser Permanente (California employees only). Prescription drug plans with BCBSNM and UHC are administered by Express Scripts and prescription drug coverage is built into the Kaiser medical plan.
- Dental – through Delta Dental
- Vision – through Davis Vision
- Health savings account (HSA) – If you enroll in the Health Savings Plan, your next step is to open an HSA with Optum Bank. You’ll elect how much to contribute from your paycheck. Sandia will match your contribution up to an annual limit, and you can earn additional HSA funds by competing healthy activities, including a health assessment.
- Health reimbursement account (HRA) – If you enroll in the Total Health PPO Plan, Sandia funds your HRA when you complete various healthy activities, including a health assessment; you can use your HRA to pay for eligible health expenses (defined by IRS 213(b)).
- Healthcare flexible spending account (HCFSA) – If you choose the Total PPO Plan or you waive Sandia medical coverage, you may decide to contribute pretax money to the HCFSA; use it to pay for eligible health expenses (defined by IRS 213(b)).
- Dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) – You can participate in the DCFSA and contribute pretax money to your account to pay for eligible dependent care expenses.
Check out the New Employee Hub for more information – including your new employee onboarding checklist and a copy of the new employee orientation presentation.
Life and Accident Insurance Benefits
Benefits-eligible employees automatically receive Sandia-paid life and accident insurance; you don’t need to take action to enroll.
If you enroll within 31 days of your start date, evidence of good health is not required for coverage of up to six times your annual base pay or $1,250,000 (whichever is less).
You can purchase up to six times your annual base pay or $3,000,000 (whichever is less) with evidence of good health for amounts over $1,250,000.
You can purchase coverage in $10,000 increments, up to $500,000 and not to exceed 10 times your annual pay.
- $6,000 to $50,000 of coverage for your spouse
- $2,000 to $10,000 of coverage for your child(ren)
Interested in purchasing voluntary life and accident coverage?
You can enroll directly through the Sandia Extras website, or by phone at 855-514-8800. Enroll within 31 days of your start date, and you can take advantage of relaxed rules for providing evidence of insurability.
Long-Term Disability Insurance Benefits
You are automatically enrolled in long-term disability coverage of 50% of your salary. You can also choose to increase, or buy-up, your coverage.
If you enroll in a buy-up plan within 31 days of your start date, evidence of insurability is not required.
Spending Accounts
You can enroll in the healthcare flexible spending account and set aside pretax money to pay for eligible health expenses (defined by IRS 213(b)).
Complete your enrollment within 31 days of your start date, with a qualifying life event, or during Sandia’s annual Open Enrollment.
You can enroll in the dependent care flexible spending account and set aside pretax money to pay for eligible dependent child and adult day care expenses.
Complete your enrollment within 31 days of your start date, with a qualifying life event, or during Sandia’s annual Open Enrollment.
Employees in California can take advantage of the transportation spending account. With this account, you set aside pretax money to pay for eligible expenses related to commuting to work.
You can enroll at any time during the year. Get the form you need through HR Solutions.
Benefits-eligible employees (excluding students and part-time rehired retirees) automatically receive up to $500 each year for reimbursement on various lifestyle services and purchases. If hired on or after July 1, the amount is $250. No action is needed to enroll.
Eligible expenses include a variety of items and services ranging from exercise equipment and personal training to roadside assistance programs, pet care, recreational memberships, and meditation classes.
Benefits-eligible employees (excluding students and part-time rehired retirees) with children under age 13 or a mentally and/or physically disabled adult child dependent automatically receive up to $1,500 each year for reimbursement on the cost of childcare during business hours. If hired on or after July 1, the amount is $750.
Please Note:
If you would like to participate and do not cover your dependent(s) through a Sandia health plan, please submit a request to HR Solutions to add eligible dependent(s) and attach a copy of their birth certificate to your request.
Sandia Extras Voluntary Benefits
If you’re eligible for Sandia Extras, you can enroll in various plans as a new hire and during Open Enrollment. These include voluntary hospital indemnity insurance, accident insurance, short-term disability insurance, critical illness insurance, and legal services.
You can also enroll anytime in programs like home & auto insurance, identity theft protection, pet insurance, 529 education plan, and more.
You can enroll in the many Sandia Extra plans through mysandiaextras.com.
Family Care and Support Resources
Sandia offers family care and support services to non-represented employees to support you along your caregiving journey. You’ll have access to:
- Childcare support
- Eldercare assistance
- Back-up care
- Special needs support
- Health condition and mental health management support
Working at Sandia has its benefits
From health and compensation to flexible career paths, community outreach, and more, Sandians experience a rewarding career. Learn more
Savings and Income Plan (401(k))
As a new hire, Sandia automatically contributes an amount equal to 6% of your salary to the 401(k) plan.
Our enhanced contribution increases with your years of service.
In addition, you can contribute to the 401(k). If you do, Sandia will match 66.667% of the first 6% you contribute each pay period.
Be sure to set up your account with Fidelity as soon as possible to avoid missing out on Sandia matching contributions.
How to Enroll
Go to HR Self Service to complete most of your initial benefits elections and enroll family members.
Be sure to complete your initial new hire enrollment within 31 days of your start date.
2026 Benefit Plan Resources
Reference the Medical Plan Guide and premium charts available on the 2026 Open Enrollment Webpage. You will be able to view insurance premiums and detailed information about benefits options.
If you are onboarding October through December 2025, review the Important Notice including required enrollment dates through the end of the year, prior to Sandia’s Winter Shutdown.
Grow your career with Sandia’s many learning and development opportunities.
Quick Tip
Get active, healthy and rewarded with Wellworks For You. When you watch the Navigation Video, complete the Health Assessment and a Health Action Plan, you receive additional money from Sandia for your HRA.