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Your Responsibilities under COBRA

Important Updates

  1. (IRS) posted to the Federal Register, "Extension of Certain Timeframes for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, and Beneficiaries Affected by the COVID–19 Outbreak." HMSA will adhere to the appropriate timeframe extensions related to COBRA, for those specific situations, until no longer applicable. The parameters of the COBRA law currently remain unchanged. For more information, visit the Help Center.

June 2023:

Previously, the Biden Administration announced a definitive end to both the COVID-19 public health emergency (May 11, 2023) and the national health emergency (April 10, 2023). The U.S. Department of Labor, as allowed by the Joint Rule, subsequently exercised its discretion to determine July 10, 2023, as the end date of the Outbreak Period (60 days after the end of the public health emergency date, May 11, 2023).

  • Individuals and plans with timeframes that are subject to the relief under the Notices will have the applicable periods under the Notices disregarded until the earlier of (a) one year from the date they were first eligible for relief, or (b) July 10, 2023 [the end of the Outbreak Period]. In no case will a disregarded period exceed one year.
  • After July 10, 2023, the timeframes for individuals and plans with periods that were previously disregarded under the Notices will resume.

If you wish to continue your coverage under COBRA, you must complete an election form and submit it to your employer within 60 days of the two occurrences listed below, whichever is later:

  • Date you’re no longer covered; or
  • Date you’re notified of the right to elect COBRA continuation coverage.

In addition, you or your dependents must notify your employer in the following circumstances:

If coverage for you or your dependent is being continued for 18 months under COBRA, and it’s determined under Title XVI of the Social Security Act that you or your dependent was disabled on the date of, or within 60 days of, the date that would have caused coverage to terminate, then you or your dependent must notify your employer of such determination. Notice must be provided:

  • Within 60 days of the determination of disability.
  • Within 30 days of any determination that you or your dependent is no longer disabled.

If coverage for a dependent were to terminate due to your divorce or a legal separation, or the dependent’s ceasing to be a dependent under the plan, then you or your dependent must provide notice to your employer of the event. This notice must be given within 60 days after the later occurrence:

  • Date of the qualifying event; or
  • Date coverage would terminate due to the occurrence of the event.

For additional important information, we encourage you to read:

CURRENT AS OF 07/20/2021