Human Resources

Under the statute, a qualified dependent is someone who "is a dependent under the plan" (i.e., is covered under the plan) immediately prior to the qualifying event and who is:

• The spouse or dependent child of a covered employee.
• A covered employee (but only if the qualifying event is a termination or reduction in hours of the covered employee's employment.

Yes. A child who is "born to” or placed for adoption with a covered employee who is enrolled in COBRA is considered a qualified beneficiary as long as they are enrolled within 30 days of birth or adoption.

If eligible, you will receive a COBRA election notice and enrollment paperwork via USPS mail once IUHR is notified of the event resulting in your IU benefits ending (typically due to employment ending, which is initiated by the department). IUHR is notified via a COBRA eligibility report and COBRA election notices are generated on a weekly basis. Paperwork cannot be sent more than 30 days prior to leaving the university.

You can send in as many payments as you wish for the calendar year.

No

Payment slips are mailed out towards the end of December for the next calendar year. Payment slips for the entire year are mailed out at that time.

Refer to the COBRA web page for rates (in the right column).

After our office receives your completed COBRA enrollment paperwork, payment slips, and payment instructions are sent. Coverage is reinstated AFTER the initial premium payment has been received. Reinstatement requests are sent weekly, but it can take some additional time for the request to process and coverage to be restored. Coverage will be restored retroactively to the date of your qualifying event.

Yes. Apart from gross misconduct, the facts surrounding a termination or reduction of hours are irrelevant. It does not matter whether the employee voluntarily terminated or was discharged.

The statute specifies six triggering events that, if they result in a loss of coverage, can be qualifying events:

• Death of the covered employee;
• Voluntary or involuntary termination of the covered employee's employment other than by reason of gross misconduct (note that a retirement is considered a termination of employment);
• Reduction in hours of the covered employee's employment;
• Divorce of the covered employee from the employee's spouse;
• Dependent child ceasing to be a dependent child under the generally applicable requirements of the plan; and

If an employer terminates a group health plan or amends it to reduce coverage, neither the termination nor the amendment is a qualifying event. The following events are not considered triggering events:

• A change in insurance carriers. Replacement of one insured health plan with a less generous plan is not a qualified event.
• Tendering a resignation. Only when an employee actually terminates does a qualifying event occur.
• Filing for legal separation

The covered employee or qualified beneficiary must notify the plan administrator within 60 days of the occurrence of these triggering events:

• divorce or legal separation of covered employee from their spouse; and
• dependent child ceasing to be a dependent under the plan.

The proposed regulations expand this rule to provide that the notice period is 60 days after the triggering event or, if later, the date coverage would be lost. "If the notice is not postmarked and sent to the employer or other plan administrator [within the 60 day period], the group health plan does not have to offer the qualified beneficiary the opportunity to elect COBRA continuation coverage."

Qualified beneficiaries who begin coverage under another group health plan are no longer eligible for COBRA as of the date the other coverage begins. Qualified beneficiaries are responsible for notifying IUHR if other coverage begins.