Employee Paid

Overview

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is a federal law that gives you and your covered dependents the right to continue group health coverage on a self-paid basis if eligibility for the employer-sponsored group medical and dental is lost. The enrollment deadline is 60 days from the loss of coverage. See Enrollment and Eligibility (PDF Format) and COBRA Rates.

Eligibility

18 Months of COBRA eligibility is available if:

• you terminated from CWU employment for reasons other than gross misconduct, or
• your hours of employment at the CWU are reduced to the extent that eligibility for employer-sponsored medical and dental benefits would ordinarily be lost

36 Months of COBRA eligibility is available:

• to the eligible dependents of an employee who dies while employed,
• to the divorced spouse of an employee,
• to a child of an employee who loses eligibility for dependent coverage due to age or loss of dependent status.

You are not eligible for COBRA continuation if:

• you are covered by another group health plan at the time of the qualifying event,
• you or a dependent later become covered by another group health plan, unless that plan contains a pre-existing condition exclusion, or
• you were dismissed for gross misconduct