Qualifying Events

If Your Employment Terminates or Your Work Hours Are Reduced. If you lose coverage because your employment terminates (for any reason other than gross misconduct) or your work hours are reduced, you and/or your covered dependents may purchase COBRA coverage for up to 18 months. Certain events may extend this 18-month COBRA continuation period:
If your covered dependents experience any second qualifying event within the original 18-month period, they (but not you) may extend the COBRA continuation period for up to an additional 18 months (for a total of up to 36 months from the original qualifying event).
If you become eligible for Medicare while employed (even if this is not a qualifying event for your covered dependents because they do not lose coverage) and then a second qualifying event (such as your termination of employment or reduction in hours of work) happens within 18 months, your covered dependents may elect COBRA continuation for up to 36 months from the date that you become eligible for Medicare.
If Your Covered Dependents Lose Coverage. If your spouse and/or your dependent children lose coverage because of any of the circumstances listed below, they may purchase COBRA coverage for up to 36 months from the date that coverage ends because:
You pass away;
You divorce your spouse or become legally separated;
You become eligible for Medicare; or
Your dependent child loses dependent eligibility status under the terms of the plan (for example, the end of the month in which your dependent child reaches age 26).
If You or Your Covered Dependents Become Disabled. If you or one of your covered dependents becomes disabled under the Social Security Administration guidelines within 60 days of a qualifying event, or you are disabled at the time COBRA coverage is initially offered, you and your covered dependents may continue COBRA coverage for an additional 11 months beyond the initial 18 months, to a total of 29 months. You must notify HR Answers, the COBRA Administrator, within 60 days after Social Security issues a determination of disability status and before the initial 18-month COBRA coverage period ends. You also must notify the COBRA Administrator within 30 days after Social Security determines the end of disability status for you or your covered dependent.