RE: Cobra

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/14/01 11:48:34 PM Central Daylight Time,

Tansy@... writes:

<< am currently applying for LTD and remember seeing someone post something

here that you could get more than standard COBRA benefits if you got Long

Term Disability. Does anyone recall this? How long it was for? Where it's

written up so I can show it to HR department at my office? Thanks!

tansy

>>

You get 36 months if you are Disabled by Social Security definition but i

don't know where to find the language.

[Guest guest]

I am currently applying for LTD and remember seeing someone post something here that you could get more than standard COBRA benefits if you got Long Term Disability. Does anyone recall this? How long it was for? Where it's written up so I can show it to HR department at my office? Thanks!

tansy

[Guest guest]

WHAT DETERMINES IF THE EMPLOYEE OR BENEFICIARY IS DISABLED ?

COBRA continuance is extended from the usual 18 months to 29 months

for qualified beneficiaries who are disabled at the time of termination or

reduction of work hours.

For this purpose, a qualified beneficiary is considered to be

disabled if, at the time of termination of employment or reduction of work

hours, he/she has been determined to have been disabled under the Social

Security Act, even if the determination is made at a later date.

An individual who is determined to have been disabled must provide

proper notice of the Social Security disability determination to the employer

within 60 days of the determination and before the end of the original 18 month

COBRA coverage period (and within 30 days of a determination that the

disability no longer exists).

This extension (from 18 to 29 months) applies to all qualified

beneficiaries who are considered disabled, not just employees. If the disabled

person is the former employee, then the same level of coverage can be continued

throughout the disability extension. If the individual is a disabled dependent,

only the disabled individual can extend coverage to 29 months if the dependent

was a qualified beneficiary at the time of the original qualifying event.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MY COBRA COVERAGE ENDS?

If COBRA coverage lapses at the end of the 18- or 36-month period,

the beneficiary must be given the same right to convert the group coverage to

an individual policy that is available under the plan without regard to COBRA.

For disabled individuals, the combination of the 5 month waiting

period for SSDI plus the 24 month waiting period for Medicare coverage equals

the 29 month period of COBRA coverage. Conversion to an individual policy at

that point no longer becomes a relevant issue.

This document provides a brief overview of the law, and is not

intended to provide a complete description of the law . For a fuller

explanation of COBRA, contact your employer for details. Specific personnel

policies and procedures may vary at different places of employment; at minimum,

these are your rights.

URL for above info is http://www.msonly.com/library/files/cobra.html

roe