COBRA is short for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. This act requires that continuation of group insurance coverage be offered to covered persons who lose health, dental or vision coverage due to a qualifying event as defined in the act.
- The covered employees working hours are reduced from full-time to part-time
- The covered employee voluntarily quits work, retires, is laid off or fired (unless the firing is due to gross misconduct)
- The covered employee is divorced
- A child no longer qualifies as a dependent
- The covered employee or the parent of an eligible dependent child becomes eligible for Medicare.
To continue coverage under COBRA, you must complete and return a COBRA Notice of Election form to the Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) within 60 days of the event or from when coverage would have been lost due to the event, whichever is later.
You must notify both PEBA Insurance and the Colleton County School District Benefits office within 60 days of the date you become divorced, the date your dependent child becomes ineligible for coverage or from the date coverage would have been lost if the event had been reported in a timely manner. Otherwise, your rights to continuation of coverage under COBRA will be forfeited.
COBRA coverage becomes effective when the first premium is paid and remains in effect only as long as the premiums are kept up-to-date.
Additional information about COBRA:
- PEBA- Public Employee Benefit Authority Customer Service at 888-260-9430
- PEBA - Insurance Benefits website
- Colleton County School District Benefits Office at (843) 782-4527 ext. 72100