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ARTICLE · 26 JANUARY 2010

Congress Extends COBRA Premium Subsidy

Fenwick
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On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (the "DOD Act"), which extended two significant features of the COBRA health care continuation coverage premium subsidy originally enacted in early 2009 by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA").

United StatesEmployment and HR
Mona Clee
Mona Clee
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On December 19, 2009, President Obama signed the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (the "DOD Act"), which extended two significant features of the COBRA health care continuation coverage premium subsidy originally enacted in early 2009 by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ("ARRA").

(1) To be an "assistance eligible individual" and qualify for the subsidy, a covered employee (and his or her spouse and dependent children, if applicable) must have a COBRA "qualifying event" that is the involuntary termination of the employee's employment during a specified eligibility period. Previously, such involuntary termination had to take place during the period from September 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009. The DOD Act extends this eligibility period to February 28, 2010.

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