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COBRA Model Notices | California Employee Benefits
Jody Lee, Compliance Manager, Johnson & Dugan
Proposed regulations have been released by the Department of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury to update COBRA notice requirements that will better align with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and will simplify the process for updating the notices as needed in the future. These rules apply to companies with over 20 employees that are required to follow Federal COBRA continuation coverage requirements.
The COBRA Model General Notice and the COBRA Model Election Notice are both now located on the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration website (http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html) along with various resources on COBRA Continuation Coverage.
The updated notices are designed for single-employer group health plans, and provide additional information on the availability of coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The model notices are posted in electronic form to be customized by the employer by using the instructions provided throughout the documents.
Using the model notices with the appropriate customizations is considered by the DOL to fulfill good faith compliance with the notice requirements. Any previous versions of these notices should be replaced, and the new model notices should be used effective immediately. The notices have been updated on the Johnson & Dugan HR Form Portal for convenient client access.
For additional information, see FAQs about Affordable Care Act Implementation (Part XIX) on the DOL website, which includes an overview of the notice requirements.
Contact your Johnson & Dugan team with questions.
