Continuing COBRA Coverage

When is COBRA Coverage Available?

The Health Plan will offer COBRA continuation coverage to qualified beneficiaries only after the University has been notified that a life or career event has occurred. When the life or career event is the end of employment or reduction of hours of employment, death of the employee, or the employee’s becoming entitled to Medicare benefits (under Part A, Part B, or both), the University must notify the Plan Administrator of the life or career event.

You Must Give Notice of Some Qualifying Life Events

For all other qualifying life events (divorce or legal separation of the employee and spouse, or a dependent child’s losing eligibility for coverage as a dependent child, etc.), you must notify the University within 60 days after the life or career event occurs.

You must provide this notice to

Human Resources
Boston University
25 Buick Street
Boston, MA 02215

You must provide notice of the event, along with documentation substantiating the divorce, legal separation, or loss of dependent status and the effective date of such event.

The 60-day deadline to provide notice of a life or career event will be tolled for up to one year during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The tolling period will end on the earlier of:

• one year from the date the 60-day deadline would have begun running, or
• 60 days after the announced end of the National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak.

How is COBRA Coverage Provided?

Once the Plan Administrator receives notice that a life or career event has occurred, COBRA continuation coverage will be offered to each of the qualified beneficiaries. Each qualified beneficiary will have an independent right to elect COBRA continuation coverage.  Covered employees may elect COBRA continuation coverage on behalf of their spouses, and parents may elect COBRA continuation coverage on behalf of their children.

COBRA continuation coverage is a temporary continuation of coverage that generally lasts for 18 months due to employment termination or reduction of hours of work. Certain qualifying events, or a second qualifying event during the initial period of coverage, may permit a beneficiary to receive a maximum of 36 months of coverage.

There are two ways in which this 18-month period of COBRA continuation coverage can be extended. See Disability Under COBRA and Second Qualifying Events for details.

COBRA  Administrator:
P&A Group
Dept. #652
P.O. Box 8000
Buffalo, NY  14267-8000
1-800-688-2611