Please note: As of January 20, 2021, information in some news releases may be out of date or not reflect current policies.
News Release
Labor Department Announces Proposed Effective Date Of COBRA Regulations Will Be Delayed
Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) today assured the employee benefits community that the department will provide adequate time for group health plans to comply with final rules on the notice requirements of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).
In response to questions about complying with the department’s proposed COBRA notice rules, Assistant Secretary of EBSA Ann L. Combs said, “The department intends to give group health plans six months after adoption of final rules to implement administrative changes required by the new rules. Allowing sufficient time for orderly and efficient implementation of the new requirements will help ensure compliance.”
The final rules are expected to be issued early next year, according to Combs. “In the interim, plan administrators may use the model notices contained in the proposed regulation to satisfy their COBRA notice obligations, although they are not required to do so," said Combs.
The new COBRA notice requirements were proposed in the Federal Register on May 28, 2003. The model notices are available on EBSA’s web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa.
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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.