COBRA Insufficient Notification Investigation
Did you recently lose health insurance because you left your job but weren’t provided with any information about Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA) plan?
Or did the information your former employer give you about COBRA fail to include important required information?
You may be eligible for compensation
Since the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, millions of Americans have lost both their employment and their health insurance. With health insurance more important than ever, it's crucial that those who have lost work be provided the information needed to sign up for Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA) plans as mandated under Federal law.
If you were recently laid off, fired, or lost health benefits due to lower hours, you should have received a COBRA notification letter with all of the above information, within the time frames mandated by the law (14 or 44 days).
If you did not, you may be eligible to receive $110 for every day your former employer failed to provide the letter, as well as compensation for any actual damages you or your family may have suffered.
What is COBRA
In 1985, Congress passed a bill called the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, better known as COBRA.
Under COBRA, an employee who has changed jobs or got fired has the option to continue getting health insurance for themselves, their spouse, or their dependants. As part of this law, employers must provide COBRA notification letters to the worker within 14 days if they are using an outside Human Resources administrator, or 44 days if they have an in-house HR.
A COBRA notification letter must inform the employee and all beneficiaries of all his or her rights under the plan in language that is easy to understand.
COBRA Requirements
If you received a COBRA notice that did not fully disclose your rights and how to retain your health insurance following separation from your job, or you received no notice at all, you may be eligible for significant financial compensation.
A COBRA notice is required to contain a number of details including the following:
Name of the plan that will continue
Name, address, phone number of the plan administrators
Identification of qualifying event
Identification of qualified beneficiaries
The date in which the current plan will be terminated if COBRA coverage is not enacted
Explanation that each beneficiary has the right to decide to continue coverage
The procedure for continuing coverage
An explanation of what will happen if coverage is not continued
An explanation of what the coverage will include
When coverage will begin
If you were recently laid off, fired, or lost health benefits due to lower hours, you should have received a COBRA notification letter with all of the above information, within the time frames mandated by the law (14 or 44 days).
If you did not, you may be eligible to receive $110 for every day you didnt receive the letter, as well as compensation for any actual damages you or your family may have suffered.
Kazerouni Law Group is a leading consumer rights law firm that has successfully advocated for thousands of consumers across the country, and helped recover over $750 million in compensation for our clients. We have the expertise and knowledge required to help deliver you the compensation you deserve- sign up for a free case evaluation today.