It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With chilly mornings, fallen leaves (and in some places, snow), supermarkets filled with signs of Thanksgiving feasts, and holiday decorum, we can all feel the holiday season is upon us.

In the workplace, the holiday season often brings a busy influx in workload or changes within a business that can cause disruption to your everyday workflow and task management.

​The past several years in the world of employee benefits have been unique to say the least. With the pandemic came major changes in the healthcare and employee benefits sectors which impacted everything from administration requirements to financial aspects of these industries. Let's take a look at what the end of COVID19 COBRA tolling means for employers and group health in 2023 and beyond...

COBRA qualifying events are different from "life events" that impact health coverage or employee benefits. 
In this article, we take a closer look at events and which employees or dependents  they impact, as well as how long a person can be enrolled in COBRA continuation coverage. 

It’s no secret that navigating Medicare can be a challenge all it’s own. But add COBRA compliance into the mix, and you’re sure to stumble upon an HR conundrum.
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Not to worry. Fortunately, there are Medicare and COBRA Experts who are able to help with frequently asked questions that pertain to an employee or retiree’s options to continue coverage, bridging the gap between active benefits and Medicare entitlement. 

Complex COBRA Events & Best Practices | Special Enrollment Rights | College Students and COBRA Rights
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Recently, an Employer presented the following questions regarding special enrollment options for COBRA beneficiaries. In this article, we’ll visit the topic of Special Enrollment Rights, specifically for dependent children participating in college sponsored health plans.
Can college students receive COBRA continuation coverage? Let's take a closer look.

COBRA Compliance for Employers & Leave Management Work in Conjunction with one another. 
Perhaps one of the more frequently asked questions we receive from Employers and Brokers at CobraHelp is, “What do we do with the benefits now that an employee is going on leave?”.  There is a common misconception that Companies should terminate benefits immediately and offer COBRA, or conversely, not offer COBRA at all, even when the employee does not return to work following leave.

Generally, Employers know about basic COBRA administration requirements for Medical coverage. However, there is often oversight of less common plans subject to COBRA, causing Employers to fall into costly lawsuits, or be subject to hefty government penalties. One such plan is the “EAP” or Employee Assistance Program. 
By understanding what an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) is, as well as how it should be handled in terms of COBRA administration, will help keep your company sponsored benefits on track.
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What’s an EAP?
While Employee Assistance Programs vary from plan to plan, many provide support for serious issues employees may face such as mental health programs, health and caregiving, counseling, family services, and even financial services. 

It is no secret that the entire world was changed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and thereafter. Consequently, a new wave of modern work from home arrangements was born. Companies launched creative “backup plans” for continuing business during shut-downs and Stay-At-Home Orders. The world of employee benefits was no exception, as benefits professionals could no longer count on face-to-face interactions allowing the “in-person” benefits enrollment approach. Enter “self-service enrollment”. In this article, we will cover why self-service enrollment, for employee insurance plans, has become a staple in the present employee benefits sector, and why it’s here to stay in the future of the ever-changing employee benefits landscape.