COBRA SUBSIDY EXTENDED

On Monday December 21, 2009, President Obama signed legislation extending the government’s subsidy of COBRA benefits. The subsidies were due to expire on December 31, 2009.

Under the new law, the maximum subsidy period is increased from 9 months to 15 months and includes individuals currently receiving the subsidy, which was set to expire at the end of this calendar year. Moreover, the COBRA subsidy, originally available only to those employees who lost their jobs as a result of a termination/lay-off through December 31, 2009, has been extended to employees who have been laid-off prior to February 28, 2010.