List of common qualifying events for employees, spouse/domestic partners and dependent children.
Qualifying Events for Covered Employee:
If you are the covered employee, you may have the right to elect COBRA continuation coverage if you lose your group health coverage because of a termination of your employment (for reasons other than gross misconduct on your part) or a reduction in your hours of employment.
Qualifying Events for Covered Spouse:
If you are the covered spouse (or domestic partner) of an employee, you may have the right to elect COBRA continuation coverage for yourself if you lose group health coverage because of any of the following reasons:
- A termination of your spouse/domestic partner's employment (for reasons other than gross misconduct) or a reduction in your spouse/domestic partner's hours of employment with Multnomah County.
- The death of your spouse/domestic partner.
- Divorce or, if applicable, legal separation from your spouse.
- Dissolution of domestic partnership.
- Your spouse becomes entitled to Medicare.
Qualifying Events for Covered Dependent Children:
If you are the covered dependent child of an employee, you may have the right to elect continuation coverage for yourself if you lose group health coverage because of any of the following reasons:
- A termination of the employee's employment (for reasons other than gross misconduct) or a reduction in the employee's hours of employment with Multnomah County.
- The death of the employee.
- Parent's divorce or, if applicable, legal separation.
- Dissolution of parent's domestic partnership.
- The employee of Multnomah County becomes entitled to Medicare.
- You cease to be a “dependent child” under the terms of the health plan.
Important: Employee, spouse, and dependent notifications required
Under group health plan rules and COBRA law, the employee, spouse, or other family member has the responsibility to notify Multnomah County of a divorce, legal separation, dissolution of domestic partnership, or a child losing dependent status under terms of the health plan. This notification must be made within 60 days from whichever date is later, the date of the event or the date on which health plan coverage would be lost under the terms of the insurance contract because of the event.
Written notification must be submitted to the Multnomah County Employee Benefits Office within the 60-day notification period.
If this notification is not completed according to the outlined procedure and within the required 60-day notification period, then it will be considered insurance fraud and rights to continuation coverage for the ineligible dependent may be forfeited. Carefully read the dependent eligibility rules contained in the summary plan description so you are familiar with when a dependent ceases to be a dependent under the terms of the plan.