Understanding and Administrating COBRA: Avoiding Costly Conflicts with Government Agencies

Why Should You Attend:

Understanding COBRA and administering it properly is both good business in terms of HR policies, and in terms of avoiding costly conflicts with government agencies. Employers may be reviewing healthcare benefits in light of the Affordable Care Act, and any change in health care benefits may have COBRA implications.

This COBRA compliance online training will provide a comprehensive review of COBRA rule and it will cover everything under this rule from basics to advanced concepts. It will discuss the covered employers under the Federal COBRA rules and also the state mini-COBRA statutes. This webinar will also provide numerous COBRA administrative tips for the attendees in order to avoid penalties and enforcement actions for non-compliance.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the obligations of employers prior to any employee electing COBRA
• Learn about mini-COBRA statutes and which employees and employers are covered by federal COBRA Continuation Coverage.
• Advice on administering COBRA

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• Overview of COBRA
• Which employees areas covered By the COBRA
• How long do COBRA benefits run?
• State Mini-COBRA statutes
• Administration of COBRA benefits
• Termination of COBRA benefits

Who will benefit:

This training on COBRA compliance will be beneficial for the following personnel:

• Attorneys
• Human resource directors
• Anyone who is involved in hiring or staffing
• COBRA administrators
• HR professionals

Instructor Profile:

Kenneth A. Sprang, is one of the founding partners of Washington International Business Counsel, LLP, in Washington, DC. Mr. Sprang counsels and represents both domestic and international clients in labor and employment law and in a wide range of corporate, business and transactional matters. He began his career with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a large, multi-national firm. Subsequently, he served as in house counsel in the legal departments of Calgon Corporation, a former subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., and Cyclops Corporation, a Fortune 500 specialty steel manufacturer. Later, he founded legal departments and served as in-house general counsel for several start-up and other privately-held companies, including a hospital and a web-based company.

He brings to his clients special expertise in labor and employment law. He represents employers in traditional labor relations matters, as well as in wage and hour, employment discrimination, HR, employee benefits, OSHA, and other issues related to employment. In addition to representing clients in all aspects of U.S. labor and employment law (including specific state laws), he has served on the senior staff of the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board and taught the subject for many years. He is the author or co-author of several books and articles on labor and employment law and alternative dispute resolution.

He also counsels clients in corporate governance; negotiation, drafting, and review of contracts, real estate documents, and other instruments; licensing, trademark registration and similar intellectual property matters; mergers and acquisitions; and federal and state regulatory compliance.

Topic Background:

If your business has 20 or more employees, you may be subject to COBRA, a federal statute that requires employers to allow former employees to continue health care coverage. Some states have "mini-COBRA" statutes which govern smaller employers. COBRA has both tax and labor implications, so employer compliance is extremely important.

With changing rules and regulations, being COBRA compliant has become extremely challenging for employers. This training will help HR professionals to handle their COBRA administration and ensure compliance with the COBRA continuation coverage plans.

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