IRS Issues Guidance On An Employee s Reduction In Hours And Involuntary Termination Of Employment To Qualify For The 100 Percent COBRA Premium Subsidy - Employment and HR mondaq.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mondaq.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
One important question that arises when determining whether an individual is eligible for the COBRA premium subsidy under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP”) is whether the.
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A Word from the IRS on Involuntary Terminations of Employment for Purposes of the ARP COBRA Premium Subsidy Wednesday, June 9, 2021
One important question that arises when determining whether an individual is eligible for the COBRA premium subsidy under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP”) is whether the employee has experienced an
involuntary termination of employment. (See our prior blogs on the ARP subsidy, here.) The IRS’s recent Notice 2021-31 (the “Notice”) provides helpful guidance on this issue.
What is an
One of the key interpretive questions under ARP is “what is an
involuntary termination of employment”? Given the various factual circumstances that could arise, it is not surprising that this is one of the most frequently asked questions. The Notice helps define an involuntary termination of employment, and in many respects follows previous IRS guidance relating to the 2009 federal COBRA subsidy.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
In Notice 2021-31, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides broad guidance in a question-and-answer format on the application of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) regarding premium assistance under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) continuation coverage provisions. Perhaps most critical for group health plan administrators and insurers, the IRS has defined and illustrated the use of the term “involuntary termination of employment,” which is the primary trigger (the other is a reduction in hours) for premium assistance obligations under the ARP.
Background
Section 9501 of the ARP provides for a temporary 100%reduction in the premium otherwise payable by certain individuals and their families who elect continuation coverage due to a loss of coverage as the result of a reduction in hours or involuntary termination of employment under COBRA (and, in certain cases, under state “mini-COBRA” laws). Suc