Under COBRA, disability can extend coverage up to 29 months if disability occurs during the qualifying event or within the first 60 days of COBRA.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if the employer approves
• D. Only if the employee is Medicare eligible

Answer: (A)

Disability can extend COBRA coverage from the usual 18 months to 29 months when the beneficiary is determined to be disabled by the Social Security Administration within the first 60 days of COBRA coverage. The key point is the SSA disability finding must occur during that initial 60-day window; if it happens, an extra 11 months are added to the coverage for that individual. This extension applies to the disabled person’s continuation coverage, regardless of employer approval or Medicare eligibility, and other family members’ periods aren’t automatically extended unless they too meet the disability criteria.