When does the 60-day election period start?

• A. From plan renewal
• B. From the date of the qualifying event
• C. From plan approves
• D. From the later of the event date or notice delivery

Answer: (D)

The clock for electing COBRA starts when you both have a qualifying event and have received the COBRA rights notice — and you count 60 days from whichever date is later. In practice, that means if you experience a loss of coverage on a certain date but the plan only sends you the COBRA notice later, you get 60 days from the notice date. If the notice comes before or on the event date, the countdown starts on the event date. This ensures you have a fair window to decide once you know you have the option. So you begin counting from the later of the event date or the notice delivery date.