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Continuation Coverage
- Continuation Coverage Rights Under COBRA
- What is COBRA Continuation Coverage?
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Continuation Coverage
Q. Can coverage be continued after eligibility in this Plan ends?
A. Yes. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
1985 (COBRA) entitles you and your covered dependents to extend medical
benefits beyond the date your coverage would normally end.
Continuation Coverage Rights Under COBRA
Introduction
You are required to be given the information in this section because you are covered under a group
health plan (the Plan). This section contains important information about
your right to COBRA continuation coverage, which is a temporary extension
of coverage under the Plan. This section generally explains COBRA
continuation coverage, when it may become available to you and your
family, and what you need to do to protect the right to receive it.
The right to COBRA continuation coverage was created by
a federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
1985 (COBRA). COBRA continuation coverage can become available to you
when you would otherwise lose your group health coverage. It can also
become available to other members of your family who are covered under
the Plan when they would otherwise lose their group health coverage.
For additional information about your rights and obligations under the
Plan and under federal law, you should review this SPD or contact
Benefits Administration at the telephone numbers or address listed
under
Benefits Administration on page 58.
IMPORTANT: "Benefits Administration" references
throughout this section change depending on your status. Unless
specifically stated otherwise, you should refer to the correct
Benefits Administration entity using the list below. The contact
information for each of these entities is as shown on page 58.
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Current ExxonMobil employees or their dependents refer
to ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/ Health Plan Services;
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Exxon, or Mobil, or Superior Oil, or ExxonMobil
retirees, or their survivors, or their dependents refer to ExxonMobil
Benefits Service Center; and
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Former Exxon or ExxonMobil employees, or retirees, or
their survivors, or their dependents, who have elected and are
participating through COBRA, refer to ExxonMobil COBRA Administration.
- Mobil or Superior Oil retirees or their survivors or their
dependents refer to Mobil
Benefits Service Center; and
- Former Exxon or ExxonMobil employees or retirees or their
survivors or their dependents, who have
elected and are participating through COBRA, refer to ExxonMobil
COBRA Administration.
The contact information for each of these entities is as shown on page 58.
What is COBRA Continuation Coverage?
COBRA continuation coverage is a continuation of plan coverage when
coverage would otherwise end because of a life event known as a
"qualifying event." Specific qualifying events are listed later in this
section. After a qualifying event, COBRA continuation coverage must be
offered to each person who is a "qualified beneficiary." You, your
spouse,
and your dependent children could become qualified
beneficiaries if coverage under the Plan is lost because of the
qualifying event. Under the Plan, qualified beneficiaries who elect
COBRA continuation coverage must pay the entire cost of COBRA
continuation coverage.
An employee will become a qualified beneficiary if the employee loses coverage
under the Plan because either one of the following qualifying events happens:
- Hours of employment are reduced; or
- Employment ends for any reason other than
the employee's gross misconduct.
The spouse of an employee or retiree, will become a qualified beneficiary if the
spouse loses coverage under the Plan because any of the following qualifying events happens:
- The employee or retiree dies;
- The employee's hours of employment are reduced;
- The employee's employment ends for any
reason other than his or her gross misconduct;
- The employee or retiree becomes entitled to
Medicare benefits (under Part A, Part B, or both); or
- Divorce or legal separation.
Dependent children will become qualified beneficiaries if
they lose coverage under the Plan because any of the following qualifying events
happens:
- The parent-employee or parent-retiree dies;
- The parent-employee's hours of employment are reduced;
- The parent-employee's employment ends for any reason other than his or her gross misconduct;
- The parent-employee or parent-retiree becomes entitled
to Medicare benefits (Part A, Part B, or both);
- The parents become divorced or legally separated; or
- The child stops being eligible for coverage under the Plan as a dependent child.
Any retiree, retiree's spouse (including surviving spouse),
and dependent children will become qualifying beneficiaries if a proceeding in bankruptcy
is filed in respect to Exxon Mobil Corporation, and the bankruptcy results in a loss of coverage.
When is COBRA Coverage Available?
The Plan will offer COBRA continuation coverage to qualified beneficiaries
only after the correct Benefits Administration entity has been notified that a qualifying
event has occurred. When the qualifying event is the end of employment or
reduction of hours of employment, death of the employee or retiree, or commencement of a
proceeding in bankruptcy with respect to the employer, the
employer must notify the correct Benefits Administration entity of the qualifying event. See
page 58 for the listing of Benefits Administration entities.
You Must Give Notice of Some Qualifying Events
For the other qualifying events (divorce or legal separation of the
employee/retiree and spouse or a dependent child's losing eligibility
for coverage as a dependent child), you must notify the correct
Benefits Administration entity within 60 days after the later the qualifying
event occurs or the date you would lose benefits under the Plan.
See page 58 for the listing of Benefits Administration entities. Notices of these qualifying events from
current employees must be made by logging onto Employee Direct
Access (EDA) located on the ExxonMobil Me HR Intranet site.
Forms are also available from ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/Health
Plan Services for those individuals who do not have access to EDA.
Notice is not effective until either an EDA change is made or the
properly completed form is received.
How is COBRA Coverage Provided?
Once the correct Benefits Administration entity receives notice that a qualifying event has
occurred, COBRA continuation coverage will be offered to each of the
qualified beneficiaries. Each qualified beneficiary will have an
independent right to elect COBRA continuation coverage. Covered employees
or retirees may elect COBRA continuation coverage on behalf of their spouses, and
parents may elect COBRA continuation coverage on behalf of their children.
COBRA continuation coverage is a temporary continuation of
coverage. When the qualifying event is the death of the employee, the
employee's becoming entitled to Medicare benefits (under Part A, Part B,
or both), your divorce or legal separation, or a dependent child's losing
eligibility as a dependent child, COBRA continuation coverage lasts for up
to a total of 36 months. When the qualifying event is the end of
employment or the reduction of the employee's hours of employment and the
employee became entitled to Medicare benefits less than 18 months before
the qualifying event, COBRA continuation coverage for qualified
beneficiaries other than the employee lasts until 36 months after the date
of Medicare entitlement. For example, if a covered employee becomes
entitled to Medicare 8 months before the date on which his employment
terminates, COBRA continuation coverage for his spouse and children can
last up to 36 months after the date of Medicare entitlement, which is
equal to 28 months after the date of the qualifying event (36 months minus
8 months). Otherwise, when the qualifying event is the end of employment
or reduction of the employee's hours of employment, COBRA continuation
coverage generally lasts only up to a total of 18 months. There are two
ways in which this 18-month period of COBRA continuation coverage can be
extended.
Disability extension of 18-month period of continuation coverage
If you or anyone in your family covered under the Plan is determined by the Social
Security Administration to be disabled and you notify the ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/ Health Plan Services
in a timely fashion, you
and your entire family may be entitled to receive up to an additional 11 months
of COBRA continuation coverage, for a total maximum of 29 months. The disability
would have to have started at some time before the 60th day of COBRA continuation
coverage and must last at least until the end of the 18-month period of
continuation coverage. You must notify ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/ Health Plan Services.
See page 58 for the listing of Benefits Administration entities.
You must provide the written determination of disability from the
Social Security Administration to the correct Benefits Administration
entity within 60 days of the latest of the date of the disability
determination by the Social Security Administration, the date of the
qualifying event or the benefit termination date; and prior to the end
of the 18-month COBRA continuation period.
See page 58 for the listing of Benefits Administration entities.
Second qualifying event extension of 18-month period of continuation coverage
If your family experiences another qualifying event while receiving 18
months of COBRA continuation coverage, the spouse and dependent children
in your family can get up to 18 additional months of COBRA continuation
coverage, for a maximum of 36 months, if notice of the second qualifying
event is properly given to the correct Benefits Administration entity. This extension may be available to the
spouse and any dependent children receiving continuation coverage if the
employee or former employee dies, becomes entitled to Medicare benefits
(under Part A, Part B, or both), gets divorced or legally separated, or
if the dependent child stops being eligible under the Plan as a dependent
child. This extension is available only if the qualifying event would have
caused the spouse or dependent child to lose coverage under the Plan had
the first qualifying event not occurred.
Cost of COBRA Coverage
A person who elects continuation coverage may be required to pay the
group rate premium for continuation coverage plus a 2%
administration fee, if applicable, or 102% of cost to the plan to
maintain the coverage, unless the person is entitled to extended
coverage due to disability. If the person becomes entitled to such extended coverage, the person
may be required to contribute up to 150% of contributions after the initial 18-month's
coverage until coverage ends. A person who elects continuation
coverage must pay the required contributions within 45 days from the
date coverage is elected retroactively to the date benefits terminated
under the Plan.
If You Have Questions
Questions concerning your plan or your COBRA continuation coverage rights
should be addressed to the contact or contacts identified below. For more
information about your rights under ERISA, including COBRA, the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other laws
affecting group health plans, contact the nearest Regional or District Office
of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration
(EBSA) in your area or visit the EBSA Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa.
(Addresses and phone numbers of Regional and District EBSA Offices are
available through EBSA's Web site.)
Keep Your Plan Informed of Address Changes
In order to protect your family's rights, you should keep the correct Benefits
Administration entity informed of any changes in your address as
well as the addresses of dependents. You should also keep a copy,
for your records, of any notices you send to Benefits Administration.
Benefits Administration:
Contacts for COBRA rights under the ExxonMobil Medical Plan
The following sets out the contact numbers based on your status
under the ExxonMobil Medical Plan. It is your responsibility to
contact the correct Benefits Administration entity with any
required notices and address changes. Failure to notify the
correct entity could result in your loss of COBRA rights. If
your status is not listed, call ExxonMobil Benefits
Administration/Health Plan Services for assistance.
Phone Numbers:
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Address:
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- Active Employees call:
ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/Health Plan Services
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (U.S. Central Time),
except certain holidays
713-680-5858 (Houston)
713-680-7070
(international, call collect)
800-262-2363 (toll free outside
Houston)
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ExxonMobil Benefits Administration/Health Plan Services
P. O. Box 2283
Houston, TX 77252-2283
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Retirees and Survivors call:
ExxonMobil Benefits Service Center
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Time), except
certain holidays
Toll-Free: 1-800-682-2847
or 800-TDD-TDD4
(833-8334) for hearing impaired
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ExxonMobil Benefits Service Center
P.O. Box 1014
Totowa, NJ 07512-1014
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Former Exxon or ExxonMobil Employees, Exxon or ExxonMobil
Retirees, or their Survivors or their Dependents, who elected
and are participating through COBRA, call:
ExxonMobil COBRA Administration
Phone: (800) 422-7608
Fax: (801) 956-7310
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Benefits Continuation Services, Dept 166 ADP National
Accounts Services ExxonMobil COBRA Administration
P.O. Box 27478
Salt Lake City UT 84127-0478
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