Legislation (HR 3326) extending and expanding the COBRA premium subsidy has been signed into law meaning, assistance-eligible individuals (AEIs) involuntarily terminated from employment on or before Feb. 28, 2010, can receive the subsidy. The subsidy cap will remain at 65 percent, but the maximum subsidy period will expand to 15 months.  Eligibility still will be limited to people losing health coverage due to involuntary employment termination.

Extended eligibility period - the subsidy program now will cover people eligible for COBRA due to involuntary employment termination on or before Feb. 28, 2010, instead of Dec. 31, 2009.  The extension includes COBRA-eligible individuals involuntarily terminated on Feb. 28, 2010, even if their COBRA begins on March 1, 2010.  The law clarifies that people involuntarily terminated on or before Dec. 31, 2009, who become eligible for COBRA on Jan. 1, 2010, will be subsidy-eligible, reversing earlier guidance.

Longer subsidy period - the maximum subsidy period for AEIs - including anyone now receiving the subsidy - will be 15 months instead of just nine months. But the law doesn't change the maximum COBRA eligibility period, so people who exhaust their COBRA coverage may not be eligible for the full 15 months of subsidy.

Notices, options for AEIs who exhausted subsidy - individuals who exhausted the original nine-month subsidy period before the new law takes effect can get the subsidy for another six months (if they remain AEIs and their COBRA period hasn't ended).  Employers must quickly notify AEIs who exhausted the subsidy and then dropped COBRA (or kept COBRA but paid unsubsidized premiums) that they now may pay reduced premiums for retroactive coverage (or receive credit for or reimbursement of overpayments).  Notice must be given within 60 days of the AEI dropping or first overpaying for COBRA. 

Other notices - employers must send notices describing the revised program to anyone eligible for the subsidy or terminated from employment (voluntarily or not) on or after Oct. 31, 2009. This notice must be given within 60 days of the law's enactment or, if later, the usual deadline for furnishing COBRA materials to individuals experiencing a COBRA qualifying event.  Department of Labor sample notices and information on deadlines can be found by clicking here.

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→         Eliminates large down payments
→         No monthly checks to write
→         No monthly billing fees
→         Calculations based on your reported payroll
→         Helps minimize end of policy audit term fluctuations

It just got easier and more efficient for you to pay your workers compensation insurance premiums and manage your cash flow. Intuit Inc. (QuickBooks) and The Hartford have entered into a strategic alliance to offer The Hartford's XactPAY Web® workers compensation premium payment service to Intuit Payroll's more than one million customers free of charge.
 
XactPAY Web, which is fully integrated with Intuit QuickBooks Payroll, automatically calculates the premiums for Hartford-issued workers compensation policies each time payroll is run using QuickBooks Payroll. This same integrated capability will also be launched for Intuit Online Payroll.  Payments are then automatically drawn from your bank account each pay period, eliminating the hassle of writing checks. Upon request, you can receive e-mail notifications before payments are made and monthly detailed reports from The Hartford. The XactPAY Web premium payment service is free of charge to Intuit QuickBooks Payroll customers that also have Hartford-issued workers compensation policies.
 
The combination of Intuit Payroll and The Hartford's XactPAY Web premium payment service enables you to pay your Hartford workers compensation premiums one payroll at a time. This helps improve your cash flow by eliminating the need for large down payments and minimizing the potential for year-end audit adjustments. Traditional billing methods can crimp cash flow by requiring you to pay all or part of the annual workers compensation premiums in advance, potentially tying up thousands of dollars at the beginning of each year.
 
Call the Davis-Garvin Agency and ask for Robert Collins, Kelly Hall or Caroline Deevey at 800-845-3163 or 803-732-0060 to find out more.

• You may qualify for special program rates that can save you money.
• You can eliminate the headaches of writing a check by utilizing one of many convenient billing options.
• You will have a local agent who will work with you to create a policy that fits your special needs.