What Is A COBRA Qualifying Event?

3/6/2026

A COBRA qualifying event is a specific situation that causes an employee, spouse, or dependent child to lose group health insurance coverage and thereby become eligible for continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). Qualifying Events include:

• Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment (except for gross misconduct)
• Reduction in work hours that causes a loss of health coverage. This is a common area of overlap with FLSA regulations.
• Employee death affecting coverage for spouses or dependent children
• Divorce or legal separation from covered employee
• Loss of dependent child status
• Disability of the qualified beneficiary (as determined by the Social Security Administration). Documentation of such status must be handled with strict HIPAA privacy.

An HR Generalist must ensure all notices are sent to maintain human resources compliance.