Coverage ends when the employee/member no longer meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy. Upon termination, qualified employees and dependents can convert their group medical insurance (only available in certain states) and/or their life insurance to an individual form of insurance.

For groups of 20 or more employees, federal regulations (COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act) allow qualified employees and their eligible dependents to continue their group health coverage at their own expense for a specified period of time.

This section discusses the conversion and continuation options that may be available when coverage ends. If you have questions about the conversion or continuation options, contact your Trustmark Client Manager or Employer Service Representative.

Conversion of Insurance
When members are no longer eligible for group coverage, they may have the right to "convert" coverage to an individual form of insurance without providing evidence of insurability. Separate conversion applications are required for medical and life insurance. Conversion privileges are only available in certain states and the group insurance coverage must be in force for the Conversion privileges to apply. Refer to your Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy for specific conversion guidelines and requirements.

Conversion of Life Insurance
This section describes the requirements and procedure for conversion of Group Life insurance.

Requirements
To qualify for conversion of life insurance, an employee or dependent must meet the following requirements:

• Not excluded by the conversion restrictions specified in the Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy.
• Not continuing on waiver of premium or waiver of premium has ended. (Must have terminated coverage.)

Procedure for Conversion of Life Insurance:

1. The Group Administrator must complete, sign and date the Group Conversion Request Form within 31 days* of the termination. The number of days may vary by state.
2. Mail the form to:
     Attn: Group Premium Conversion
     Trustmark Group Insurance
     P.O. Box 7904
     Lake Forest, IL 60045-7904
3. An application for conversion will be mailed to the former employee.

Conversion of Medical Insurance
This section describes the requirements and procedure for conversion of group medical insurance.

Requirements
To qualify for conversion of medical insurance, a member must meet all of the following requirements:

• Not eligible for Medicare or similar insurance benefits.
• Not excluded by the conversion restrictions specified in the Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy.

When an individual qualifies for and elects continuation of coverage, the conversion privilege applies on the date the continuation ends.

Procedure for Conversion of Medical Insurance:

1. The Group Administrator must complete, sign and date the Group Conversion Request Form within 31 days of the termination.
2. Mail the form to:   Attn: Group Premium Conversion
     Trustmark Group Insurance
     P.O. Box 7904
     Lake Forest, IL 60045-7904
3. An application for conversion will be mailed to the former employee.

IMPORTANT:
Your organization is responsible for informing employees of their conversion rights. It is important to keep a record of notifications for verification purposes.

Trustmark’s contractual conversion obligations do not extend beyond the time period specified in the Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy, whether or not an individual has been notified of the conversion privilege.

Continuation of Coverage
Continuation of coverage is an option for an employee or an employees’ dependents that are no longer eligible for coverage through an employer's group health plan. The continuation for health plans may be in the form of either state continuation or COBRA.

All employers with 20 or more employees including part-time employees on at least 50 percent of the working days in the previous calendar year must offer COBRA for certain qualifying events. In many states, state continuation is an option for an employee. For information concerning your plan options on continuation, check the Certificate of Insurance or Group Policy.

Any member (employee, spouse or dependent child who was covered by an employer's plan) may be eligible for continuation. Eligible events include: termination of employment; reduction of hours; death of covered employee; divorce or legal separation; loss of dependent child status; or disability at the time of a qualifying event or during the first 60 days.

The benefits offered would be identical to the benefits the member had prior to continuation. The period of coverage varies; however, under no circumstances may the continuation period be longer than 36 months under COBRA.

There are two ways to update your employee records:

• Express, Trustmark’s Benefit Administration Self Service Center
• Manually

Procedure for Express Entry into Continuation of Coverage

1. Access Express and click on the Move Member to continuation menu option if your employee has previously been terminated. Complete the required fields and click Move Member to Continuation to complete the transaction.

Procedure for Manual Entry into Continuation of Coverage

1. The member must complete, sign, and date the Application for Continuation of Coverage. For dependents, a completed enrollment form should be Included with the application.
2. Review the form for accuracy and completedness and mail all copies to:
     Attn: Group Premium Department
     Trustmark Group Insurance
     P.O. Box 7904
     Lake Forest, IL 60045-7904

Ceridian COBRA Continuation Services
As a service to our clients, Trustmark Life Insurance Company, through a relationship with Ceridian COBRA Continuation Services, is pleased to provide a service that will make your administration of COBRA easier. Ceridian will provide eligible employers with COBRA compliance systems and procedures designed to make the complicated task of COBRA administration as simple as possible. It is offered at no charge to you.

If you did not receive a COBRA Compliance packet when you became a Trustmark client, please call Ceridian toll-free at 800-790-9059. You will be sent a COBRA Compliance packet and be contacted by a member of Ceridian’s implementation team to review the materials and discuss how Ceridian can best meet your needs.

Ceridian does it all, from assuming administration of your COBRA continuants, to performing future billing and adjudication of eligibility, to collecting and processing all related transactions.