Under COBRA, a dependent loses eligibility for a parent's group health plan because the dependent turns 26 and 'ages out.' For how long may the dependent continue coverage under COBRA?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
COBRA provides two main continuation durations. Termination of employment or reduction of hours triggers 18 months of continuation coverage. Other qualifying events — including a dependent child losing eligibility under the parent's plan, for example by aging out of dependent coverage — allow up to 36 months of continuation. Because the dependent's loss of coverage is caused by loss of dependent status rather than the employee's job loss, the longer 36-month period applies. The 18 vs. 36 month distinction is a high-yield COBRA fact tested under AH-III.C.6.
Why the other options are wrong
B) 18 months is the COBRA period for termination of employment or reduction of hours, not for a dependent losing eligibility by aging out.
C) No qualifying event produces a 12-month COBRA continuation period.
D) Aging out of dependent coverage is a recognized COBRA qualifying event, so continuation rights are available rather than immediate cutoff.
Memory hook
Lose your job = 18 months. Age out of mom's plan = 36 months. Dependents get the longer window.
Under federal COBRA, a dependent child who loses coverage because he or she exceeds the plan's maximum age for dependent coverage may continue group coverage for how long?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Under COBRA, the duration of continuation coverage depends on the qualifying event. The general rule is 18 months for the covered employee following termination of employment or reduction of hours. A dependent's loss of coverage due to a qualifying event, including a child aging out of dependent coverage, entitles the dependent to 36 months of continuation coverage. Coverage is extended to 29 months when a qualified beneficiary is determined disabled under Social Security during the first 60 days of continuation. The 36-month figure for dependent loss of eligibility is the verified exam number for the COBRA portion of the federal legislative impact anchor (AH-III.B.4).
Why the other options are wrong
B) 18 months is the general COBRA continuation period for a covered employee whose coverage ends because of termination of employment or a reduction of hours. The dependent who ages out of the plan faces a different qualifying event and receives a longer continuation period.
C) 12 months is not a COBRA continuation period. It corresponds to the HIPAA maximum preexisting condition exclusion for group health plans, which is a different federal rule governing portability rather than continuation of coverage.
D) 29 months applies when a qualified beneficiary is determined to be disabled under Social Security within the first 60 days of continuation. The aging-out dependent scenario without a disability determination is entitled to the standard 36-month period.
Memory hook
Aging out of the group gets 36 months under COBRA; termination gets 18.
A child covered under a parent's employer group health plan ages out of dependent coverage at age 26. Under COBRA, the child may continue coverage for:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
When a dependent loses coverage because of 'aging out' — reaching the ACA's 26-year-old dependent coverage limit — the child is a qualified beneficiary who may elect COBRA continuation coverage for up to 36 months. This is longer than the standard 18-month continuation for the employee's own loss of coverage, because aging out is a separate qualifying event. Agents should inform families of this option when dependents age out.
Why the other options are wrong
B) 18 months is the standard COBRA period for the employee's own loss of coverage, not for a dependent aging out.
C) 12 months is not a COBRA duration under federal law for any qualifying event.
D) 6 months is not a COBRA duration; the dependent aging-out event provides 36 months.
Under federal COBRA, a dependent child who loses eligibility under a group plan because of 'aging out' of dependent status may continue coverage for:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
COBRA continuation periods depend on the qualifying event that triggers the loss of coverage. Termination of employment or a reduction in hours generally allows 18 months of continuation, but the dependent-related events — death of the covered employee, divorce or legal separation, loss of dependent status through aging out, or the covered employee becoming entitled to Medicare — allow up to 36 months for the affected dependents. The aging-out event therefore carries the longer 36-month window, giving a young adult time to secure replacement coverage after leaving the parent's plan.
Why the other options are wrong
B) Twelve months is not a COBRA continuation period for any standard qualifying event, so this number has no basis in the federal statute.
C) Six months is not a COBRA continuation period under the federal law, so this option invents a duration the statute never uses.
D) 18 months applies to employment termination or reduction in hours, not to the dependent aging-out event, so this answer uses the wrong qualifying event's duration.
Memory hook
Aging out buys 36 months of COBRA; leaving your job buys 18. Dependent events get the longer leash.
A dependent child who loses eligibility under a parent's group health plan solely because of age may continue coverage under COBRA for up to:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
When a dependent child loses eligibility under a parent's group health plan because the child exceeds the plan's age limit for dependents — an 'aging out' event — COBRA entitles the child to continue coverage for up to 36 months. This is longer than the 18-month continuation period that applies when a covered employee loses coverage due to termination of employment or reduction in hours. The 36-month dependent extension is a specific COBRA number tested on the A&H exam. The 36-month extension also applies to other dependent qualifying events, such as divorce or legal separation, while 18 months is reserved for the employee's own loss of coverage from termination or reduced hours.
Why the other options are wrong
B) 18 months is the standard COBRA period for the employee's termination of employment or reduction in hours, not the dependent aging-out event.
C) Six months matches no COBRA continuation period for a dependent aging-out event.
D) Twelve months matches no COBRA continuation period; the dependent aging-out extension is 36 months.
Memory hook
Aging out of coverage = 36-month COBRA leash. Losing your job only buys 18; losing your dependent status buys 36.
Under COBRA, when a dependent child ages out of eligibility under a parent's group health plan, the child may continue group coverage for:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, entitles qualified beneficiaries to continue group health coverage after a qualifying event. For a dependent child who loses coverage because he or she exceeds the plan's age limit, the aging-out event, the continuation period is 36 months. This compares with the general 18-month continuation available to covered employees after termination of employment or reduction of hours. The 36-month period protects dependents who would otherwise be left uninsured at a critical transition age, and the beneficiary must pay the full premium plus an administrative charge to keep the coverage in force.
Why the other options are wrong
B) Eighteen months is the standard COBRA period for an employee's termination of employment or reduction of hours; the dependent's loss of eligibility due to exceeding the plan's age limit is a qualifying event with the longer, 36-month period.
C) Twelve months is not a COBRA continuation period for any standard qualifying event, so it cannot be the correct duration for an aging-out dependent.
D) Six months is not a COBRA continuation period under the federal continuation rules and is far too short for the aging-out event.
Memory hook
Aging out = 36 months of safety. Quitting the job = 18 months. The child past the age cap gets the longer runway.