From oebbbusman at omls.oregon.gov  Mon Apr 26 15:47:32 2021
From: oebbbusman at omls.oregon.gov (Business Managers-OEBB)
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:47:32 +0000
Subject: [OEBBBUSMAN] OEBB PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE FOR MAY 2021
Message-ID: <mailman.375.1619477256.1775.oebbbusman@omls.oregon.gov>

Message to Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB) Interested Parties:

The Oregon Educators Benefit Board will hold the following public meeting(s) in MAY 2021.

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021, 1:00 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.; The OEBB BOARD will meet in public session via Teams video conference.

TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021, 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; The OEBB/PEBB JOINT INNOVATION WORKGAROUP will meet in public session via Teams video conference.

THESE MEETINGS WILL BE HELD VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE ONLY!
The public may view the video conference by logging onto the OEBB website -  https://www.oregon.gov/oha/OEBB/Pages/Public-Meetings.aspx  - and click on OEBB Board Meetings, then click on May 4, 2021.
The public may view the video conference by logging onto the OEBB website -  https://www.oregon.gov/oha/OPEBB/Pages/Meetings.aspx  - and click on Innovation Workgroup, May 18, 2021.
For more detailed information, please visit the Public Meetings page of the OEBB website<http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/OEBB/Pages/Public-Meetings.aspx>. Agendas are typically posted the Friday prior to the meeting, with other documents and video stream links added the day of the meeting.

The meeting date, times, agenda items and locations are subject to change.

 ******************

There is no meeting location for these meetings as they are conducted by video conferencing using Microsoft Teams.  It is possible to turn on closed captioning for the hearing impaired during the meeting.  If you have any questions regarding this feature, please contact Rose Mann at 503-378-4606 or by email at rose.mann at dhsoha.state.or.us<mailto:rose.mann at dhsoha.state.or.us> .



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From oebbbusman at omls.oregon.gov  Fri Apr 30 13:57:53 2021
From: oebbbusman at omls.oregon.gov (Business Managers-OEBB)
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:57:53 +0000
Subject: [OEBBBUSMAN] ARP COBRA Subsidy
Message-ID: <mailman.826.1619816276.1775.oebbbusman@omls.oregon.gov>

Dear OEBB Benefits Administrators, Business Managers, and Premium Contacts -

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) was signed on March 11, 2021. This new federal law subsidizes the full COBRA premium for "Assistance Eligible Individuals" (AEI). This premium assistance is available April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021.

An AEI qualifies for COBRA premium assistance if they:


  *   lose benefits due to an involuntary employment termination or work hours reduction, AND
  *   are not eligible for other group health coverage (a new employer or spouse's employer plan), AND
  *   are not eligible for Medicare, AND
  *   are eligible and elect COBRA during the subsidy period.

Employers are responsible for paying 100 percent of an AEI's COBRA premium during the subsidy period (April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021). You will be reimbursed by the federal government through:


  *   a credit against payroll taxes, and (if applicable)
  *   an overpayment refund for credit amounts exceeding payroll taxes.

Employers that don't satisfy COBRA continuation coverage requirements may be investigated by the Department of Labor. They may also be subject to an excise tax under the Internal Revenue Code.

OEBB currently contracts with BenefitHelp Solutions (BHS) for our COBRA needs.  Together we have developed the following process to determine subsidy eligibility:


  *   BHS will send legally required COBRA notices to all current COBRA members and those newly eligible, no later than May 31, 2021.
  *   BHS will also send an attestation form. This form outlines the subsidy eligibility requirements. The beneficiary will need to sign and date the form attesting that they are eligible for the subsidy program if they wish to enroll.
  *   BHS will send OEBB a weekly list of members who wish to enroll and have attested they are eligible for the subsidy. We will send you your list of members, asking you to note their termination reasons (involuntary, voluntary, or reduction in hours) and return your list to OEBB.
  *   OEBB will send the lists to BHS.
  *   BHS will enroll those you have confirmed as eligible (referred to as "eligible beneficiaries") into the COBRA subsidy program.
  *   BHS will enroll eligible beneficiaries (and their dependents, as applicable) retroactively effective April 1, 2021.

This completes the first part of the process. We are currently working out the invoice and billing process.  We will provide those details once we have a solution in place.

Thank you for your patience as we work through compliance with this law. Our number one goal is to create a simple process with the least amount of additional work for you.

If you have questions about:

  *   eligibility for the subsidy, please call BHS at 1-800-556-2230.
  *   the process, please email Sheila Clausen, OEBB/PEBB Policy Analyst at: SHEILA.C.CLAUSEN at dhsoha.state.or.us<mailto:SHEILA.C.CLAUSEN at dhsoha.state.or.us>.


Regards,

Ali Hassoun
Director
Oregon Educators Benefit Board / Public Employees' Benefit Board
Oregon Health Authority - Health Policy & Analytics

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