Managed Benefits · Virginia

Virginia makes small employers offer continuation. Someone has to run it.

Virginia is a mini-COBRA state: smaller employers must let departing employees keep group coverage under state law. BEG Managed Benefits, powered by isolved, runs the notices, elections, and premium tracking so the rules are handled. You keep your broker; we do the administration.

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12 monthsVirginia state continuation limit
Broker-friendlyYou keep your broker, we do the admin
All 50States covered, Virginia included

Virginia Continuation, In Brief

What Virginia law requires

State lawVa. Code section 38.2-3541 (Conversion or continuation on termination of eligibility)
Employers coveredFully-insured group accident and sickness policies where the group policyholder is NOT required to provide federal COBRA continuation (generally employers with 2 to 19 employees).
Maximum continuationUp to 12 months
At 20 or more employeesFederal COBRA applies instead
MarketplaceRuns its own state-based marketplace: Virginia's Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace Virginia / https://www.marketplace.virginia.gov/).

Source: Virginia statute and department of insurance (law.lis.virginia.gov). This page is general information, not legal advice.

Why It Lands On You

A small Virginia employer carries big-company continuation duties

The Virginia rule reaches companies too small to have a benefits department, yet the notices, election windows, and premium tracking look a lot like federal COBRA. Miss a required notice and the exposure accrues per person. BEG Managed Benefits, powered by isolved, runs Virginia continuation the same way it runs enrollment: notices generated on the qualifying event, elections and payments tracked, and the clock watched so nothing slips. Your broker keeps advising you and placing coverage. We own the administration behind it.

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See COBRA vs mini-COBRA, or return to the Managed Benefits overview.

Questions

Virginia continuation coverage, answered

Does Virginia have a mini-COBRA law?

Yes. Virginia has a state continuation, or mini-COBRA, law that lets employees of smaller companies keep group health coverage after a qualifying event, filling the gap below the federal COBRA threshold of 20 employees. Fully-insured group accident and sickness policies where the group policyholder is NOT required to provide federal COBRA continuation (generally employers with 2 to 19 employees).

How long does Virginia continuation coverage last?

Up to 12 months, subject to the state's early-termination rules such as non-payment of premium or becoming covered under another plan.

Who is eligible to continue coverage in Virginia?

An insured whose eligibility under the group policy terminates. Present coverage continues for 12 months immediately following termination of eligibility, without evidence of insurability. Conversion to an individual policy is also available.

Does Virginia mini-COBRA replace federal COBRA?

No. Federal COBRA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, and the Virginia law covers the smaller groups federal COBRA does not reach. A company is generally subject to one or the other based on size.

Who handles the Virginia continuation notices and tracking?

The employer and insurer carry the notice and election duties, and the exposure accrues per person if they are missed. BEG Managed Benefits, powered by isolved, runs enrollment, notices, election tracking, and premium status in one system. You keep your broker; we do the administration.

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