Managed Benefits · West Virginia
West 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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West Virginia Continuation, In Brief
| State law | W. Va. Code section 33-16-3(e) (Required policy provisions); see also section 33-16-3u |
| Employers covered | Fully-insured group accident and sickness policies. The continuation right in section 33-16-3(e) applies to members of an employee group plan; the mini-COBRA notice provisions (33-16-3u) reference small employers with fewer than 20 employees. |
| Maximum continuation | Up to 18 months |
| At 20 or more employees | Federal COBRA applies instead |
| Marketplace | Uses the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov (West Virginia does not run a state-based exchange). |
Source: West Virginia statute and department of insurance (code.wvlegislature.gov). This page is general information, not legal advice.
Why It Lands On You
The West 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 West 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.
Your monthly estimate on screen - no call required
See COBRA vs mini-COBRA, or return to the Managed Benefits overview.
Questions
Yes. West 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. The continuation right in section 33-16-3(e) applies to members of an employee group plan; the mini-COBRA notice provisions (33-16-3u) reference small employers with fewer than 20 employees.
Up to 18 months, subject to the state's early-termination rules such as non-payment of premium or becoming covered under another plan.
Members in groups/classes eligible for insurance through an employee's group plan who are INVOLUNTARILY LAID OFF from work may continue to pay premiums at the same group rate and receive the same coverage for a period not to exceed eighteen months.
No. Federal COBRA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, and the West Virginia law covers the smaller groups federal COBRA does not reach. A company is generally subject to one or the other based on size.
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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