Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Connecticut program

Continuing work coverage after a job change (state continuation)

A Connecticut right to keep an insured work health plan after certain job changes.

What it is

A Connecticut right to keep an insured work health plan after certain job changes.

Keeping an existing plan can preserve familiar treatment arrangements during a work change. Connecticut continuation depends on the kind of policy, not simply employer size. The full premium is the main cost to compare.

Eligibility rules
  • The policy must be a Connecticut-issued insured group plan. The bulletin includes employers of any size, including public, nonprofit and church employers.
  • Qualifying changes include layoff, reduced hours, leave or leaving a job other than for gross misconduct.
What you get
  • The existing health plan for up to 30 months after qualifying work changes.
  • Continued access under the existing plan, subject to its ongoing coverage terms.
What the help covers
  • For ordinary job loss or reduced hours, Connecticut continuation can last up to 30 months. Specified dependent events can allow 36 months.
  • The premium can be up to 102% of the full plan cost. Federal COBRA is a separate route for plans it covers.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask HR for the continuation notice, full monthly premium and coverage end date in writing.
  2. Ask whether the policy is Connecticut-issued and insured, or self-funded.
  3. Ask HR and the hospital to confirm current network access and treatment approvals, then compare continuation with Access Health CT.

The employer and the insurer. 860-297-3900 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The model notice gives 60 days to elect, then 45 days after election for the first payment. Later premiums have a 30-day grace period.
  • Timely election and payment generally keep coverage continuous. Reversing an earlier waiver can change the start date. Your social worker can compare the actual notice, deadline and premium with other coverage.
Good to know

You generally pay the full premium, plus a permitted administrative charge. A self-funded employer plan falls outside this state continuation rule.

Other details
  • Changing to a marketplace plan can change the network and treatment approvals. Keeping the work plan requires budgeting for the employer’s former share of the premium too.
  • A continued plan can still change its terms. HR and the hospital can confirm the current network, deductible treatment and approvals.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“What would keeping our work plan cost, and would it preserve our child’s treatment arrangements? Could you compare that with a marketplace plan and help with the election if we choose it?”

Why I’m asking: I want to weigh treatment continuity against the full monthly premium.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Discuss the benefit and tradeoffs with the social worker. Ask HR for the continuation notice, full monthly premium and coverage end date in writing. Ask whether the policy is Connecticut-issued and insured, or self-funded. Ask HR and the hospital to confirm current network access and treatment approvals, then compare continuation with Access Health CT.

Your social worker

HR sends the notice and names the monthly cost.

The care team

Nothing.

Who decides
The employer and the insurer.
Ask HR
“What would keeping our work plan cost, and would it preserve our child’s treatment arrangements? Could you compare that with a marketplace plan and help with the election if we choose it?”

How to apply

First step: Your social worker can help you discuss this route and prepare the request if it fits. Ask HR for the continuation notice, full monthly premium and coverage end date in writing.

  1. Ask HR for the continuation notice, full monthly premium and coverage end date in writing.
  2. Ask whether the policy is Connecticut-issued and insured, or self-funded.
  3. Ask HR and the hospital to confirm current network access and treatment approvals, then compare continuation with Access Health CT.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: HR supplies the continuation notice, premium and covered event. The social worker can help compare the 60-day election window, 45-day first-payment deadline and other coverage.

What to gather

  • The notice from HR
  • The monthly premium
  • The date coverage would otherwise end

How long: The model notice gives 60 days to elect, then 45 days after election for the first payment. Later premiums have a 30-day grace period.

Clock: 60 days from the notice to elect, then 45 days from electing to make the first payment.

What a yes looks like

The administrator confirms continuation dates, premiums and applicable plan terms in writing.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If HR says the plan is self-funded, ask about federal COBRA instead, and check Access Health CT's 60-day window.

Watch out

  • The full premium can include up to a 2% administrative charge.
  • The state route concerns Connecticut-issued insured group policies, not self-funded plans.
  • Timely election and payment generally bridge coverage, but reversing an earlier waiver can change the start date.

Dates that change this

2026-09-11: CID’s current continuation page still links the model election notice. The notice gives 60 days to elect and 45 days for the first payment, with continuity depending on timely election/payment and any earlier waiver.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Up to 30 months on the same plan, with 60 days to elect and 45 days to pay.

  • $30 — Maximum continuation for a job loss or reduced hours
  • $60 — Days to elect after the notice
  • $45 — Days after electing to make the first payment

Covers: The existing group plan continues under its ongoing terms; network, approvals and deductible treatment require confirmation.

Legal protection: The employee, the spouse and a dependent child are all named in the model notice

What it costs the family: Up to 102% of the full plan premium.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
any
Income
no income test
Insurance status condition
a Connecticut-issued insured employer group plan
Residency
Connecticut
Processing standard
The actual continuation notice supplies election and payment dates; HR and the insurer confirm activation and continuity.

Decisions this site cannot make: The insurer and employer confirm the plan is a Connecticut-issued insured group policy

Expect friction on: The premium can be up to 102% of the full plan cost.

The trap: You generally pay the full premium, plus a permitted administrative charge. A self-funded employer plan falls outside this state continuation rule.

Where I read this

← Back to your options