Association of Ameritech/SBC Retirees
Association of Ameritech/SBC Retirees Blue Bulletin - Vol. 2, No. 8     Posted June 2, 2007

If you have trouble printing out this bulletin, check your browser page margin settings. You probably have page margins set too large which is cutting off the page.  Try this to correct the problem.  Open Internet Explorer, on the top line menu go to: "File" then "Page Setup", Be sure that page margins are set as follows:  "Top, Left, Right to 0.25", "Bottom to 0.5"  These margin settings should work for most inkjet and laser printers.

Association of Ameritech/SBC Retirees Blue Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 8. (June 1, 2007) Proudly representing retirees from the new AT&T Midwest Region, SBC Midwest Region, Ameritech, as well as the five Bell Companies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin   Medical Coverage Bulletin - COBRA    “COBRA COVERAGE – YOU THINK YOUR DEPENDENT IS COVERED – BUT BE CAREFUL.  THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE – YOU MAY NEED TO TAKE ACTION – If you have a dependent student that is transitioning from High School to College (or College to a Masters program), be sure that s/he is accepted as a student prior to the normal 60 day expiration window for applying for COBRA coverage.  Timing, according to COBRA events, apparently means everything!  If things don’t pan out and the dependent ends up not being accepted or for some reason s/he does’t go to school because of some unexpected event, it is likely that s/he may not be eligible for COBRA coverage under your medical plan because s/he is outside of the 60 day window of eligibility.  If an unexpected event does occur that prevents the student from continuing on, you will need to take immediate action to notify your medical plan provider of this extraordinary event if you want to obtain COBRA coverage.    And, in case you are denied, be very sure to follow all appeal steps outlined in the SPD (Service Plan Description) provided by AT&T.   (Go to https://access1.sbc.com for the SPD – Editor)     CASE IN POINT:       We are bringing this to the attention of all members because this is what happened to an AASBCR member where the member’s dependent graduated in June; was expecting to go on to graduate law school in September; but wasn’t accepted.  The notification of this EVENT came in a letter in September which was more than 60 days past her June College graduation.   As a result, the Company (AT&T/SBC) didn’t elect to cover the dependent under COBRA and, in fact, deemed that coverage for this dependent stopped in June (rather than when the event notification of loss of student status that occurred in September).  The result was that the dependent was without insurance from June through September and, in fact, AT&T stated that the dependent was not eligible for COBRA coverage under the member’s plan since the 60 day eligibility period has elapsed.  The former employee initially appealed this denial of coverage following step 1 of the appeals process.  When he was rejected, he received a letter stating that he had 180 days to perform a final appeal.  Unfortunately, the retiree didn’t follow up on the second appeal, even though had he done so, he may have won the appeal because of the extenuating circumstances and uniqueness of the “event”.    What you may want to do if you are denied COBRA or any other medical coverage:   Follow all steps of the appeal process.   Remember, not following the appeals process closely could cost you a bundle in out of pocket non-covered medical expenses.    Disclaimer:  This is a public service notice provided by the AASBCR on behalf of its members.  It is not intended as an official interpretation of the company (AT&T) sponsored COBRA plans outlined in the Company Plan SPDs but merely is a heads up to what has been described to us as a potential problem that may be encountered with COBRA and the strict interpretation of the 60 day limit rule as administered by the Company (AT&T) under the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidelines.