Plans and enrollees should ignore the outbreak period — the COVID-19 national emergency period, plus 60 days — when applying the affected benefits provision deadlines, officials write. (Photo: Mike Scarcella/ALM)

Officials at the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) say they have worked with the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  to give workers a lot more time to respond to common types of benefits action notices.

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EBSA and IRS officials write in the new final rule draft that the rule will ease the:

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) coverage access request deadline.
• The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985  (COBRA) group coverage continuation request deadline.
• The COBRA coverage continuation premium payment deadline.
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) benefits claim decision appeal and external review deadlines.
• A benefit plan's benefit claim filing deadlines.
• The deadlines benefit plans must meet when they send out COBRA continuation coverage eligibility notices.

The final regulation timeframe rules will affect any type of benefit plan affected by the claim filing deadline rules, the claim appeal and external review deadline rules, and the coverage continuation deadline rules, not just group health plans, EBSA and IRS officials write.