A federal law, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (COBRA), requires that most employers sponsoring group health plans offer to employees, their spouses and eligible dependents the opportunity for a temporary extension of health coverage (called "continuation coverage") at group rates in certain instances (called "qualifying events") where coverage under the plan would otherwise end. The Citi plans that are subject to COBRA are the Citigroup Health Benefits Plan, the Citigroup Dental Benefit Plan, the Citigroup Vision Benefit Plan and the health care spending accounts (HCSA/LPSA) under the Citigroup Spending Account Plan (collectively the "Health Plans"). Federal law does not require it, but Citi provides coverage similar to COBRA to partners of employees as well.

Eligibility to elect COBRA coverage is contingent upon the Health Plan in which you were enrolled as an active employee prior to the qualifying event.

The following information is intended to inform you of your rights and obligations under the continuation coverage provisions of the law.

You do not have to show that you are insurable to elect continuation coverage. However, continuation coverage under COBRA is provided subject to your eligibility for coverage.

Citi reserves the right to terminate your coverage retroactively if you are determined to be ineligible under the terms of the Health Plans.

You must pay the entire contribution (employee plus employer cost) plus a 2% administration fee for your continuation coverage. A grace period of at least 60 days applies to the payment of the regularly scheduled contribution.

Note: You may have options other than the COBRA continuation of health benefits available to you when you lose group health coverage. For example, you may be eligible to buy an individual plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace. By enrolling in coverage through the Marketplace, you may qualify for lower costs on your monthly premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs. The day after your employment terminates and you are ineligible for coverage under the Citi health plan, there is a 60-day special enrollment period during which you can enroll for coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace. If you are considering enrolling for coverage under the Exchange, be mindful of this enrollment deadline.

You have a right to choose this continuation coverage if:

If you terminate employment following a leave of absence qualifying under FMLA the qualifying event that will trigger continuation coverage will be deemed to occur on the earlier of (a) the date that you indicate you will not be returning to work following the leave; (b) the date that you do not return to work after the leave; or (c) the last day of the FMLA leave period.

If you are the spouse/partner of an employee and are covered by the Citigroup Health Benefit Plan, the Citigroup Dental Benefit Plan or the Citigroup Vision Benefit Plan (or your claims can be reimbursed through your spouse's/partner's HCSA or LPSA) and you lose coverage under a Citi-sponsored group health plan for any of the following four reasons on the day before the qualifying event, you are a qualified beneficiary and have the right to elect continuation coverage for yourself:

If you are a covered dependent child of an employee who is covered by the Citigroup Health Benefit Plan, the Citigroup Dental Benefit Plan, the Citigroup Vision Benefit Plan or HCSA or LPSA on the day before the qualifying event and you lose coverage under a Citi-sponsored group health plan for any of the following five reasons, you are also a qualified beneficiary and have the right to continuation coverage:

If the covered employee elects continuation coverage and then has a child (either by birth, adoption or placement for adoption) during that period of continuation coverage the new child is also eligible to become a qualified beneficiary.

According to the terms of the employer-sponsored group health plans and the requirements of federal law, these qualified beneficiaries can be added to COBRA coverage upon proper notification to Citi of the birth or adoption.

If the covered employee fails to notify Citi in a timely fashion (according to the terms of the Citi-sponsored Health Plans), the covered employee will not be offered the option to elect COBRA coverage for the child. Newly acquired dependents (other than children born to, adopted by or placed for adoption with the employee) will not be considered qualified beneficiaries but may be added to the employee's continuation coverage.

Each qualified beneficiary has an independent election right for COBRA coverage. For example, if there is a choice among types of coverage, each qualified beneficiary who is eligible for continuation coverage is entitled to make a separate election among the types of coverage. Thus, a spouse/partner or dependent child is entitled to elect continuation coverage even if the covered employee does not make that election. A spouse/partner or dependent child may elect different coverage from that chosen by the employee.

To inquire about COBRA coverage, speak to a Citi Benefits Center representative. Call ConnectOne at 1 (800) 881-3938. See the For More Information section for detailed instructions, including TDD and international assistance.

Several weeks after your COBRA-qualifying event, you automatically will receive COBRA election information from Citi's COBRA Administrator. Citi considers the date of the qualifying event as the day your employment terminated or another qualifying event occurred. Under the law, you must elect continuation coverage within 60 days from the date you lost coverage as a result of one of the events described above, or, if later, 60 days after Citi provides notice of your right to elect continuation coverage. An employee or family member who does not choose continuation coverage within the time period described above will lose the right to elect continuation coverage.

If you elect continuation coverage, Citi is required to give you coverage that, as of the time coverage is being provided, is identical to the coverage provided under the Health Plans to similarly situated employees or family members. If the coverage for similarly situated employees or family members is modified, your coverage will be modified, too. "Similarly situated" refers to a current employee or dependent who has not had a qualifying event.

The law requires that you be provided the opportunity to maintain continuation coverage for up to 18 months if you lose group health coverage because of a termination of employment or a reduction in work hours.

COBRA continuation coverage is available for your spouse/partner and eligible dependents for up to 36 months when the qualifying event is the death of the covered employee, divorce or legal separation, the covered employee becoming entitled to Medicare, or a dependent child's loss of eligibility as a dependent child.

Additional qualifying events may occur while the continuation coverage is in effect after an initial qualifying event, such as loss of employment. Examples of such events are the death of the covered employee, divorce, legal separation, the covered employee becoming entitled to Medicare, or a dependent child's loss of dependent status.

If you lose coverage because of a termination of employment or a reduction in hours, these events can, but do not always, result in an extension of an 18-month continuation period to 36 months for your spouse/partner and dependent children. However, in no event will COBRA coverage last beyond 36 months from the date of the event that originally allowed a qualified beneficiary to elect such coverage. You must notify the Citi Benefits Center if a second qualifying event occurs during your continuation coverage period. Call ConnectOne at 1 (800) 881-3938. See the For More Information section for detailed instructions, including TDD and international assistance.

When COBRA medical coverage ends, generally you cannot convert your coverage to an individual medical policy.

Generally, unless required by law, continuation coverage for HCSA and LPSA will not be available beyond the end of the year in which the qualifying event occurs. For more information, please see the Spending Accounts section.

The 18 months may be extended to 29 months if the employee or covered family member is determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to be disabled at any time during the first 60 days of continuation coverage.

This 11-month extension is available to all family members who are qualified beneficiaries due to termination of employment or reduction in hours of employment, even those who are not disabled. To benefit from the extension, the qualified beneficiary must inform the Citi Benefits Center within 60 days of the SSA determination of disability and before the end of the original 18-month continuation coverage period. If, during continued coverage, the SSA determines that the qualified beneficiary is no longer disabled, the individual must inform the Citi Benefits Center of this redetermination within 30 days of the date it is made, at which time the 11-month extension will end.

If you or a covered family member is disabled and another qualifying event occurs within the 29-month continuation period, then the continuation coverage period for your qualified beneficiaries is 36 months after your termination of employment or reduction in hours.

If, within 18 months after becoming entitled to Medicare, you subsequently lose Health Plan coverage due to your termination of employment or reduction in hours, your eligible dependents' COBRA coverage will not end before 36 months from the date you became entitled to Medicare. However, your eligible dependents' COBRA coverage will not extend beyond 36 months.

The law provides that continuation coverage may be cut short prior to the expiration of the 18-, 29- or 36-month period for any person who elected COBRA for any of the following five reasons:

A leave that qualifies under the FMLA does not make you eligible for COBRA coverage. However, regardless of whether you lose coverage because of non-payment of premiums during an FMLA leave or you decide not to return to active employment, you are still eligible for COBRA on the last day of the FMLA leave. Your continuation coverage will begin on the earliest of the following:

For purposes of an FMLA leave, you will be eligible for COBRA, as described above, only if:

Under the law, the employee or a family member is responsible for notifying Citi of:

This notice must be provided within 60 days from the date of the divorce, legal separation, a child's loss of dependent status or an additional qualifying event. In the case of a disability determination, the notice must be provided within 60 days after the SSA's disability determination and before the end of the initial 18-month continuation coverage.

If the employee or a family member fails to provide this notice to Citi during this notice period, any individual(s) who loses coverage will not be offered the option to elect continuation coverage.

The notice may be in writing and must include the following information:

Mail this information to the address below if the covered person is an active employee of Citi:

When Citi is notified that one of these events has occurred, Citi, in turn, will notify you that you have the right to elect continuation coverage. If you or your family member fails to notify Citi and any claims are mistakenly paid for expenses incurred after the date coverage would normally be lost because of the divorce, legal separation or a child's loss of dependent status, you and your family members may be required to reimburse the applicable Health Plans for any claims mistakenly paid.

If any of the following events results in a loss of coverage, qualified beneficiaries will be notified of the right to elect continuation coverage automatically without any action required by the employee or a family member:

Under the law, you may be required to pay up to 102% of the premium for your continuation coverage. If your coverage is extended from 18 to 29 months for disability, you will be required to pay 150% of the premium beginning with the 19th month of continuation coverage.

The cost of group health coverage periodically changes. If you elect continuation coverage, Citi will notify you of any changes in the cost. If coverage under the applicable Health Plan(s) is modified for similarly situated non-COBRA beneficiaries, the coverage made available to you may be modified in the same way. You and your family members will be subject to these changes in the cost of coverage.

The initial payment for continuation coverage is due 60 days from the date of your election. Thereafter, you must pay for coverage on a monthly basis for which you have a grace period of at least 60 days.

If you have any questions about COBRA coverage or the application of the law, contact the COBRA Administrator at the address below. If the covered person has terminated employment with Citi and your marital status has changed, or you or a qualified beneficiary has changed addresses, or a dependent ceases to be a dependent eligible for coverage under the terms of the Health Plan(s), you may notify the COBRA Administrator in writing immediately at the address below.

All notices and other communications regarding COBRA and Citi-sponsored Health Plans should be directed to:

You may also call the Citi Benefits Center through ConnectOne at 1 (800) 881-3938. See the For More Information section for detailed instructions, including TDD and international assistance.