Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
A dependent child who loses coverage under a parent's group plan because of reaching the plan's maximum dependent age may continue coverage under COBRA for up to:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
A dependent's aging out of a group plan is a qualifying event that triggers a 36-month COBRA continuation period, longer than the 18 months allowed for an employee's termination. This extended period reflects the fact that a dependent losing coverage is not losing a job but losing eligibility. The ACA's age-26 dependent coverage and the COBRA aging-out extension are paired concepts examined under AH-III.C.6, which tests both how long dependents can stay covered and how they continue when the coverage ends.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Eighteen months applies to termination of employment or reduction in hours, not to a dependent aging out.
- C) Twelve months is not a COBRA continuation period for any qualifying event.
- D) No COBRA qualifying event carries a five-year continuation period.
Memory hook
Aging out of the family plan buys 36 months of COBRA runway.