UPDATE:  July 6, 2009

Illinois has extended state continuation benefits from nine months to twelve months.

February 27, 2009 

Employees who were laid off from September 1, 2008, through December 31, 2009 will be eligible for a 65% federal subsidy of their COBRA premiums under provisions in the massive economic stimulus bill. The Internal Revenue Service has released new detailed information that will help employers claim credit for the COBRA medical premiums they pay for their former employees. The IRS unveiled new information on its Web site, IRS.gov, that includes an extensive set of questions and answers for employers. In addition, the Web site contains a revised version of the quarterly payroll tax return that employers will use to claim credit for the COBRA medical premiums they pay for their former employees.