hr-offboard

> **Templates only - not employment-law advice.** Have HR counsel review every separation - final-pay timing, COBRA/mini-COBRA, OWBPA release, and data preservation are statutory and state-specific.

# HR - Offboarding

Generate a complete offboarding checklist that covers state-specific final-pay timing, federal-vs-mini COBRA routing, OWBPA-compliant separation agreements, McLaren Macomb-compliant non-disparagement, and data-preservation-before-revocation.

## Pre-flight (REQUIRED - refuses to generate without these)

1. **Employee name and role**
2. **Departure type**: voluntary planned / voluntary immediate / involuntary with notice / involuntary immediate / contract end
3. **State of employment** - drives final-pay timing rule
4. **Country**
5. **Total headcount** - drives federal-vs-mini COBRA, federal vs mini-WARN
6. **Whether employee is age 40+** - triggers OWBPA/ADEA 21-day + 7-day release window (45-day if group RIF)
7. **Whether group RIF** - triggers OWBPA written disclosure of decisional unit + selection criteria for 40+ employees
8. **Whether active legal hold / litigation / harassment complaint involving this employee** - DO NOT proceed; route to counsel

## Usage

```
/hr offboard <employee name and departure type>
```

## State-by-state final-pay timing matrix (US)

### Involuntary termination - final wages due

| State | Timing | Citation | Penalty for late |
|-------|--------|----------|-------------------|
| **CA** | Same day, all wages including accrued vacation | Lab. Code §§ 201-203 | Waiting-time penalty up to **30 days of wages** |
| **MA** | Same day | M.G.L. c. 149, §148 | Treble damages + atty fees |
| **CO** | Immediately if practical, else within 6 hours of next business day, or 24 hrs if at offsite location | C.R.S. §8-4-109 | Penalty up to 125% of wages owed (CDLE) |
| **HI** | Immediately or by next business day | HRS §388-3 | Penalty + atty fees |
| **CT** | By next business day after discharge | C.G.S. §31-71c | 2x wages |
| **MT** | Immediately if discharged for cause; within 4 hrs or end of business day otherwise | Mont. Code §39-3-205 | Penalty + interest; **note no at-will after probation** |
| **NV** | Immediately | NRS §608.020 | Continued wages |
| **NY** | Next regular payday | Lab. Law §191 | 100% liquidated damages |
| **IL** | By next regular payday or sooner if practicable | 820 ILCS 115/5 | 2% per month + atty fees |
| **TX** | Within 6 days | Tex. Lab. §61.014 | Admin penalty |
| **All others** | Next regular payday is safest default - verify with state DOL |

### Voluntary resignation - final wages due

| State | Timing |
|-------|--------|
| **CA** | With 72+ hrs notice → last day; without notice → within 72 hrs |
| **MA** | Next regular payday |
| **CO** | Next regular payday |
| **Most others** | Next regular payday |

### What's included in "final wages"

- All earned salary/wages through last day worked
- **Accrued, unused PTO/vacation** if state law or company policy treats it as wages (CA, CO, IL, LA, MA, MT, ND, NE, NY-employer-policy-driven, RI, etc. - many states)
- Unpaid commissions earned per commission plan
- Reimbursable expenses
- 401(k) deferral final paycheck (per plan)

## Federal vs state mini-COBRA routing

### Federal COBRA - applies if employer had 20+ EE on more than 50% of typical business days in prior calendar year

- **Notification timeline**: Employer notifies plan administrator within **30 days** of qualifying event; plan administrator notifies qualified beneficiary within **14 days**. **Total: 44 days max** to deliver Election Notice.
- **Election period**: Qualified beneficiary has **60 days** to elect from later of (i) date of Election Notice or (ii) date coverage ended.
- **Coverage duration**: 18 months (29 if disabled), 36 for dependents on certain qualifying events.
- **Premium**: up to 102% of full premium (employee + employer share + 2% admin).

### State mini-COBRA - applies if employer < 20 EE (federal exempt) - **CRITICAL for SMBs at this pack's target size**

| State | Statute | Coverage duration | Notes |
|-------|---------|-------------------|-------|
| **CA Cal-COBRA** | Ins. Code §10128.51 et seq. | Up to 36 months total (combines with federal if applicable) | Applies to 2-19 EE plans |
| **NY** | Ins. Law §3221(m) | 36 months | All group plans |
| **NJ** | N.J.S.A. §17B:27-51.12 | 18 months | 2-50 EE |
| **CT** | C.G.S. §38a-554 | 30 months | All group plans |
| **MA** | M.G.L. c. 176J | 36 months | Small group |
| **IL** | 215 ILCS 5/367e | 12 months | 2-19 EE |
| **FL, GA, MD, MN, NC, NH, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, WI, WY, DC** | Various | Varies by state | Verify state insurance code |

**Rule of thumb**: if employer has <20 EE, federal COBRA does NOT apply. Use state mini-COBRA (or no continuation if state has none and plan is fully insured but not required to offer continuation). Verify with broker/counsel.

## Output

```markdown
## Offboarding: [Employee Name]
**Departure Type:** [Voluntary / Involuntary / Contract End]
**Last Day:** [Date] | **State:** [State] | **Headcount:** [#] | **Age 40+:** [Y/N] | **Manager:** [Manager] | **HR Contact:** [Contact]

### A. BEFORE access revocation - Data preservation (REQUIRED)

- [ ] **Litigation hold check**: any active or anticipated litigation, harassment complaint, EEOC charge, DOL investigation, or whistleblower issue → preserve email, Slack, files in litigation hold; do NOT delete account
- [ ] **Email export**: forward owner-needed emails to manager; preserve mailbox in cold archive (90+ days minimum, longer if policy requires)
- [ ] **File ownership transfer**: transfer Google Drive / Dropbox / SharePoint / source code commit ownership to backup owner before revoking access
- [ ] **Customer-facing accounts**: change passwords on shared accounts (CRM, support, social media); document handoff
- [ ] **GDPR / state privacy**: if EU-based or CA-based employee, log data-processing change per Art. 30 ROPA / CPRA. Honor deletion reque