Birth or Adoption:
Your natural child is eligible for coverage on the date of his or her birth. If you adopt a child, have a child placed with you for adoption, or acquire a stepchild through marriage, he or she will be eligible for coverage on the date of placement or marriage, as long as you are responsible for healthcare coverage and your child meets the Plan’s definition of a dependent child.

You must enroll your child for coverage before the Fund pays benefits. To enroll your child, you must provide any required documentation, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers, as soon as it is available. Once your child is enrolled, benefits will be paid retroactively to the date of the birth, placement for adoption, or marriage.

Disability:
If you are not working due to a non-occupational injury or illness, your Health Coverage may continue for up to 12 weeks through applying for FMLA with your employer. Note: FMLA is an option assuming your employer is subject to the FMLA and makes the required contribution and files the appropriate notification and certification forms with the Fund Office.

If you do not qualify for FMLA or are out longer than 12 weeks, any remaining grace weeks will be used, and then COBRA will be offered. You can be covered by COBRA for 18 months, with the possibility of extending it to 29 months.

If you become totally disabled after becoming covered under the Plan, you are under a physician’s care, and you are unable to work because of a non-occupational injury or illness, you are entitled to Weekly Disability Income Benefits. Benefits begin on the first day of an accidental injury or the eighth day of an illness.

Loss of Employment/Coverage:
If coverage is lost due to termination, voluntary or involuntary, your grace weeks will be applied and once all grace weeks have been applied, you will have the option to elect COBRA for up to 18 months.

Full Time to Part Time Hours:
If you, as a full time employee, your hours are reduced to part time benefits, you may continue under the full time benefits for up to 18 months by making self-payments as described in the SPD (page 10). However, if you have been involuntarily reduced from full time to part time employment, you may continue full time coverage through self-payments indefinitely provided you (1) remain continuously employed by the same employer and (2) you are ready, willing and able to return to full time employment when it becomes available.

Divorce:
If you and your spouse get a divorce or legal separation, your spouse will no longer be eligible for coverage. Your spouse may elect to continue coverage under COBRA for up to 36 months upon divorce or legal separation. You or your spouse must notify the Fund office within 60 days of the divorce or separation date for your spouse to obtain COBRA continuation coverage. You must also submit a copy of the divorce decree to the Fund office.

Retirement:
Before 65: You may continue coverage under Plan 1 (full time) or Plan 2 (part time) for the first 18 months subject to COBRA. No coverage will be available under the Plan when both you and your spouse attain age 65.

At or After 65: You can sign up for the Senior Gold Medicare Supplement. To sign up for Senior Gold, you need to have signed up for Medicare Part A & B. If your spouse is not yet Medicare eligible, they will be offered COBRA until they become Medicare eligible. Once Medicare Eligible, they would be able to sign up for the Supplemental Plan as well.

Dependent Children not eligible for Medicare may continue Plan coverage through COBRA for up to 36 months from your retirement.

Death:
In the event of your death, your dependents may continue coverage for up to 36 months by electing COBRA continuation coverage.

Retirement: Pension
You should apply for your pension at least 90 days prior to your retirement date by completing an Application for Benefits and submitting it to the Fund Office. Once your Application for Benefits has been received by the Fund Office, additional information will be furnished to you regarding payment options available to you under the terms of the Plan as well as the dollar amount payable under each of the available payment options.

Serving in the Uniformed Services (For Active Employees)

Pension Credit
You must notify the Fund Office in writing prior to or upon entry into military service. If you return to work for a Contributing Employer within the time limits described below following an honorable discharge from military service, you will be entitled to Credited Service and Vesting Service according to the following provisions.

When you are discharged from military service, you must return to work for a Contributing Employer within the following time limits in order to be eligible for the crediting of contributions and service:

1. If you were in military service for less than thirty-one (31) days, you must return to work on the next regularly scheduled work day following an eight (8) hour period after discharge.
2. If you were in military service for thirty-one (31) to one hundred eighty (180) days, you must return to work within fourteen (14) days of discharge.
3. If you were in military service for more than one hundred eighty (180) days, you must return to work within ninety (90) days of discharge.

These time limits may be extended (according to federal law) if you suffered a service-connected injury or illness.


If you return to employment with a Contributing Employer, you must:

1. Provide the Fund Office with a copy of your discharge papers within fourteen (14) days of returning to work. The discharge papers must indicate the date of induction, the date of discharge or termination of duty, and whether or not the discharge was honorable. (You must have received an honorable discharge to be eligible for benefits.)
2. Notify the Fund office if you have returned to work, but with a different Contributing Employer than you were employed by at the time of your entry into military service.

Returning to Work After Retirement:
If you retired and are receiving your monthly pension, you must contact the Fund Office if you return to work in the industry. You’re limited on the number of hours you can work in the industry and still continue to receive your monthly pension.

Divorce:
Your pension may be considered marital property and can be assigned in a divorce settlement. It is assigned by a court order called a “Qualified Domestic Relations Order” (QDRO). A QDRO gives the divorced spouse or other dependent, called an “Alternate Payee,” their share of an asset, such as a pension or retirement plan benefit. A QDRO can be incorporated directly into a decree or judgment, but this is rare. Usually, it is a separate order, and is usually entered after the divorce/separation is final. The Fund does not prepare the QDRO. This must be done by either your attorney or your spouse’s attorney and must comply with the Plan’s procedures for administering a QDRO. To assist you and your attorney in preparing a QDRO, please contact the Fund Office to request a copy of sample model language.

Death:

Before Retirement:

The Plan makes it possible for you to provide an income to your qualified spouse in the event you should die before retirement if you are vested for a benefit. Your qualified spouse is the person to whom you have been married throughout the twelve (12) month period preceding your death.

If you die, your qualified spouse will receive monthly survivor benefit payments for the remainder their life. This benefit payment is called a Qualified Preretirement Survivor Annuity (“QPSA”). If you have at least 15 years of credited service, your qualified spouse may begin receiving a QPSA on or after the date at which you would have attained fifty-two (52) years of age. If you did not have 15 years of credited service at the time of your death, your surviving spouse would not be eligible to receive the QPSA benefit until the date on which you would have reached sixty two (62) years of age.


After Retirement:

Death Benefits after retirement depend on the form of benefit payment you choose when you began receiving your pension. If you have a qualified spouse upon retirement, the following payment options are available to you:

• • Joint & 50% Survivor Annuity
• • Joint & 75% Survivor Annuity
• • Single-Life Annuity

If you elect to receive your pension in the form of a Joint & Survivor Annuity, your qualified spouse will receive a monthly benefit for their life in the event of your death. If you elect a Single-Life Annuity, no further benefits would be payable from the Plan upon your death. If you are not married when you begin to receive your pension, the only payment option available to you is the Single-Life Annuity.