EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT ("ERISA")
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REQUIRED BY ERISA
1.
The Plan Year starts on January 1 and ends on December 31, and consists
of an entire calendar year for the purposes of accounting and preparing the
reporting and disclosure information which must be submitted to the United
States Department of Labor and other regulatory bodies.
2.
The Plan is maintained by more than ten Collective Bargaining Agreements
which are between the Teamsters Locals 107, 115, 312, 326, 331, 384, 463, 470,
500, 623, 628, 676 and 929 and various employer associations that have entered
into labor contracts with these Local Unions. Other groups participate in the
benefit program by reason of Participation Agreements.
3.
The Plan is funded through employer contributions, the amount of which is
specified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between your employer and your
Local Union.
4.
Benefits provided under the Plan, other than death benefits, are
self-insured and paid directly from the corpus of the Trust Fund. The Trustees
retain the right to amend the Plan of Benefits set forth in this booklet to the
fullest extent provided by law.
5.
Your Collective Bargaining Agreement may be reviewed at the Fund office.
6.
Upon written request, the Administrator will furnish you with information
as to whether a particular employer participates in the Plan and, if so, his
address.
7.
This Plan provides comprehensive Hospitalization, Surgical, Medical,
Dental, Vision, Death and Dismemberment, Short-term Weekly Disability and
Prescription Drug Benefits. Please refer to the Table of Contents and the
Summary of Benefits Schedule for more information concerning the benefits
provided under this Plan.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REQUIRED BY
ERISA
As a participant in the
Fund you are entitled to certain rights and protections under the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), as amended, provided that all
Plan participants shall be entitled to:
Receive Information About Your Plan and Benefits
Examine, without charge, at
the Plan Administrator's office, and at other specified locations, such as
worksites and union halls, all documents governing the Plan, including insurance
contracts, if any, Collective Bargaining Agreements and a copy of the latest
annual report (Form 5500 Series) filed by the Plan with the U.S. Department of
Labor and available at the Public Disclosure Room of the Employee Benefits
Security Administration.
Obtain, upon written
request to the Plan Administrator, copies of documents governing the operation
of the Plan, insurance contracts, if any, Collective Bargaining Agreements and
copies of the latest annual report (Form 5500 Series) and updated Summary Plan
Description. The Administrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies.
Receive a summary of the
Plan's annual financial report. The Plan Administrator is required by law to
furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.
Continue Group
Health Plan Coverage
Continued
health care coverage for yourself, spouse or dependents if there is a loss of
coverage under the Plan as a result of a qualifying event. You or your
dependents may have to pay for such coverage. Review this Summary Plan
Description and the documents governing the Plan on the rules governing your
COBRA continuation coverage rights.
Reduction or elimination of
exclusionary periods of coverage for preexisting conditions under your group
health plan, if you have credible coverage from another plan. You should be
provided a certificate of creditable coverage, free of charge, from your group
health plan or health insurance issuer when you lose coverage under the plan,
when you become entitled to elect COBRA continuation coverage, when your COBRA
continuation coverage ceases, if you request it before losing coverage, or if
you request it up; to 24 months after losing coverage. Without evidence of
creditable coverage, you may be subjected to a preexisting condition exclusion
for 12 months (18 months for late enrollees) after your enrollment date in your
coverage. The Fund’s Plan does not contain any exclusions for preexisting
conditions.
Prudent Actions by Plan Fiduciaries
In
addition to creating rights for Plan participants, ERISA imposes duties upon the
people who are responsible for the operation of the Employee Benefit Plan. The
people who operate your Plan, called "fiduciaries" of the Plan, have a duty to
do so prudently and in the interest of you and other Plan participants and
beneficiaries. No one, including your employer, your union, or any other person,
may fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you
from obtaining a welfare benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA.
Enforcing Your Rights
If your claim for a benefit
under this Plan is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, your have a right to
know why this was done, to obtain copies of documents relating to the decision
without charge, and to appeal any denial, all within certain time schedules.
Under ERISA there are steps
you can take to enforce the above rights. For instance, if you request a copy of
Plan documents or the latest annual report from the Plan and do not receive them
within 30 days, you may file suit in a Federal court. In such a case, the court
may require the Plan Administrator to provide the materials and pay you up to
$110 a day until you receive the materials, unless the materials were not sent
because of reasons beyond the control of the Administrator. If you have a claim
for benefits which is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, you may file suit
in a state or Federal court. If you disagree with the Fund’s decision or lack
thereof concerning the qualified status of a medical child support order, you
may file suit in a Federal court. If it should happen that Plan fiduciaries
misuse the Plan's money, or if you are discriminated against for asserting your
rights, you may seek assistance from the U.S. Department of Labor, or you may
file suit in a Federal court. The court will decide who should pay court costs
and legal fees. If you are successful, the court may order the person you have
sued to pay these fees. If you lose, the court may order you to pay these costs
and fees. For example: If it finds your claim is frivolous.
Assistance with Your Questions
If you have any questions
about your Plan, you should contact the Plan Administrator. If you have any
questions about this statement or about your rights under ERISA, or if you need
assistance in obtaining documents from the Plan Administrator, you should
contact the nearest office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor, listed in your telephone directory, or the Division of
Technical Assistance and Inquiries, Employee Benefits Security Administration,
U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210.
You may also obtain certain publications about your rights and responsibilities
under ERISA by calling the publications hotline of the Pension and Welfare
Benefits Administration.
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