Eligibility Rules Back to Member Services Eligibility rules are based on an hour bank of 100 hours per month. The following paragraphs explain in more detail how the new eligibility rules will be applied. Establishing Eligibility You must work at least 300 hours in a minimum period of three months and not more than four consecutive months. You will become eligible on the first day of the fifth month following this period. Establishing Eligibility Example 1 (hours worked in 3 Months) - January 79 Hours reported - February 120 Hours reported - March 120 Hours reported - April Lag Month to allow time for employer contributions - May Eligible for Health & Welfare Example 2 (hours worked in 4 months): - January 37 Hours reported - February 63 Hours reported - March 100 Hours reported - April 100 Hours reported - May Lag month to allow time for employer contributions - June Eligible for Health & Welfare Reinstatement of Eligibility If your eligibility is terminated, - You will again become eligible by bringing your Hour Bank total to 300 hours during the 12 month period immediately following the termination of your eligibility. - The 300 hours can include any new work hours plus the hours plus the hours remaining in your Hour Bank. - If your hour bank does not reach 300 hours during the 12 month period, you will have to start over. Example: - 98 hours remaining in bank as of March. - Member leaves covered employment and returns a few months later. - August, 140 hours reported - September, 138 hours reported - Eligibility is reinstated on November 1. Who is Eligible Your eligible dependents are you legal Spouse and unmarried children who are: - Birth to 21 years of age, - legally adopted children who depend on you for support and maintenance, - Unmarried children under the age of 24 who satisfy the requirements as a full time student, - Unmarried children include step-children who live with you if you are married to birth parent. Disability Credit If you become disabled, you must immediately obtain a certificate of Disability form from the Trust Office, have it completed by your doctor and mail it to the Trust Office for processing. it is possible that your Hour Bank will be "frozen" and a Disability Extension will be given on the first of the month following the actual date of disability. Your Disability Extension will end the earlier of: the last day of the month in which you are no longer disabled: or 6 months. When your Disability Extension has ended, your Hour Bank will provide additional coverage based on the number of hours in your bank, subject to the bank maximum of 600 hours. Under these rules, you may receive as much as 12 months of eligibility if disabled. All disabilities will be considered a single disability until you reinstate eligibility based upon hours worked. General eligibility Rules The Hour Bank method is intended only to change the way in which eligibility is calculated not the general rules that affect eligibility. The following should be noted: You will immediately forfeit your entire accumulated Hour Bank if: You work as an ironworker for any non-signatory (non-contributory) employer (non-union work) or for cash payment; You knowingly allow a contributing employer to contribute to the Plan less than all the hours you have worked for which contributions are required; You continue working for an employer that has failed to pay the necessary contributions after you have been advised of this fact; You are no longer a member in good standing of a local union in the District Council of Ironworkers of the State of California and Vicinity and are not registered on the "Out-of-Work" list during the period for which you are not eligible for benefits; You fail to comply with the Plan's subrogation provisions as required. If you should die while you are eligible, even during a Disability Extension, your surviving spouse and covered dependent children would be able to use the existing Hour Bank to provide additional coverage under the Plan. In the event of your non-disability retirement, you would be able to exhaust your existing Active Hour Bank before you are transferred to Retiree Eligibility. If you are not eligible for the Retiree Welfare Plan, you would be able to provide yourself with additional Active coverage, depending upon the size of your Hour Bank, at the time of your retirement. If your retire while on a Disability Extension, you will receive the sum of the remainder of your Disability Extension and Hour Bank, up to a maximum of 12 months of extended coverage from the date of your retirement. All hours will be credited to your bank, whether funded or unfunded, unless the unfunding of hours worked is due to 1.(c) as full above. All eligibility transactions will be handled on the basis of a full calendar month.