NNEBT

QUATERLY ELIGIBILITY, PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS AND ENROLLMENT
ALLIED TRADE

[A-1 Plan Only ]

Your eligibility for benefits under the Plan depends on the number of hours that you work and the contributions that the Trust receives on your behalf.

Important Terms

Important Terms

New Member: An individual who has never been covered under any Trust benefit program.

Regular Member: An individual who has coverage under the Trust based on quarterly eligibility.

Employment Period: A three-month (quarterly) period for which your employer contributes to the Trust to provide benefits for you.

Covered Period: A three-month (quarterly) period following an employment period during which you are eligible for benefits under the Plan.

Participation Requirements

A New Member must have at least 200 cumulative hours of employer contributions in a 6-month period to become eligible for benefits. Coverage for a New Member will begin on the first of the month following the month in which the member has 200 hours of contributions. A New Member’s initial coverage will be for a two-month period and, thereafter, coverage for a New Member will continue on a month-to-month basis, until the New Member qualifies for quarterly eligibility, as long as a New Member has at least 100 hours of contributions in each succeeding month following the month in which he has 200 hours of contributions. To qualify for quarterly eligibility, a New Member must have hours of contributions during the first month of an Employment Period and be credited with at least 450 hours of contributions in that Employment Period.

A Regular Member, thereafter, must continue to be credited with at least 450 hours of contributions in each subsequent Employment Period to maintain coverage.

Eligibility Schedule

The following is the schedule that shows the Employment Periods and the corresponding Covered Periods:

1. Covered Period: January - February - March
Employment Period: August - September - October

2. Covered Period: April - May - June
Employment Period: November - December - January

3. Covered Period: July - August - September
Employment Period: February - March - April

4. Covered Period: October - November - December
Employment Period: May - June - July

Pay-in Option

A Regular Member, who has hours of employer contributions in an Employment Period, can maintain eligibility for the corresponding Covered Period, by paying to the Trust the difference between 450 hours and the number of hours for which his employer made contributions on his behalf during the Employment Period.

A Regular Member, who has no hours of employer contributions in an Employment Period, can maintain, on a one-time basis, eligibility for coverage for the corresponding Covered Period, by paying to the Trust an amount equal to 450 contributory hours.

Disability Credits

A Regular Member, who becomes disabled, will receive a one-time credit for a maximum of 150 hours per month but not more than 450 hours for a period of three consecutive months. The disability credits will be applied to the Employment Period for which the member lacks sufficient hours of contributions because of his disability.

A Regular Member, who has received the disability credits and, thereafter, has returned to work for two consecutive Employment Periods will be eligible for additional disability credits.

Any periods of coverage provided through the disability credits will be deducted from a member’s COBRA entitlement.

Enrollment

Members who meet the eligibility requirements may enroll in the Plan by submitting a completed enrollment application to the Trust. Members who meet the eligibility requirements but who do not enroll in the Plan are entitled to coverage only on an out-of-network basis.

Members must notify the Trust of any event that would change the scope of the coverage provided through the member, including a marriage, divorce, birth, adoption or death.

Termination of Coverage

A member’s coverage under the Plan will end -

1. At the conclusion of any Covered Period after the member’s employment ends;
2. At the conclusion of any Covered Period after the member’s employer ceases to be a contributor;
3. If the member’s employer or the member fails to make any required contributions;
4. If the member becomes ineligible because of a lack of contribution hours; or
5. If the Trust ends or modifies the Plan.

A spouse’s coverage under the Plan will end when the member’s coverage ends. A spouse’s coverage also will end upon divorce from the member; provided however, that a former spouse’s coverage will continue under the Plan, if the divorce decree requires coverage for the former spouse; and provided further, that the coverage will end when (a) either the former spouse or the member remarries; (b) the former spouse becomes eligible for Medicare; or (c) the former spouse becomes eligible for coverage under another group plan.

The unmarried child of a member who is between the ages of 19 and 23; is a full-time student in regular attendance (including customary school or college vacations) at an accredited post-secondary school or college including, but not limited to, a university, college, vocational, nursing, trade or technical school; is fulfilling all course requirements as prescribed by such institution and is working toward a degree or certificate issuable by such institution upon completion of the required courses of study; and is primarily dependent upon the member for financial support and maintenance and can be claimed as a dependent for federal income tax purposes. If the dependent is in such attendance during any of the calendar years from age 19 to age 23, coverage will continue until the end of the calendar year. However, verification of compliance with the foregoing requirements must be provided at the beginning of each calendar year in the form of a paid tuition bill or letter from the institution’s authorized office.

If a dependent child is handicapped and incapable of earning his own living as of the time his dependent coverage would otherwise end, the Trust will continue to consider him a covered dependent so long as he remains in such condition, provided that the member has submitted proof of the child’s incapacity to the Trust within 31 days of the date on which the child attained the age of 19.

Notwithstanding anything stated above, if a member dies, his spouse and dependents, if otherwise eligible, will remain covered, at no cost, for a maximum period of one year. Any such periods of coverage will be deducted from the COBRA entitlement of the spouse and/or dependents.

Revised: January, 2005