Employee & Retiree Death Benefits
The benefits described in this section are available only to beneficiaries of active bargaining Employees and Retired bargaining Employees. No death benefits are payable for persons covered under this Trust Fund as non-bargaining Employees or as Dependents. Death benefits are funded directly by the Trust Fund, and are taxable income to the beneficiary.
Amount of Benefit
If you die from any cause while eligible for the death benefit provided by this Trust Fund, the Plan will pay your designated beneficiary a benefit as follows;
Active Bargaining Employee – $5,000
Retired Bargaining Employee – $2,500
Exclusions
If you are not actively at work or available for work on the day that you first become eligible for medical benefits from this Trust Fund, your death benefits will not become effective until you are actively at work. In addition, no death benefits will be paid for any loss that is caused directly or indirectly by:
- participation in, or the result of participation in, the commission of a felony, or a riot, or a civil commotion
- war or act of war, declared or undeclared, or any act related to war, or insurrection
- service in the armed forces of any country
Death Benefits During a Period of Disability
If you become totally disabled before you reach age 60 and while eligible for death benefits, your death benefits can be continued without any cost to you during that disability. For you to be eligible for this continuation, your condition must meet the Trust Fund’s definition of total disability and you must submit satisfactory written proof of such disability. Contact the Trust Fund Office for more information.
When Eligibility for Death Benefit Ends
Your eligibility for the Death Benefit will terminate on the date you enter military service.
Your Beneficiary
Your designated beneficiary is the individual named on your Plan Enrollment Form. If you designate more than one beneficiary and you do not specify the portion to be paid to each, the beneficiaries will share equally.
If a beneficiary is not living on the date the benefit becomes payable, then payment will be made equally to any remaining beneficiaries named by you, unless you had made written request to the contrary. In the event no designated beneficiary is living on the date the benefit becomes payable, payment will be made to the first individual(s) listed in the following order:
- to your legal spouse at the time of your death
- in equal portions to your surviving children
- in equal portions to your surviving parents, if both are living; if only one parent is living, to that parent
- in equal portions to your brothers and/or sisters
- to your estate
Upon final dissolution of your marriage, your designation of your former spouse as your beneficiary will be automatically revoked unless you provide the Trust Fund Office with an updated Plan Enrollment Form again designating your former spouse as your beneficiary.
You may change your designated beneficiary at any time. To do so, request a Plan Enrollment Form from the Trust Fund Office. Complete the card and return it to the Trust Fund Office. The beneficiary change will become effective upon receipt of the completed form by the Trust Fund Office.
How To File a Claim for Death Benefits
Your beneficiary should obtain a claim form from the Trust Fund Office. The completed form should be returned with any required documentation to the Trust Fund Office at the address listed below. The Trust Fund Office should receive notice of the claim within 90 days of your death or as soon thereafter as is reasonably possible. Any claim forms submitted over one year after Your death will not be covered under the Plan.