May 20, 2013   TABLE OF CONTENTS   1.1.10 Continuation Coverage for Retirees   A. Definition of "Retired Participant" A "Retired Participant" is an individual who satisfies the requirements of both (1) and (2) below. 1. The individual satisfies one of the following three tests, 1(a) through 1(c):    a. Is both (i) an Employee who is over age 55 (or is over age 50 and is entitled to Social Security Disability Benefits or long-term disability benefits under the GCC/ IBT Supplemental Retirement and Disability Fund) at the time of termination of active coverage under the Welfare Plan or under a group medical plan provided for in a collective bargaining agreement with GCC Local 6-505M, and (ii) is receiving or is eligible to receive early or normal retirement benefits under a retirement plan provided for in a collective bargaining agreement with GCC Local 6-505M.    b. Is the surviving spouse or surviving eligible Dependent child of an Employee who satisfied 1(a) above at the time of death.    c. Is the surviving spouse or surviving eligible Dependent child of an active Employee who at the time of death was an active Participant under the Welfare Plan or under a group medical plan provided for in a collective bargaining agreement with GCC Local 6-505M. In addition, either the Employee or the spouse was over age 55 at the time of the Employee’s death. 2. In the case of Employee, his surviving spouse, and his surviving children, the Employee satisfied one of the following two tests, 2(a) or 2(b):    a. The Employee had at least 60 total, non-continuous months of coverage under the Welfare Plan and at least 12 months of continuous coverage under the Welfare Plan immediately prior to retirement. The 12-month requirement must be satisfied by participation as an active Participant. COBRA coverage may not be used to satisfy this test; or    b. The Employee satisfies each of the following three conditions:      i. The Employee had been covered under the Welfare Plan (including the Welfare Plan’s three predecessor group medical Plans) for at least 120 total, non-consecutive months of coverage; and      ii. The Employee had been covered under the Welfare Plan (including the Welfare Plan’s three predecessor group medical Plans) and/or under another group medical plan provided for in a collective bargaining agreement with GCC Local 6-505M as an active Participant for at least 12 of the 36 months immediately preceding retirement; and      iii. The Employee had been covered under the Welfare Plan or under a group medical plan provided for in a collective bargaining agreement with GCC Local 6-505M either as an active Participant or as a COBRA Participant at the time of his cessation of employment in the graphic arts industry. In the case of an employee on COBRA or eligible to elect COBRA, if such an employee cannot maintain COBRA continuation coverage because his employer has ceased to maintain any group medical plan, then such employee may satisfy this condition (iii) by enrolling for retiree medical within the period that he would have been eligible for COBRA continuation coverage not to exceed six months after COBRA continuation coverage ceased due to the employer’s termination of all group medical plans. B. Suspension of Benefits A retiree whose retirement benefits are suspended because he returns to work in non-GCC Local 6-505M employment is not considered a Retired Participant and his Continuation Coverage is limited to 18 months, as described in Section 1.1.9 (F)(1). C. Enrollment and Payment for Retiree Medical Coverage Retirees must enroll for retiree Self-Pay coverage by notifying the Fund Office in writing within 30 days following retirement and completing forms available from the Fund Office. A retiree or surviving spouse who initially elects coverage for himself only will be given only one further opportunity to add coverage for eligible Dependent(s) that existed at the time the Participant’s Self Pay coverage commenced. All newly enrolled Dependents that existed at the time the Participant’s Self-Pay coverage commenced will be considered late enrollees and will be subject to an 18-month preexisting condition limitation, which will be offset by any period of Creditable Coverage (see Section 4.4). Timely payment of Self-Pay contributions must be made in accordance with the rules set forth in Section 1.1.9 for COBRA Continuation Coverage. To avoid losing coverage by failing to make timely payment of Self-Pay contributions, Retired Participants are encouraged to make Self-Payment in one of the following ways: Deduction from Pension Check – A Retired Participant who is receiving benefits from the St. Louis Graphic Arts Pension Fund sufficient to cover his Self-Pay contribution may have his Self-Pay contributions withheld from his monthly Pension by completing an Authorization Form, which is available from the Fund Office. Security Deposit – A Retired Participant whose retirement benefits are insufficient to cover his Self-Pay contributions or who does not wish to have his Self-Pay contributions withheld from his monthly Pension may make a Security Deposit of one month’s Self-Pay contribution. This Security Deposit will have the effect of creating an extra 30 day grace period. If the Self-Pay contribution has not been paid by the end of the initial 30-day grace period, the Security Deposit will be liquidated to pay it. Participants who do not make a Security Deposit will not have the added protection of the additional 30 day grace period.   TABLE OF CONTENTS   St. Louis Graphic Arts Joint Health & Welfare Fund 14323 South Outer Forty Rd. - Suite S106 Chesterfield, Missouri 63017 Fund Office: (314) 878-1579 twesthues@slgahw.org Fax: (314) 275-2640   If you have any comments about this web site, please contact us at twesthues@slgahw.org.   Site Concept and Design ©2002 jWeb. Maintenance and Hosting provided by jWeb.