The Fund was created on July 1, 1971, as the ITPEU Welfare Fund under an Agreement and Declaration of Trust signed by representatives of the Industrial, Technical and Professional Employees Union, AFL-CIO ("ITPEU"), and representatives of employers who had entered into collective bargaining agreements with ITPEU.

The term "Fund" and "Plan" may be used interchangeably throughout this booklet. The Trustees of the ITPEU Health & Welfare Fund have established the ITPEU Health & Welfare Plan which consists of the Rules and Regulations governing the payment of benefits.

The ITPEU Health & Welfare Fund is administered by a joint Board of Trustees consisting of seven Union representatives and seven Employer representatives. Communications to the Board of Trustees should be addressed to: Board of Trustees, ITPEU Health and Welfare Fund, Attention: Kathy Heery, P.O. Box 18307, Garden City, GA  31418. The Fund's telephone numbers are 1-800-327-5926 or 912-352-7169. The Fund also has the following web site – www.itpeubenefits.org.

Kathy Heery, P.O. Box 18307, Garden City, Georgia 31418 has been designated as agent for the service of legal process on the Fund.

All contributions to the Fund are made by Employers in accordance with collective bargaining agreements which require contributions to the Fund at fixed rates per hour worked. The Fund office, upon written request, will advise you whether a particular employer contributes to the Fund, and if so, will give you that employer's address.

Benefits are paid from the Fund's assets, which are accumulated under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements and Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing the ITPEU Health & Welfare Fund. These assets are held in a trust fund for the sole purpose of providing benefits to eligible participants and covering reasonable administrative expenses.

As an enhancement to the medical benefit program offered by the Plan, the Trustees have engaged Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Anthem) as the Claims Administrator for all medical benefit claims. In addition, the Trustees have made arrangements for you to have access to the Anthem Network of Health Care Providers. Participants who take advantage of this access to the Anthem Network should be able to save money and make their benefits last longer. A detailed explanation of the advantages of using the Anthem Network can be found by clicking here. Information regarding the Anthem Network of Health Care Providers may be obtained by going to their web site at www.anthem.com clicking on "Find a Doctor" or their toll free telephone number at 1-877-331-4329.

Participants and their beneficiaries with questions or problems about their rights to benefits always have the right to an official response from the Fund. This basic right and others are written into the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, adopted by Congress in 1974, which applies to all benefit plans. Those rights are set forth at page 67 of the Plan Booklet.