In one of two ways:
- If you are a present employee on the date that your Employer first signs a Collective Bargaining Agreement that calls for the Employer to be bound by the terms and provisions of the Plan, you become a Participant on the date the Collective Bargaining Agreement is effective; or
- If you are a new employee of an Employer who has previously signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement that calls for the Employer to be bound by the terms and provisions of the Plan, you become a Participant on the first day of your employment.
These examples should help you:
- An Employee has been working for an Employer since January 1, 2008. The Employer signs his first Collective Bargaining Agreement, which calls for the Employer to be bound by the terms and provisions of the Plan, on April 1, 2008. The Employee becomes a Participant on April 1, 2008.
- An Employee starts work on June 1, 2008. The Employer signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement, which caused him to be bound by the terms and provisions of the Plan on April 1, 2006. The Employee becomes a Participant on June 1, 2008 (the first day of employment).
No. Becoming a Participant is the first step in earning a benefit. To earn a benefit you must become vested.
Your Employer is required to make contributions to the Plan on your behalf in accordance with the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This normally means that your Employer contributes a fixed amount for such hours specified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Your Employer is required to submit contributions to the Plan each month. With those contributions, your Employer submits a report listing all its Employees, their Social Security numbers and the amount of hours for each Employee for which it is making contributions.
When a report is received indicating that contributions are being made on your behalf, the Plan establishes an "Individual Account" in your name and the contributions made on your behalf are credited to your Individual Account.
Once your Individual Account is established, your share of the net investment results is also applied to your Individual Account through a Valuation made every six months by the Plan. Net investment results constitute your share of the investment income or loss of the Plan, less your share of the administrative expenses of the Plan.
The amount of money which is in your Individual Account at the time you become entitled to the payment of any benefit from the Plan is known as your "Accumulated Share".
There are several ways for you to become "Vested". They are as follows:
- You complete one "Year of Service".
The term "Vested" means that the "Accumulated Share" in your Individual Account has been irrevocably credited to your account and that your Accumulated Share will be paid to you (or your beneficiary) at a future date.
You must be retired.
"Retired" means that you have withdrawn completely from any employment covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Union and your Employer which requires contributions to this Plan.
If you are a vested Participant who has retired, you shall receive payment of your benefit the month following the month in which you attain age 62, so long as all necessary documentation is received by the Plan Office in time to make such payment. If you are a vested Participant whose employment is terminated voluntarily or involuntarily prior to age 62, you shall not be entitled to receive any benefit until one year from the date of your termination from employment. This generally is a thirteen-month period, since the Plan office cannot determine that you have not been employed by a contributing Employer for that year until the month after the year has elapsed. If you are due for payment in April or October that payment may be deferred until May or November in order to assure proper crediting of income.
When you leave your job, make application for benefits immediately and do not wait for the year to pass. Otherwise, your benefit payment may be delayed for an additional period.
The one year waiting provision will not apply if your termination was due to:
- Permanent and total disability; or
- Permanent layoff from employment arising out of the closing for a period of not less than 120 days of the Installation where you were employed, or a determination by the procurement agency to terminate or suspend for a period of not less than 120 days the contracting out of work pursuant to a service contract at the Installation where you were employed;
In addition, the one year waiting provision will not apply if you have achieved 15 years of continuous service and are at least 50 years of age, but have not reached age 62. In such event you will be entitled to receive payment after 120 days from termination from employment.
You must make formal application to the Plan for retirement in the manner and form prescribed by the Trustees.
No. There are no provisions for borrowing or receiving partial distributions.
If you make a "Qualified Election" to waive a "Qualified Joint and Survivor Annuity", or if you are not married, the payment of a life annuity, the Trustees shall pay you the amount of the Accumulated Share in your Individual Account in one lump sum payment upon your retirement, regardless of age, subject to the one year waiting period (if applicable) which is explained on page 13.
We remind you of the following:
- The Board of Trustees of the ITPEU Pension Fund has determined that if an Accumulated Share is payable that amounts to less than $1,000, it will be paid in one lump sum.
- If any annuity payment on a monthly basis is less than $20 per month, the Trustees may combine these monthly payments into one quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payment.
Yes.
- The Plan is obligated to begin distributing your benefit to you not later than April 1st of the calendar year after you reach age 70-1/2, regardless of whether you are still working.
- If you are due a payment in April or October, payment will be made in the next month. This occurs so that you will receive investment income (if any) for the preceding six months.
It's a little complicated, but if you die before payment of your benefit and you are vested, the full amount of your Accumulated Share will be distributed as follows:
- If you are married, and have named your spouse as your beneficiary, your Accumulated Share will be paid to your spouse.
- If you and your spouse have validly waived the Pre-Retirement Survivor Annuity, and another beneficiary(s) is named, that beneficiary(s) will be paid the Accumulated Share.
- If you have named another beneficiary(s) and you have a spouse who has not validly waived the Pre-Retirement Survivor Annuity, your spouse will be paid one half of your Accumulated Share and the balance of your Accumulated Share will be paid to your beneficiary(s).
- If you are married, but have no dependent children, and have not named any beneficiary(s), your spouse will be paid 100 percent of your Accumulated Share.
- If you are married, with dependent children, and have not named any beneficiary(s), your spouse will be paid one half of your Accumulated Share and your dependent children will share the other half.
- If you are single and have validly named a beneficiary(s), that beneficiary(s) will be paid your Accumulated Share.
- If you are single and have no dependent children and have not named a beneficiary(s), your Accumulated Share shall be forfeited.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NAME A BENEFICIARY.
A forfeiture occurs if you leave employment prior to becoming vested. In such case, you are not entitled to the money in your Individual Account.
There are two other ways in which a forfeiture can take place under the Plan. They are as follows:
- If you are vested and die without having a validly designated beneficiary and no surviving spouse or dependent children who can be located in the exercise of due diligence, the amount of money in your Individual Account will be forfeited;
- The Accumulated Share in your Individual Account will be deemed forfeited if: No contributions have been made to your Individual Account for eighteen (18) consecutive months and no application for payment of your benefit has been received by the Plan by the end of that eighteen (18) month period, and (i) The Accumulated Share in your Individual Account is $5,000 or less or you are age 62 or older; and (ii) The Trustees, in the exercise of due diligence, have been unable to locate you or your beneficiary.
Notwithstanding the language in Items 1 and 2 immediately above, your vested forfeited benefit will be reinstated and paid if you, or your appropriate beneficiary, subsequently makes a claim for your benefit. In such event, however, the amount of your Accumulated Share will be equal to the value of such Accumulated Share at the time it was deemed forfeited.
If the Collective Bargaining Agreement which covers you so provides, you may make a Direct Rollover to or from a qualified plan.
If your application for benefits is denied, the Trustees will provide you with a written notice setting forth the reasons for the denial. If you receive such a notice, you have a right to appeal the decision by filing a written appeal with the Trustees within 180 days of receiving the notice. Your appeal should state clearly the reasons for your appeal and should include any pertinent evidence.
The Trustees will consider your appeal and give you their decision after reviewing all necessary and pertinent evidence.