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Plan Amendment – Extension of the Temporary Return to Work Amendment
The Trustees of the National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF) and the National Employees Benefit Board have approved an extension to the temporary Return to Work Amendment to the Plan of Benefits for the NEBF that permits certain eligible retirees to return to covered and contributory employment for a period of time without a loss of pension benefits from the NEBF. Please read the following notice carefully as this amendment does not apply to all retirees or to all electrical employment.
As you are aware, the rules of the Plan generally provide for a suspension of benefits for a retiree who returns to employment in the electrical industry for forty (40) or more hours per month. This temporary Return to Work Amendment changes the suspension rules for certain eligible retirees. Following are the features of the amendment:
1. The extension to the temporary amendment is effective from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.
2. All normal and early retirees with a pension effective date of December 2007 or earlier will be permitted to return to covered and contributory employment only and will be permitted to work for up to 600 hours during the above period without a loss of NEBF benefits (In order to receive benefits from other funds it will depend on the rules of those funds).
3. Once an individual has worked for 600 hours in covered and contributory employment during the term of the temporary amendment, the individual will no longer be able to take advantage of this amendment and the normal rules (permitting work in the electrical industry for less than forty (40) hours per month without a suspension of benefits) will apply.
4. Disability pensioners are not eligible (the existing rules applicable to disabled pensioners remain in effect).
5. Only retirees who return to NEBF covered and contributory employment will be able to take advantage of this amendment – this amendment will not apply to persons who work for covered employers where no NEBF contributions are required or to persons who work for non-covered employers in the electrical industry.
Plan Amendment – Temporary Return to Work
The Trustees of the National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF) and the National Employees Benefit Board have approved a temporary Return to Work Amendment to the Plan of Benefits for the NEBF that permits certain eligible retirees to return to covered and contributory employment for a period of time without a loss of pension benefits from the NEBF. Please read the following notice carefully, as this amendment does not apply to all retirees or to all electrical employment.
As you are aware, the rules of the Plan generally provide for a suspension of benefits for a retiree who returns to employment in the electrical industry for forty (40) or more hours per month. This temporary Return to Work Amendment changes the suspension rules for certain eligible retirees. Following are the features of the amendment:
1. The temporary amendment is effective from September 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007.
2. All normal and early retirees with a pension effective date of August 2007 or earlier will be permitted to return to covered and contributory employment only and will be permitted to work for up to 600 hours during the above period without a loss of NEBF benefits (In order to receive benefits from other funds it will depend on the rules of those funds).
3. Once an individual has worked for 600 hours in covered and contributory employment during the term of the temporary amendment, the individual will no longer be able to take advantage of this amendment and the normal rules (permitting work in the electrical industry for less than forty (40) hours per month without a suspension of benefits) will apply.
4. Disability pensioners are not eligible (the existing rules applicable to disabled pensioners remain in effect).
5. Only retirees who return to NEBF covered and contributory employment will be able to take advantage of this amendment – this amendment will not apply to persons who work for covered employers where no NEBF contributions are required or to persons who work for non-covered employers in the electrical industry.
Plan Amendment – Periods of Time not Considered a Break in Service
The Trustees of the NEBF, acting jointly with the National Employees Benefit Board, have authorized an amendment to Section 8.2 of the Plan of Benefits for the NEBF to provide that additional types of employment will not be considered a break in service. This amendment will affect all participants retiring with a pension effective date of April 2003 or later.
Presently, certain periods of time when a participant is disabled, unable to work because of a strike or lockout, working as a full-time employee of a labor federation in which the IBEW or NECA is a member, working in non-covered employment for a covered employer, in military service, or on maternity or paternity leave, are not considered a break in service. Although the participant will not receive benefit credits for this period of time, he or she will not suffer a break in service and will be eligible for benefit increases.
The Plan is amended to include the following additional periods of time that shall not be considered a break in service:
• Periods of time when a participant is working pursuant to an IBEW contract, but where there are not contributions made to the NEBF on the participant’s behalf;
• Periods of time when a participant is working as an instructor in an apprenticeship program recognized by the IBEW and NECA, where such instructors are not covered by the NEBF and;
• Periods of time when a participant is working as an electrical inspector for a governmental authority, where such inspectors are not covered by the NEBF.
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